Location, Location, Location

As my cozy weekend drew to a close, I found myself sad to see it go and also thankful to have had such a quiet 48 hours to myself. Among other things, I found myself contemplating my love for small spaces. It's no secret that I am a quirky person full of random preferences and tastes. I openly admit that. Most notably is my love for small spaces. While most people are striving for more square footage, I'm most comfortable in 1,000 square feet or less. I'm drawn to words like, "cottage" and, "bungalow" and, "Craftsman" the way most ambitious Americans in search of the American Dream are drawn to, "sprawling", "acreage", and "three car garage". In all honesty, if I had unlimited funds, I'd live in a small, Craftsman bungalow...I'd just have a smattering of them around the country. I'm a self-proclaimed house whore. I troll Craig's List to see what sorts of properties are out there and I pimp myself out for crown molding, hardwoods (NOT laminate), and porches. I mean, who doesn't love a good chair rail? And at the end of the day, who can resist a claw foot tub? C'mon.

I watch HGTV religiously and am mesmerized by the segments featuring tiny NYC apartments or quaint cottages which have barely enough room in which to change to your mind. When I lived in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, I was constantly driving by the "smallest house in Alexandria"; a sliver of brick wedged between two dreamy Colonial babes. The one time I thought I wanted to have more room; you know, be able to "spread out", I found myself migrating to the smallest crevasse and just spending all of my time there. I found the extra space unruly and overwhelming. Maybe it's a control thing, I'm not sure. Maybe in some quirky way I like to have a handle on all the space I'm responsible for so nothing creeps up on me. Regardless of the deep, underlying, perfect-material-for-the-couch reason, I'm pretty sure I will always be encapsulated by only the necessary amounts of space needed to live.

When visualizing my ultimate small and cozy spaces, the movie, The Holiday, springs to mind. It should not be overlooked that this selection was plucked from a movie which is set in the Winter time and is surrounded by snow. I am nothing if not consistent.

If you haven't taken in this flick, I highly recommend it. The story line is genuine but, for me, the real draw is the location: