Living large in tight quarters

For a nonprofit such as Threshold, finding developable properties at an affordable price is a trick. Both the Pine Street and Ravenna sites were sold to Threshold for a "very fair price," by a civic-minded older couple.

Ultimately, Kucher hopes that private builders will follow Threshold Housing's lead and recognize that cottages are not simply some quaint anachronism, but attractive and economical starter, singles, and retirement homes - just the ticket for modern homeowners looking to live small.

It requires a keen design sensibility to make cottages, such as the Ravenna Cottages built in Seattle (see main story), so inviting that people who can afford more space actually choose less.

That's where consultant Marcia Gamble Hadley, a trained architect, comes in. "What Marcia does is create a sense of magic," says John Kucher, a developer with Threshold Housing, who has worked with Ms. Hadley on two cottage-community projects.

Creating delight is essential in such projects, she says.

"Yes, I could design a small space that is really efficient, has great storage and all the electrical outlets in the right places," she observes, "but unless it catches ... a person's appetite for something delightful, something refreshing, or something calming, or something that is a treat to come home to, you miss the boat."

Her appreciation of compact design was planted in childhood, while visiting four maiden aunts who shared a large turn-of-the-century house in the Santa Barbara-Montecito region of California.

"It seemed that almost every bedroom had some sort of cubby or window seat or some sort of unique feature," she recalls. "I could literally leave the breakfast table, spend the day wandering around in all these amazing spaces, and not have to see anybody again until suppertime."

How does Hadley create that important sense of delight? Methods include varying the ceiling height or playing with its shape and using track lighting to create a picture gallery in a stairwell. In the bathroom it may be as simple as placing a storage shelf over the tub or replacing a vanity with a pedestal sink.

"Vanities make things feel cramped," she says. "Pedestal sinks open up the floor area so you can use some pretty flooring to make it look a little more like a hotel or resort."

Cottage buyers often are single, and market studies show that security, privacy, and community are important to them. Residents also want a sense of connection and a means of interacting, even if in limited ways.

At the Pine Street Cottages, Hadley says, a shared courtyard gives the homeowners a "stage set" for casual exchanges. The entry gate was intentionally designed to make noise so people on their trellised porches can look up and make eye contact. There's also a garden where residents can pick flowers, strawberries, and herbs. It invites neighbors to share this common space.

"The whole point was we needed to use the site to create a little relationship among the 10 people living there," Hadley says. After three months, a resident said he'd gotten to know his neighbors better than he'd done in two or three years at a traditional condo complex.

As for the future of cottage-style houses, Hadley doesn't expect them to increase by leaps and bounds. "I think it's going to be slower, very persistent, sort of like a morning glory in your garden," she says.

"Rather than a fad, I think [small homes] are a bellwether, because living more densely is not only a responsible thing to do environmentally and economically, but it also creates more of a sense of togetherness and social responsibility - and a cultural fabric that people who are tired of being isolated will find pleasing."

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