Downsizing & Tiny Living
In 2018 while living in Austin, Texas, my partner Thomas and I had a 1,000 square foot apartment and detached garage completely filled with various collections of various things like vintage cameras, globes, vinyl records, furniture, old school TVs and radios, tools, picture frames, video games, mugs, etc. We got to a point where we realized having all this stuff didn’t make us happy and wanted to make a change. In hopes to have a fresh start moving out state, we figured downsizing into a camper trailer would be the easiest and least expensive option. This would also allow us to experience the outdoors more by camping at state and national parks which isn’t doable with a “tiny house”. So we bought a 190 square foot trailer and got rid of the majority all our belongings through Craigslist, flea markets, and Goodwill, and offered irreplaceable items to family and friends. We went from over 30 mugs down to 4, from over 500 vinyl records to less than 100, from a fully stocked walk-in closet to a “capsule wardrobe”. We went from having an apartment full of furniture to having not a single piece in just a couple of months (although we did keep our camping chairs and small foldable tables).
The camper trailer we bought was only two years lightly used and thankfully didn’t need any repairs but the interior was not warm and pleasant to us. As an interior designer and Thomas as a builder, we teamed up to fix it up and make it feel like home. We took out the brown velvet sofa that had a large reclining mechanism and replaced that with our comfy green cushions from our apartment sofa (which surprisingly fit perfectly). We removed the bulky window valances and Thomas built new ones made of walnut that were sleek and modern, and I reupholstered the brown patterned cushions at the banquettes to something more our taste. We together repainted all the walls and cabinets from brown to white, added new peel-n-stick subway tile backsplash to the kitchen and bathroom, and painted all counter surfaces to solid black. For our cat, we replaced the bottom cabinet doors below the banquette seats with removable curtains so she could easily access the litter box. For more storage and counter space in the kitchen, we added a hanging fruit basket, magnet bar for knives, and hooks for cooking utensils.
After living in our camper trailer for a few months, we decided we were ready to move out of state from Texas to Colorado. Although once we arrived in CO, there were no available camping spots for us and unfortunately had to sell the trailer before the winter hit to move into another apartment. However, we truly enjoyed the year we lived in our “tiny home” and loved the challenge of renovating it. We learned so much from the experience and still to this day keep a minimalistic home.
