The Shaw/Rauch Family Living Small

Bedrooms: 1
Property: Owned
Square Feet: 625 approx.
Adults: 2
Children: 2

From the street the Shaw/Rauch family home mirrors the victorians typical of their Mission neighborhood. However, pass through the main house and you are presented with something unexpected. A modern cottage at the end of a garden. It is this little hideaway in the middle of the city that Dav, Kate and their two boys have called home for the past year.  

Townes (5), greets us at the door. He has been playing Monopoly by himself and is eager to let us know the status of his imaginary opponent. We take off our shoes on the deck and walk inside.

Sofas in the living space convert to the boys' beds at night. Lego organisation is answered here with large clear storage boxes.

At just over 600 square feet spread over two floors, most of the house is on display as soon as you enter. The downstairs is comprised of one large room encompassing the kitchen, living and dining areas. Part of this space also converts into the boys’ bedroom at night. Upstairs, a mezzanine level hosts the master bedroom and the bathroom, which holds the distinction of being the only walled room in the building.

The dining area and entrance to the cottage.

The open plan nature of the home has allowed Dav and Kate to take advantage of every square foot available. There are clever and thoughtful uses of every surface and nook. Storage built into walls and under the stairs, skylights to illuminate and open the space, underfloor heating, and multipurpose furniture such as the daybed and sofa downstairs that convert into the two boys’ beds at night.

A functional kitchen, overseen by Lego projects. Bench space is at a premium, but the coffee machine makes the cut.

When Dav and Kate purchased this property in 2012 there was little more than a shack standing in the place of their now tiny home. When putting together paperwork for planning permissions they poured over old Sanborn maps and other documents. Their research gave them evidence of prior residency, which helped them to gain their permission. Even so, the drawn-out process still took around two years.

Storage under the stairs was made possible by moving the water heaters to a pop-out closet outside.

The construction of the building took longer than initially expected, largely due to the fact that the city required it to be a renovation rather than a new build. An edict that made their lives more difficult during the planning and construction process, but one that they are ultimately happy with. Now that the renovations are complete, they have a modern cottage that retains the shape and character of the original structure. The roofline, and upstairs the arch window and french doors that look out over the yard and leafy trees. They appreciate that in this way the integrity of historical buildings are preserved in the city.

Despite their fondness for the cottage, living here can be challenging at times. It’s tough for each member of the family to find solitude - space to work, rest or recharge. This is especially felt by the two more introverted personalities of the family, Kate and Silas, “we both need to get some alone time before we can go back out and face the madness,” says Kate. She adds “I think a lot of it is just getting to know what your needs are and understanding how you take space.”

Silas (8) is cutting up some mango on the dining table. When asked what he thinks of life in the cottage, he echoes Kate’s statement, replying “...Cramped”. Though next he acknowledges the togetherness that they have felt as a family unit. It’s easy to communicate with each other when you are all within a few feet. He also enjoys how warm it is, underfloor heating and new walls and windows make for a cozy space.

Dav, Kate, Townes, and Silas.

For Townes, their gregarious youngest child and resident extrovert, living in such close quarters has been enjoyable. This is true for his dad too, “It’s actually been a really wonderful experience, I thought we’d be killing each other, but I quite like it. Except for those moments where I really need to do work,” says Dav.

Some challenges have mostly been overcome with the help of creative solutions or a little rearranging. Dav and Kate have utilized their deck and outdoor space to allow for entertaining more friends than can comfortably fit inside. An outdoor dining table on the deck, grill, and a fire pit in the yard creates a warm convivial atmosphere. And when the kids need to go to bed, the adults can keep chatting outside without too much disruption.

Little things have made big differences to daily life. Take the large red trunks that sit outside on either side of the front door. These hold all of the family’s shoes. With the footwear stored outside, closet space is maximized inside, freeing up limited clothes storage. Other details, like recessing the toilet cistern into the wall when building the bathroom have all helped to take advantage of the space available to them and make daily living a little easier.

Red storage boxes house the family shoe collection punctuate their outdoor space - a welcome extension to their living area.

On reflection they’ve learned a lot about how they live from their experience, “...the big takeaway for me from living here is that you don’t need as much stuff as you think you do... I’ve really liked the exercise of packing up everything and putting it all in storage and discovering that we really need very little. That was kind of liberating,” says Kate.

She summarises the feelings that have come to a surface as a family of four in a tiny home, “There’s more cosiness, there’s more love and there’s more tension and there’s more fighting. I think everything just gets a little bit more amplified. More intimate, and all of the stuff that comes with being more intimate,” says Kate.

Words: Rachel Jamieson
Pictures: Rachel Jamieson

The Whaley Family Living Small

Bedrooms: 2
Property: Rental
Square Feet: 525
Adults: 2
Children: 2
Pets: 3

It would be unusual to walk down 24th street without passing a mom pushing a stroller, or a kid on a micro-mini, or a dad wearing an Ergo carrier. Most likely you will encounter all three, plus a Labradoodle. Noe Valley has a reputation for being the quintessential San Francisco family neighborhood. It is in the very heart of this most child friendly part of town that I meet the Whaley family. Two adults, two kids, two cats and a dog, perched above a rug shop in their cosy two bedroom apartment.

The short climb up the shared stairs offers a fitting preview to the Whaley’s small space. A cast of items have found strategic homes in wall recesses and behind window-wells. From strollers, to bikes, to toys that have fallen out of favour; the stairwell alone is a well executed project in reclaimed land.

Once at the top of the stairs, the Whaley’s front door opens to a hallway full of original character details. Built into the wall on one side is a charming telephone niche with custom fold down stool, and across the hall, a WC featuring a light well and decorated with old subway tiles. It also features a custom built shallow shelf that allows for bathroom tissue rolls to be stacked high, tidy and out of the way. Continuing down to the end of the hall, the main living area of the apartment opens up, revealing the kitchen, living room and dining zones. Off this space, the two bedrooms and a private terrace patio can be accessed.

Grayson, the boisterous two and a half-year-old, takes a moment to introduce the family dog. He jumps excitedly with one arm outstretched to keep a treat out of reach until Ranger has ‘sat’. Next he bounds into his room. Grayson’s bedroom is kitted out with a toddler bed placed Montessori style on the floor, as well as a twin trundle bed. Tracie and Chris are particularly fond of the trundle, a feature that allows the room to easily transform into a guest room when family or friends visit, or an extra bed for dad to catch some Zs during the newborn nights. The boys clothes, toys, and baby items are given the rather lovely home of an original built-in china hutch, “we decorated it with wrapping paper and changed to draw pulls to get rid of the sharp edges,” Tracie explains. A side door that opens from Grayson’s bedroom reveals a small disused landing which has been expertly packed to the rafters - adding to the tetris-esque theme of extra storage in this apartment.  

In the living area, Tracie feeds four-month-old Beau on the sofa. Available wall space is well utilized in this room, with floor to ceiling shelving that Tracie and Chris sourced second hand. The shelves house everything from the television, to books, to a crate for their dog to sleep in at night. The lower shelves are kept kid friendly with toys and books, with harder to reach shelves hosting breakables and more precious things. Tracie recalls a sweet memory of how they arranged things back when Grayson was just starting to crawl, “we put a mirror down on the lowest shelves… he would crawl over and kiss himself.” Nowadays Grayson’s toybox and train set live at floor level below.

Across in the kitchen, Chris makes a tea and keeps an eye on Grayson who is blowing bubbles on the patio. It’s a small kitchen and bench space is at a premium, but the family are able to utilize vertical planes by hanging utensils and storage baskets. They also organize drawers meticulously to take advantage of what storage is inbuilt. Over at the dining table sits a familiar sight, a well-loved Stokke high chair acquired from Craigslist.

In the master bedroom, Tracie and Chris have accommodated the newest baby Whaley in a way that doesn’t take up a lot of space. They use an Arm’s Reach co-sleeper beside their bed as a bassinet, and choose to eschew the changing table. The couple extend this advice to others welcoming a baby into a small home, “skip getting a changing table… use a bed or couch instead combined with a changing pad,” says Chris. More storage is to be found in this bedroom in the form of drawers under the bed that house linen and clothing.

A particularly treasured feature of this apartment is the private patio. With views out to Mt Sutro, it must be quite a treat to sit out on during the sunnier months. As is, even on one of San Francisco’s wetter winter days, Grayson is able to ride around on his trike accompanied by Ranger, enjoying the fresh air. The family cats also get a special home on the patio, a cat kennel type contraption to which Cinder and Sabine can retreat to escape the dog, or humans, or just to nap as cats generally like to do.

As Grayson comes back inside, Chris lets Tracie know that he has downed the bubble liquid. Toddlers. The household is busy and bustling and with two under three, there is always something to do. That factor doesn’t necessarily get any more difficult in a smaller space, “there’s less space to make a mess and hence less places to clean,” said Chris. In fact, he is surprised at the ease of living with kids in smaller quarters, “you feel more connected as a family, yet with a two bedroom we always have room for our oldest son to play or read independently,” Chris adds.

As wonderful as this little Noe nest has been for the Whaleys, of course there have been some not so wonderful factors. Like noise transparency, a familiar foe for small space dwellers. For Tracie and Chris, that has meant significant compromises to keep things quiet at naptime and bedtime. Watching TV, cleaning, or talking loudly are off limits, “practically no noise can be made after hours.” says Chris. He admits that in some ways it hasn’t been the worst thing to have these limitations, “it forces us to go to bed earlier, or do silent activities like more reading.”

The location is a major factor in making this space work, “we walk to the store for our groceries, we walk to the parks… we love weekends when we don’t have plans that require the car and can just enjoy doing things like shopping and playing together,” says Tracie. Familiar faces abound, the Whaleys are mainstays in the neighborhood and enjoy their community immensely, “we can hardly go a block without running into someone we know - a neighbor, a shopkeeper, we’ve really developed a community here.” Tracie adds.

Note: The interview for this piece took place just a few weeks before the Whaley family were due to move to their new home north of San Francisco. They were keen to share their experience living as a family in their cherished little Noe nest before leaving. We wish them success and happiness. And of course, a little extra leg room.

Pictures: Rachel Jamieson
Words: Rachel Jamieson

The Kroleski Family Living Small

Snack time for Hunter. A second hand Stokke high chair and small table at the wall allow for a dedicated eating space.

Bedrooms: Studio
Property: Rental
Square Feet: Approximately 400
Adults: 2
Children: 2

I met Suzanne and her two young sons Hunter and Theoden in their studio apartment just a week before they moved out. Among the boxes and bustle of packing, the bones of family life in the apartment remained. The hand-built loft bed suspended above the living space, the closet home to Hunter’s crib and rocking horse, baby Theoden’s bassinet, and a stack of surfboards (yes, full-sized surfboards).

Packing boxes signal the end of the Kroleski's memorable time as a family in their 400 sq ft studio apartment.

We chatted about family life in the apartment; the logistics of it all. Negotiating naptimes for two under two was a particular point of amazement and awe, not without its war stories. Mostly Suzanne wanted other families contemplating staying in studios to know that it can be done. Mom Suzanne, dad Greg, and sons Hunter and Theoden, successfully lived together in what is essentially one room - a studio apartment in San Francisco’s Western Addition. Here’s how they did it.

Suzanne moved in with Greg and his ten or so surfboards after getting married in 2012. When their first son, Hunter, arrived couple of years later, they decided to stay put. Though not without reservations about welcoming another human into the space, “I was definitely apprehensive. How would we/he sleep? Where would he sleep?” said Suzanne.

The beautiful Cariboo basinett, flanked by Greg's surfboards. // Photograph courtesy of Greg Kroleski.

For the first six months, Hunter slept in a bassinet. Once he outgrew that, they swapped their sofa for a smaller model and moved Hunter into a crib. A relatively simple and satisfactory arrangement for all. Still impressive mind you, given that once Hunter was asleep for the night or nap time, there was no ‘other room’ for the couple to abscond to, bar a tiny galley kitchen that snakes off the living room. Nevertheless, Suzanne was pleasantly surprised as to how much they could do, around a sleeping babe, “I’ve also been surprised at how sound of sleepers babies are particularly in the evening. After they go to bed, we can cook, talk quietly, and even watch a show without waking them.”

A new and considerably more ample challenge presented with the Kroleski’s second son’s arrival. Fitting two babies (Hunter was 14 months old when Theoden was born) into a space designed for a bachelor required a little more thought, resourcefulness and creativity. They could have moved, but their plans were complicated, and San Francisco rental prices are no joke, “we kept saying, 'we hope to move soon, but things are going well right now',” said Suzanne.

Suzanne and Greg's loft bed was hand built to their needs and specifications. The bookcase acts as stairs. 

To prepare for Theoden’s arrival, Suzanne and Greg set to making some big changes in the space. With nowhere to go but up, they decided to head skyward. Greg built a loft bed, so that the master bed could be hoisted above the sofa and completely open up the space. “He learned as he went,” said Suzanne. They did their research online to assess what would work best for their needs, “we spent time searching the internet for photos of different types of lofts and ladders/staircases,” Suzanne added. Once the couple had an idea of what they wanted, Greg drew plans, measured, bought and cut the wood. He constructed their loft bed both in and outside their apartment - making use of the roomy sidewalks outside their building and San Francisco’s dry weather to work outside as much as possible. The finished product was a sturdy wooden loft, with a corresponding staircase that also functions as a bookshelf. Greg’s handywork worked remarkably well and freed up the bottom floor to be a living room for the family.

To create a dedicated sleeping space for the then one-year-old, Hunter. They cleared out the closet and converted this into a nursery. Neatly fitting Hunter’s crib, changing table, rocking horse, clothing and other stored items. As for Theoden, like his big brother before him, a bassinet was placed in the living room to serve as his cozy bed for the first few months of his life. To further free up the space for two children, Suzanne and Greg also said goodbye to their piano (I assure you this is not a typo), and culled and sorted some more of their belongings.

Hunter's nursery tucks neatly away into the closet. Fitting a full-sized crib, changing table, clothing and storage.

Even with the logistics of where everyone sleeps under control, there are of course some question marks over just how that sleep goes down. As mentioned earlier, nap time is a particularly unforgiving beast in the small apartment experience. Though the age gap between Hunter and Theoden is only just over a year, they were at vastly different stages in their development while living in the studio. “How are you supposed to keep a toddler quiet while an infant sleeps?” remarked Suzanne. A difficult enough feat even when you have walls dividing the nappers from the rest of the household.

Theoden surveys the world from his Baby Bjorn bouncer and bay window perch.

Another noise issue presented in the form of balancing early morning work with sleeping babes. To help the boys sleep longer, Greg started taking those early business calls in the car (in the garage downstairs); the Living Small equivalent of a home office.

With an active toddler and a newborn in tow, a yard or outdoor play area would have made life a little easier for Suzanne and Greg. However, they loved their Western Addition location. The proximity to quality local playgrounds and city amenities was invaluable in enabling them to enjoy their neighbourhood as an easy extension of their small abode, “I love that everything is within walking distance - the grocery store, our favorite burrito place, several fantastic parks, the pool, two libraries, and our church. It has been a privilege to live in such a beautiful, diverse city.” Suzanne explained.

The studio's quintessential San Francisco street view.

Not only did living in a small space help them to appreciate their surroundings, it also pushed them to look inward. There aren’t too many places to hide from each other when you’re perched on a loft bed above two sleeping kids. “(living here) brought Greg and I closer together, forcing us to realize that we’re on the same team… when you’re in a tight space, you can’t ignore each other, or issues that come up,” said Suzanne.

Though the family were in the process of moving out when I stopped by, it was inspiring to meet and witness even a passing glimpse of their ingenuity and resourcefulness. A fully functioning home for a family of four. In a space with a floor plan the size of a pacifier. Yes it can be done, yes it has been done. “Everything just sort of fell into place. We were very thankful,” said Suzanne.

For more about the lessons learned during family life in a studio, take a look at Greg’s personal blog post about the experience.

Words: Rachel Jamieson
Pictures: Rachel Jamieson and Greg Kroleski