Living Small a Growing Trend

"Living Large" is a saying that connotes the excess of the last decade of life in the United States. Elaborate, custom-built homes, many boasting thousands of square feet in living space, luxury cars, designer clothes all reflect an obsession with material things, a desire for "more," that permeates every class of society.

But existing alongside this hyper-focus on material wealth is a quiet trend for simplification, for downsizing, for getting by on less. Fuel-efficient hybrid cars, smaller homes, simpler wardrobes that don’t require environmentally hazardous cleaning processes like dry cleaning, organically grown local produce all are designed to lessen the impact of human activity on the natural world.

People are finding that they can live comfortably and even stylishly in remarkably little space, whether in tiny urban efficiencies or in small, one-room cabins in rural or wilderness regions. Creative storage space, multi-use areas, and furniture and accessories designed for tiny efficiencies maximize their function and enjoyment. Innovative building companies have even created do-it-yourself housing kits that allow prospective homeowners to fine-tune the space they need and even add on as they need more room.

As people become more aware of the consequences of unbridled materialism and develop simpler, more environmentally sound tastes, creative companies will respond with new, sustainable products including innovative housing, furnishings, clothing, and other articles. "Living small" promised to figure large in the coming years.