Cat's Vibrant, Playful Space
Name: Cat Hart
Website: https://www.cathartstudio.com
Instagram: @catremhart
Size: 800 square feet
Home type: Cottage
Location: Savannah, GA
What you're looking at:
Living room: The heart and soul of it all! The chair in front of the window is our dog's favorite spot to observe the neighborhood. (Image credit: Cat Hart)Living room: The heart and soul of it all! The chair in front of the window is our dog's favorite spot to observe the neighborhood.
Our dining space: This is our most recent DIY. It used to be a counter with stools, but we cut it off and built a booth. Genius!
Years lived in: 2 years, owned
Household: My husband Chaston, two cats, and our dog Friday!
Have any design professionals worked on this space? No
Do you currently live in your Small/Cool space full-time? Yes
Describe your space:
Filled to the brim with rooster collectables and stray cats, this 1930s cottage was nearly doomed for demolition when we bought it in 2018. After a yearlong restoration, it has continued to be a labor of love to restore it to its former glory while putting our own unique stamp on it. Our desire has been to make every corner intentional and meaningful, so that the overall feeling is (hopefully) one of beauty and warmth without being pretentious.
Did you DIY anything in your space? And, if so, what's your favorite DIY?
We have DIYed as much as we possibly could in our home, although that has not been without a fair amount of stress. I am a furniture maker, so I have made at least half of the furniture and art in our home! My favorite DIY is definitely our banquette seating. It has made a huge difference in being able to entertain and host meals and game nights.
How do you make your small space work for you and feel bigger than it really is?
We were lucky to be able to really take advantage of every inch of dead space in the restoration process and turn it into storage of some sort. And though this may seem like a no-brainer — my number one small living tip is own less stuff! We try to be very intentional with what we purchase; everything needs to have a use or sentimental value. Next to that, most of our furniture doubles as storage in some way or another. There is not a square inch of unused space under our beds, and the banquette benches have storage underneath.
How does your home reflect you?
I love building my own furniture and being able to use it daily in my home. I know that the pieces I've created will be passed down to my children and grandchildren, and I feel like that imbues warmth and care into my home. Aside from that, I love the little apothecary cabinet that sits at my entryway which was used in my grandfather's doctor's office.