At roughly 1600 sq. ft., this year’s best small home was designed by Anne Callender of Whipple Callender Architects. Callender’s article, “How to Live Well With Less,” shows that downsizing doesn’t have to come with sacrifices in style, comfort, and good living. Practical planning is everything. A new stair tower blocks the backyard and the deck from public view, and it helps to streamline the arrangement of the main living spaces. The front-to-back sequence of living room, dining room, and kitchen is typical of shotgun-style homes or industrial lofts. The lack of interior walls allows the spaces to be defined by art and furnishings, giving the owners ongoing flexibility. Callender offers nine solutions to optimize small spaces: Designing with 9-ft. ceilings adds volume to narrow floor plans; placing stairs strategically provides daylight access and views; flexible spaces allow homeowners to react to changing lifestyle demands; see-through items-such as a kitchen island or a transom-provide extended views through small spaces; open, shotgun-style floor plans offer shared views and daylight, and they allow defined living spaces to expand as needed; big-house features-such as multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, and office space-ensure living without compromise; adequate storage space relieves the burden on main living areas, enabling them to remain open and free of clutter; providing access to outdoor living areas in narrow floor plans increases the perception of space and improves comfort; monochromatic finishes make small spaces feel larger and contiguous by blurring their boundaries.

To read the entire article use the View PDF button below.

Take a tour of the house.

Fine Homebuilding Recommended Products

Smart String Line

String lines — sometimes called dry lines — are invaluable for straightening walls and a million other things. The reel makes it easy to stretch and wind the string.

Buy at Amazon

A Field Guide to American Houses

If you want to plan, design, or remodel based on the vast tradition of American architectural styles you first have to understand their history, geography, architectural significance, and relationship to one another. This book can help with that.

Buy at Amazon

A House Needs to Breathe...Or Does It?: An Introduction to Building Science

Allison Bailes is great at explaining complex building science topics in simple terms that anyone can understand. If your goal is a new house or remodel that embodies the best practices that building scientists have to offer, buy this book right away.

Buy at Amazon