In a world often characterized by constant noise and clutter, the philosophy of minimalism has emerged as a refreshing antidote, influencing various aspects of our lives, including home design. As we navigate the complexities of modern living, the appeal of minimalism in home design continues to grow, offering a haven of calm amid the chaos. Keeping Only Essentials Minimalism is about stripping away the unnecessary, leaving only the essential elements that contribute to a harmonious living space. In the realm of home design, this translates into clean lines, a neutral color palette, and a focu ..read more

Hello! We are still working on The Green House (the floors are being laid this week and Caveman is working hard to paint the walls after work each evening). So I’m mulling over pieces of life in the Shoebox before we say goodbye to this place for good… today let’s talk about hand wash. We’ve exclusively hand washed our dishes for over four years now, as the Shoebox doesn’t have a dish washing machine. It actually hasn’t been that bad; I’ve always enjoyed hand washing. The roughest part was keeping up with the dishes we accumulate as a family of five and also since I cook most of our meals at ..read more

Minimalism is a parallel topic that is important to us but that hasn’t been addressed directly on Smallish much. My hesitancy to officially claim the term “minimalist” is mostly due to a ridiculous anxiety that we’re not quite minimalists yet. I worry that if the Minimalism Police stepped through our door they’d slap us with a fine for claiming a level of less we have not yet achieved. (I wrote this post for Miss Minimalist in 2013.) Ridiculous, I realize. I know that minimalism is so much more than mere limitation of physical belongings. I know that minimalism is a journey, an ever-foreground ..read more

…I know it’s been awhile since I’ve written. The following post might clear up why. To those of you who are new to the Smallish community, HI! So glad you’re here. I always hope you feel blessed and refreshed by browsing here. ~ Evelyn The early days of having an infant in the house are often called “survival mode”. This trying season is dubbed such because life seems reduced to just that—surviving. The days are busy, frantic even, but the overall focus is clear: care for little humans and yourself. Most people are familiar with the idea of a survival mode; it can show up after the death of a ..read more

Greetings! This post originally ran on Aug. 13th last year. But since summer arrived and I’ve been in full outside-drying-clothes-mode, I thought it would be good to share these ten reasons again. Enjoy! I’ve loved the idea of line drying clothes in the sun since fifth grade. (Lame, I know.) My teacher was a kind hippy-type woman; I remember her colorful flowy skirts and rocky jewelry. One of my strongest memories from that year is a single sentence from a conversation with this teacher. I remember her saying, “I just love drying my clothes out on a line. They just smell so fresh and clean, do ..read more

Hey friends! Caveman has been up to some amazing projects lately (like these cool DIY wall lamps), and I’m SO excited to share these toddler-size bunk beds with you. If you’ll allow me to brag on my oh-so-creative honey a little bit, you need to know a couple things. First, these modern space-saving and cost-effective bunk beds are unique because Caveman dreamed them up from scratch—like from his brain. Just like that. And then he designed them to scale and drew up a 3D sketch. Just like that. And then he made them. Just like that. As you can see, I’m pretty amazed at his handiwork. Our little ..read more

Hello! We are still working on The Green House (the floors are being laid this week and Caveman is working hard to paint the walls after work each evening). So I’m mulling over pieces of life in the Shoebox before we say goodbye to this place for good… today let’s talk about hand wash. We’ve exclusively hand washed our dishes for over four years now, as the Shoebox doesn’t have a dish washing machine. It actually hasn’t been that bad; I’ve always enjoyed hand washing. The roughest part was keeping up with the dishes we accumulate as a family of five and also since I cook most of our meals at ..read more

Minimalism is a parallel topic that is important to us but that hasn’t been addressed directly on Smallish much. My hesitancy to officially claim the term “minimalist” is mostly due to a ridiculous anxiety that we’re not quite minimalists yet. I worry that if the Minimalism Police stepped through our door they’d slap us with a fine for claiming a level of less we have not yet achieved. (I wrote this post for Miss Minimalist in 2013.) Ridiculous, I realize. I know that minimalism is so much more than mere limitation of physical belongings. I know that minimalism is a journey, an ever-foreground ..read more

…I know it’s been awhile since I’ve written. The following post might clear up why. To those of you who are new to the Smallish community, HI! So glad you’re here. I always hope you feel blessed and refreshed by browsing here. ~ Evelyn The early days of having an infant in the house are often called “survival mode”. This trying season is dubbed such because life seems reduced to just that—surviving. The days are busy, frantic even, but the overall focus is clear: care for little humans and yourself. Most people are familiar with the idea of a survival mode; it can show up after the death of a ..read more

Greetings! This post originally ran on Aug. 13th last year. But since summer arrived and I’ve been in full outside-drying-clothes-mode, I thought it would be good to share these ten reasons again. Enjoy! I’ve loved the idea of line drying clothes in the sun since fifth grade. (Lame, I know.) My teacher was a kind hippy-type woman; I remember her colorful flowy skirts and rocky jewelry. One of my strongest memories from that year is a single sentence from a conversation with this teacher. I remember her saying, “I just love drying my clothes out on a line. They just smell so fresh and clean, do ..read more