When I moved into this tiny flat in May 2011, it was with a  great deal of relief that I had found somewhere affordable to live in and a wee dash of trepidation regarding the size of the place and the urban area.

The day before I moved in we went in to clean and hang my curtains and light fittings.

It looked like this before we started work

and like this a couple of days later

Orlando seemed not to mind as long as he knew where dinner was

There was also this – [remember this wall paper you will see it again later]:

I began immediately to dispose of my accumulated stuff.  What I couldn’t give up yet eventually became part of a meticulously stacked and sorted, packed and piled wardrobe and storage cupboard and linen closet……….

I made the best of it – but in reality I was secretly just camping there, waiting for the day when my beach cottage would miraculously appear.  It took a while for me to catch up with reality.  I had chosen to not work for monetary reward but to work for free for those who would otherwise not receive help.  A beach cottage was not high on the list of probabilities.  One of the first laws of contentment is to be content with where you are.

After receiving that wee pearl of enlightenment I set about making my small lodgings into a workable home that would meet my needs as comfortably and prettily as possible.

You know the saga of the past two months – disposing of some and then disposing of more and eventually disposing of it all.  I let the dream go and discovered I could be happy right here, right now – and man, so much lighter!!

I have been delighted with what has transpired.  I feel as if I have gained double the space.  It works for us all.

Do you remember the fridge that sat for a while in the middle of nowhere?  In order to make this seating nook happen I had to build a faux wall that extended the space.  I did this by hanging a length of fabric behind the previously open kitchen counter area and placing the TV and this ‘hutch’ as if they were on a wall.  The fridge is behind the hutch.

The ‘hutch’ is an old chest of drawers and two of my inestimably handy free standing shelves – It does the job and we have one of our favourite friends perched there keeping an eye on everything………. can you see who it is?

You are looking at the side of the hutch and the side of the fridge.  The magnetic words are on the fridge waiting for me to make them into a poem.  The chest that these pretty gifts from friends-far-away are sitting on, came from my bedroom.

This is the view the other way where I have set up a long table so that I can have my sewing machine out when I need to and still eat my dinner and/or read my book.  Indoor Sidd went there quite soon into the rearranging chaos and has stayed there.  I quite like having him so close.  My table therefore has a threefold reason for being – nourishing, creating and contemplating.  Perfect!

There is also an extra canvas leaning up against the wall – it is waiting for its two mates to be finished and will eventually hang behind Indoor Sidd instead of that old painting.

Here is a peek at the kitchen where my gorgeous Serendipity spoon stands ready to spring into action the moment it is required.  To the left you get a glimpse of the faux wall and to the right is Orlando’s favourite ‘keeping an eye on the neighbourhood’ spot

Remember that room stacked to the ceiling with boxes – the one with the horrid yellow flowery wallpaper?  That wall paper is the bane of my life!  It is in perfect condition and is the original wallcovering for this flat which was built in 1971.  It cannot be stripped off without some skill and cannot be wallpapered over except by a professional.  It is shiny vinyl so cannot be painted over with ordinary water-based paint.  It requires sealing with that stuff that kills you and painting with enamel paint, the fumes of which will also kill you.  I have racked my brain to come up with a way of ridding myself of this stuff to no avail.. Part of this exercise is to make what you have work – so I did this

It is a tiny room – that is a double bed.  Because the big bedroom is my creating room, this is where I sleep.  I got rid of one whole wall of yellow flowers by hanging a roman blind and curtains all over it.  I placed a large painting on the other wall.  I took a bed set that is not really the kind of thing I like, but which works well with what is there and has the added extra effect of taking the eye away from the yellow flowers.

I took off the wardrobe door and hung more curtains.  I swapped my chest of drawers for a smaller, taller one from the creating room:

And here every night Orlando and I say thanks for this wonderful day and thanks for our crazy tiny pretty home and thanks for all our wonderful friends and family.  And thanks for the creativity that makes it possible to make living here work for us   🙂

And we are looking for a tiny doggie friend to join us too.  Now that will be a happy dance day!!

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!    🙂