Jessica Cumberbatch Anderson: Is DIY Dead?
From Fashion's Runways To Your Home
Lucky for us, she's agreed to give the skinny on Chez Larsson -- up close and personal. Here Benita walks us through her tiny 900 square foot home to show us how she maximized her space in unconventional ways.
Guest Room
You would think that a tiny home could never host a guest room. In Chez Larsson, however, not only does a guest room exist, but it's dressed to the nines as a nautical hideaway. "We built the new desk just a couple of weeks ago to make better use of the space." The "boat room" is Benita's husband Martin's favorite space and hosts many of his boat paraphernalia and books.
The "boat room" is Martin's favorite space, housing his nautical paraphernalia. Photo: Benita Larsson
Living Room
The Larsson's spend a lot of time in their lovely L-shaped living room, which is divided into two spaces: eating and seating. "The fireplace is a fake electric one, which we love. We built the cube stools ourselves and the dining table is a hollow core door on two dumpster find bases."
At just 900 square feet, the Larsson home hosts many tricks to maximize space. Photo: Benita Larsson
Kitchen
The original 30's kitchen was torn out in the 50's and the Larsson's kept the "new one," adding tiles and shelves after moving in. "I tore out the plastic flooring and created the checkerboard pattern on the pine floor boards. The dark stain matches the oak flooring of the rest of the upstairs," she says.
"One of the first things I did after moving in was paint everything ... white," Benita admits. Photo: Benita Larsson
Their laundry lies in the basement of the home, which Benita loves. "One of the first things I did after moving in was to paint everything down there white. It was so dingy and dirty and I just couldn't image hanging clean laundry there. Later we did the floors, tiled bench and shelves. White tiles are one of my favorite things; easy to keep clean and they always look fresh."
Hallway Storage (below right)
Because there was very little storage in the house originally, Martin and Benita use their upstairs hallway as a closet. "One wall has sliding doors and behind them there's a system similar to Elfa for our clothes. I recently added the green Ferm Living wallpaper to the doors."
Fifteen-year-old Wille does his schoolwork in this stylish Eames chair [watch out, ladies!]. Photo: Benita Larsson
Wille's room
With fifteen year old Wille in need of plenty of storage, the Larsson's built a desk for his room out of MDF. The look is completed with a few Expedit shelves from IKEA and an Eames chair. Benita notes, "My next project in Wille's room is to figure out a way to hang his new guitar."
I'm sure Benita will have no trouble with this step. She explains that her first project was the shoe cubby that sits in the family's hallway. "I didn't have the patience to wait for Martin to get in the mood, so I just went for it. It turned out OK, but one of my projects this summer is to add a second layer of MDF to the top to make it chunkier."
A cozy nook for shoes and a tiny water closet complete this organized home. Photo: Benita Larsson
No stranger to DIY, Benita and Martin tore down the boards that covered the wood in their tiny water closet. "We then sanded and painted it. Next project in here is under floor heating and new tiles. Penny or square?"
Something tells me Benita won't need a bit of help answering that question.
Thanks Benita for the lovely tour!
