Who Lives Here: Chris & Emily + Corgi Rosie Pepper Location: Bremerton, Washington Size: 540 square feet
What is your favorite element of your Small & Cool home? We bought the formerly scrappy depression era shack solely because of the quaint neighborhood and stunning view. The hilly topography in our area provides a view of the Puget Sound and the illusion of a waterfront site. Our love of entertaining friends and family was challenged by living in a small house…
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…This influenced our decision to add a covered porch and courtyard with built-in seat walls in order to accommodate a large group and add versatility to a tight space. The outdoor space is treated as an addition to the house and meant to be a 'living room' as inviting as any other interior room with the same attention to detail.
The 'fancy shed', constructed almost exclusively of recycled materials, is our latest addition. It is our solution to increasing our square footage and storage on a site with no garage. Not to mention, supporting the addiction to collecting 2 wheeled vehicles!
What was one of the biggest challenges you faced in furnishing your Small Cool home? When we bought the house, it had been a rental for over 40 years. It was shabby and in disrepair. There was not a stitch of character or soul in the gray asbestos and aluminum window clad box. On an extremely limited budget, we set about remodeling, turning our depression era shack into a 100 year old beach cottage. No wall was left untouched. Everything was replaced but the kitchen cabinets. Our biggest influence was our old wooden sail boat which gave us the idea to make use of hidden space inside walls for shelving and storage.
We utilized salvage stores for old fir flooring and antique porch posts and added a few new things such as energy efficient wooden windows and shingled siding.
Starting with nothing that remotely resembled successful design afforded us the opportunity to create our dream space without feeling guilty about ripping out someone else’s workable remodel.
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Check out all the entries on our contest page.
10 No-Fail Decor Tricks & Tips for Small Spaces
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Shaw's Original Fir...
How to Bake a Potato: Three Easy Methods
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
this is just way to girly for my tastes..and too shabby chic-ish.And that turkey neck painting? Beautiful back yard though and awesome view
I love this. Reminds me of my uncles old River house in Northern California. Very nice.
LOVE how you displayed the Matchbox cars. Genius.
Quirky but cute.
I LOOOOOOOOOVE the colors. It's so beautiful, you guys did an amazing job with it.
I love this... so comfortable and inviting.
I LOVE it. Just love it. Makes me miss my home town of Seattle.
Who makes the white cylinder unit in the corner of your kitchen??
I freaking love corgis
OMG - I love it!! iloveitiloveitiloveitiloveitiloveitiloveitiloveitiloveit!!!!!!!!!!
Wow - this is pretty interesting and beautiful. You did a fabulous job reworking the space. The bedroom is a little intense for me, but overall its a cool, very personal space. And that view is worth a million dollars. Just insane.
Love it! So far from a shack!
I just have to vote for a hometown (almost) place! Plus, I really do love it. And I think the turkey neck painting is fabulous. I love kooky animal stuff (excluding taxidermy). :)
LOVE IT!
Wonderful, wonderful home. I could move right in.
great place
and such a serene setting
how does one get a whale vertebrae
would love to have one
Love it! Of course, I'm not impartial since I love blue...
I love it! Sort of like the playhouse I always wanted as a kid, but now suited for adults. I must admit, I am rather jealous. A great tiny house!
Chris & Emily
I like your cottage very much, looks very cozy!!
washington state.
Ooh - question! Since I know everybody comes to answer questions.
You say in your write-up that the only original thing you left was the kitchen cabinets. Did the green toilet and sink come with the house, or did you put them in? If you actually put them in, I'm amazed, amused and awestruck. In either case, I love the little tile niches with peeks of green. Great idea!
dmvaughan15,
The white storage unit is Anna Kastelli Ferrieri for Kartell
Super clean, useful, unassuming and hides a lot of junk!
http://hivemodern.com/pages/products.php?view=sub_product&sid=397
Re the green bathroom. I would love to see the outside of the tub painted mint too!!! The yellow clashes...
emmelemm,
The green toilet, sink, the larger green glass tiles that are in the inset 'storage cubes' inside the walls, and the green glass towel rod were all given to us by a friend who bought them at a salvage store and decided not to use them. The room was planned around those pieces and the color. The resin bubble toilet seat was only used because we couldn't match the green. It turned out to be pretty popular conversation piece...
The whale vertibrae was sitting in a client's planting bed and when I asked about it they gave it to me!
Sounds like my beloved turkey portrait is controvercial ;) (don't get me wrong, I like controvercial) but... if you would like a fabulous bird portrait of your very own please check out my friend Don Wesley's website:
http://www.donwesley.com/dwg-paintings.html
parrishnut,
it was cut off in the bathroom photo, but if you look hard you can see on the far right edge there is a floor to ceiling cabinet that is painted the same yellow as the tub with matching yellow tile on the side matching up with the white tile. I wish I could have posted more photos! Looks way better in person...
Absolutely gorgeous and eclectic!! I love the whole feel.Could you please tell me where you got the blue floor lamp from. I am so in love it.
Love your kitchen cabinets. I have wanted to use that color, but not on the walls, you have given me the solution.
Adorable bathroom, too.
Gorgeous view:)
swanky,
the blue floor lamp is a vintage medical lamp that has been bought and sold over the years between a few friends. Not sure where it came from originally.
For such a big piece it has been really useful because of the large base acting as a shelf. During the holidays we even unscrew the vertical pipe and use the heavy base to set our Christmas tree on.
I would check vintage furniture stores.
Not sure where you're located, but this is one of my favorites in Seattle:
http://www.greatstuffseattle.com/
Not my style but I would love to be a friend and invited to your parties. Quirky, humorous, colorful, just like all my favorite people. Did you look into getting a wood toilet seat custom painted? A friend in San Francisco did that.
Oh, the view from your porch--adorable, all of it.
Precious dog, matches the home well. I have almost an identical corner table like yours. Don't know if it's real or wannabe Haywood but I like it. Where did you find yours?
Chris, Emily and Rosie-Pepper,
You do a great job keeping your collections organized in such a small space.
The details on the kitchen cabinets are wonderful! Your personalities definitely shine through. I love it!
This has to be in Manette!
Ah, Bremerton...my home town. I was going to say that I would never, ever, EVER have suspected to see a house in Bremerton pop up on AT, but from Manette it makes sense.
Cute neighborhood, cute house, makes me kind of homesick.
Love the view and the porch, but it's too "intense" for me indoors.
jeezy,
It is Manette! We love it here!
hippyvieja,
The corner table is part of the sectional couch set (unfortunately not Heywood Wakefield). It was found several years ago before we bought the house at a local thrift store and luckily fits the space perfectly
No denying that this is a cool space... warm and inviting...
The skeptic in me has to ask, though... how does this whole square footage thing work? Does anyone know? You said in your Q&A section that "solution to increasing our square footage and storage." Why then doesn't this count toward the total SF? Is the shed just storage? Where do the stairs go? Basement? Roof? Either way, great job. Just slightly more impressive when someone seems to be able to make a 'tiny' space work by creatively incorporating storage into their living space, not just hiding it away. If the shed is living space too then I'm even more confused on how this whole thing works... then I'd think this would just be a 'small space' instead.
Blah, Blah... sorry to ramble... just curious. Whatever the SF, it looks like lots of love went into it... Bravo.
any place with a corgi gets my vote. Best dogs ever.
amalone1,
I totally understand, and we are lucky enough to have a yard to build a shed in. The shed is not living space and we have no garage, but we do have an unfinished basement like some of the other entries. I beleive we're just talking about living space for the entries.
There are lots of space saving techniques used inside too. The house itself is only 540 sf so we certainly still have to be creative with the limited space in the house.
BTW, this contest is for up to 1,000 sf, which to me is not a very small house...
I. Love. This. I would say my favorite so far. That country, retro vibe, the bright little pops of color, the big porch, the huge yard. I want it.
Wouldn't change a single thing. Perfection.
Ce-uuute! I especially love the yard and locale.
love it! so happy and bright! i would enjoy being in that space.
Corgi! (my dog:) Bremerton! (my birthplace) Waterfront! (my dream) What is the tall blue piece next to the toilet? And did you make the Space Needle lamp? GREAT job, charming place!
SQ,
Kindred spirits!
The tall blue thing, I have no idea. Found 2 of them at a yard sale. They are home make steel poles with cup shapes at the top and bottom. Maybe they were intended to be plant stands? Not sure. We keep our old Roseville pot on top because it was cheap and has a big chip out of it. Perfect candle holder. the other one is on the porch with a large pillar candle on it.
The space needle lamp was made by an elderly gentleman who was a friend of my husbands family years ago. I believe he also made the totem sitting next to it.
I love it!
I love it. love it. love it. It's the first time I can genuinely say this is not my style but I adore the place. Usually "it's not my style" means "I don't like it but I can see why people would." --at least it does for me. Of course the view doesn't hurt but I'd like this even if your windows looked out on brick walls.
Congratulations at creating a beautiful home.
As for space. The unfinished basement is a dilemma but I would tend to feel that it should not be included. If things are being stored in a basement they can usually be given up. Other than perhaps suitcases, people without basements just tend to do without things that those who have them get to keep.
Whether that is good or bad depends on your point of view, what people are keeping. I only had a basement for a year. It was nice but things didn't change much once I didn't have one again. (and I managed to fill a substantial portion of it.)
What a joyous space, full of humor and personality. I really admire your home.
very cool space!
Love it. Wish I could have a tour of that cute little shed out back. :)
P.S. What a view!!!!
I dig it. I love your continuity with colors without being matchy.
Yay! I was born in Bremerton! Way to represent!
I mean, your place is freakin' amazing! I love it!
i love it too!
The blue on your walls? Please share!
The rattan in your living room is what my mom has had at the lake for years. The cushions are still wonderful and firm and she has a lovely cream covers on it that remain spotless.
Emily, Chris and Rosie Pepper, what a delightful home you share! Perfect. . . the details, the throw pillows, the knick-knacks, the artwork, the toilet seat . . . My eye didn't want to quit observing and my brain didn't want to quit thinking "how can I interpret that idea for my home?"
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous view. Great use of color and space. I love porches. I love Corgis. This is one of the best ever.
I have spent some time in this home, and there is always something new to look at. Chris and Emily are amazing people with impeccable style. Plus, there is always beer or wine and tons of art books and scooters to keep you busy when visiting. Good luck!
Man, you all are so wonderful- gonna make me cry! I love you all for the sweetest comments ever!
What a beautiful place! The blues and greens are gorgeous! Your home feels like one, unified space.
The *only* thinkg that makes me cringe is that "conversation piece" of a toilet cover. I'm house hunting and recently went to see a place that "featured" one of these. I thought I'd just about die in horror!
I get that you couldn't find the cover to match the beautiful mint green, and I know that a toilet seat of yellow or white would match less well than the clear cover, but seriously! ...a little less matching for the serenity of not viewing poo when I don't want to...I'd take that deal!
I want to give special thanks to Justin and Joanie Pearson for all of their hard work taking the beautiful photos for us! You guys are the greatest!!!
http://www.pearsonprophoto.com/
I love this, but what on earth is going on with that bathroom? *blink*
Love this. So nice to see something a little different than the standard MCM AT fare (not that there's anything wrong with that...).
Where do the stairs go? Is there a basement or attic?
Oh that porch and view!
And I love these colors and the rustic/playful style.
Would like to give more than just one thumbsup!
Oh I just adore this!
Wow, minus points/thumbs up for NOT having the modern shed be an office or guest bedroom. It's just too pretty to waste.
I liked it till I hit the bedroom, where the chairs jumped out as being way more shabby than the rest of the apartment (assuming everything else does fit under the shabby chic aesthetic; I'm not too familiar with it). Then with the bathroom, I like green, but I like the orange a lot more, and for some reason I don't think the pale mint green holds up well (the floor works fine, though). I like the resin seat cover, though, and I guess it's a color match for the bathtub? Not thrilled with the bathtub either, tbh. Still, lots of neat ideas, and I'm sure it makes them happy. :)
All I can say is the bathroom colors work way better in person... And again, there is a yellow cabinet to the right that the bathtub matches. I think in the photo the colors look quite different from one another, where they are more cohesive in real life... I guess you'll have to take my word for it or stop by!
Overall, the look of the house is meant to be eclectic- not limited to one aesthetic. It all actually all works quite well together in my opinion! But, maybe I'm biased... ;)
I love your house...the colors (balance of cool warm colors), the details , the repurposing of things, the whimsy (who would think of putting a skateboard above the kitchen sink?)...yeah, I could live there!
What an awesome house! And the kitchen - the concrete counter tops caught my eye. The color of the kitchen cabinets, the round red stools, brick wall, metal light fixture, and the other artifacts ties everything together.
The homeowners seem really mindful about conserving energy and having a low carbon footprint. First, most of the stuff in the home is recycled and fashioned into something new and chick, for instance the floors, the two bedroom chairs and the ‘fancy shed’. Second, the windows throughout the house, glass blocks in the bathroom, the mudroom, and the way the windows are placed in the ‘fancy shed’ draws in a lot of natural light. Lastly, the addition of a mudroom not only keeps the house clean from dirty shoes entering the house, it also keeps the draft out, which can effectively lower the energy bill.
Looks like a very unique, warm, and inviting place, truly making this a home. Nice job!
Congrats -- it's a beauty. I love the buttery yellow of the tub paired with the milk-glass/jadite green of the toilet and sink (even if you didn't have the yellow cabinet in there).
The positive energy flowing through your cozy home comes from the colors -- they don't have to match, they just have to "go."
I second another's comment: you've done quite well keeping your waste minimal in what appears to be a thorough and thoughtful renovation. Ahhh...I really love it all.
I especially love your use of outdoor space - it looks beautiful, natural and calming. Your house is vibrant and playful without being overstimulating or childish. You've struck a beautiful balance.
I wanna house and dog-sit for you. Just so's ya know.
Wow! What a wonderful reflection of individual personality. So nice to see a space that doesn't look like a scrapbook of shelter catalog clippings. Bravo.
Definitely one of my favorite tours :)
my favorite. i love this. perfect. i want to move in.
love everything... from the colors to the cars
We too are in Bremerton (down Illahee towards Brownsville). I saw another post saying they never imagined seeing a Bremerton home on AT. I too was shocked!
Your home is AMAZING! Thanks for casting some good light on our town :)
my fave of all TIME...not just smallcool but house tours...what a freakin' view...who needs more space?
looove this! I'm so inspired. Very gypsy
Can you share the blue paint color you used in the living room? What a great house tour!
Really like the kitchen, love the bathroom even more, and the rest seems a bit too cramped with stuff for my taste.
Very nice job on your renovation. You definitely created a cozy, homey atmosphere. I really amazed at the openness and lightness for such small areas.