Small Home, Big Style: Katrina's Chic Little House

Hi Everyone!

Happy Friday loves!  Today is bitter sweet for me.  Here's the bitter: Ikea done gone and lost they minds ya'll!!  Yes I did get ALL THE WAY country on you!  For real though, in case you haven't heard they are giving the Expedit the axe! I know, right!  The nerve!! I mean really, did they not see this list?

They are planning to bring in a new unit (the Kallax) which will "supposedly" be comparable.  Well here's what I have to say to that: "Hey, Kallax, you've got some mighty big shoes to fill".  I'm just sayin...I think there may be revolt afoot and I may or may not be taking part in it.  Anyway, if you've had your mind or heart set on the Expedit, I suggest you run, don't walk, to your nearest Ikea and scoop it up. 

Now for the sweet: Its time for another Small Home, Big Style feature and this one is a bit close to home for me.  I'm beyond excited to be sharing Katrina's beautiful home today.  I have to admit, I may be a tad biased here since Katrina and I are actually real-life friends.  I met her through blogging and realized we both live in Sacramento.  After meeting up over a year ago, she's become one of my dearest friends.  As a matter of fact, we are headed over to her place tomorrow night for dinner! 

Katrina shares her decorating adventures over at Chic Little House.  After living through a devastating house fire that took her home down to the studs, her and her husband recently finished the rebuild of a home that's even more beautiful than before. 

Not only does Katrina's home look good, it feels good, too. Every time I'm at her place, I never want to leave! Here's what Katrina shared with me about her small space living experience:

S: Where/What city do you live in?

 

K: We live in the Sacramento, California our States Capitol. 

S: Who do you share your home with?

 

K: I share our home with my husband and our two boys, Tabari 13 and Avery 2.5 the big age difference makes life more fun. 

S :Do you own or rent?

 

K: We Own 

S: How many sq ft is your home?

 

K: When we bought our home a few years ago it was 3 bedroom 1 bath coming in at 927 sq feet! With our recent home re-building, we decided to expand on the original floor plan. We added a small master bathroom and larger closet along with a laundry room that does double duty as a mudroom just off our Kitchen / Dining areas. Our home now is around 1,080 sq feet, so we didn't add a huge amount space but added essential space. 

S: What do you love most about small space living?

 

K: I love our homes layout and how cozy the space feels, and not living with lots of clutter of having extra rooms with no propose. When you have a small home you are forced to pair down and really use every inch of your home in a smart & creative way. 

S: What challenges have you faced?

 

K: Editing, when you have small home you have to edit and keep it organized. I enjoy finding amazing deals for our home, so when I come across a major score at a thrift store and I realize I can't bring that dresser or random chair home with me, I do get sad. But it also forces you to really think about each purchase in a more thoughtful way, and not bringing home any unnecessary clutter or project that won't ever get done. 

S: What's your favorite room in your home?

 

K: Hands down my favorite room in our home is our kitchen, its exactly how I envisioned it being when we bought our home. When we bought our home it was a little dark cave, but seriously it had a good layout and so much potential and I could see past all the ugly. When we starting the rebuilding of our home, I couldn't wait to tackle the kitchen and transform it into my mini dream kitchen. Runner up, our laundry room. Even though its a work in progress, I just love this new area of our home so much.

 

S: Do you every wish you had more space?

 

K: Sometimes yes! I'd love to have an extra living room, for when friends come over so we can all hang in one area of the house, and the kids could hang in the more casual living area...but then I'd miss out all that family time a small house creates LOL! So for now our home is the perfect size for my family. 

S: Best piece of small space living advice?
 

K: Remember that just because your home is on the small side, it doesn't meant it can't be fabulous and make a statement! Also think about furniture placement, having rooms serve multiple purposes and finding ways to eek out extra storage and keep clutter at bay. Those all add up to making you feel like your living in larger place and help trick the eye. One more piece of advice: treat the outdoors of your home as an extension of your home. In Northern California we have lovely Springs / Hot Summers & Warm falls so we are able to treat our patio as an extra living room & dining area, kitchen too if you count my husbands grill!

 

Good stuff, right? I love what she said about a small home still being able to make a statement!  That's right up my alley.  Thank you so much Katrina for allowing me to share your amazing home today.  To see more, make sure you head over to her blog. 

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On another note, earlier this week I posted this picture on IG. I was on the local news ya'll.  It was the most nerve wracking experience ever.  I mean its one thing to have photographers come in and photograph your space, but its a whole other ball game to be in front of a camera on LIVE TV.  At least with photographers you get good lighting, practice shots, and time to get it just right.  On live TV you get 2 and a half minutes of who the hell knows how its gonna turn out! In this case once I actually got over my nerves enough to make it through the segment the producers came over the mic and said there was a weird buzzing noise and you could barely hear me!  Oh gah. seriously! Only me, guys, only me. I wasn't gonna share this...EVER..but you guys are my people.  That means you get the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I tracked down the video of the interview.  I refused to actually watch it until last night. All I can say is...can I get a do over! Don't say I didn't warn ya!

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=9853752

Have a great weekend loves!  Until next time....

Xo-Shavonda

*All images provided by Katrina of Chic Little House

Oh and one last thing...today's the last day to nominate your fave blogs in the AT's Homies Awards

Tomorrow voting begins on the top ten finalists in each category so make sure you get your vote in.
Thank you so much to everyone who's voted for me.  Even though Im far from a finalist, Im honored just to be on the list. It means so much to know this blog has become a part of your day.  Its the biggest compliment I could ever ask for!  Ok so Im really done now.  Longest. post. eva!