A Family of 3 Makes a 650-Square-Foot Cabin (with Small Bedrooms!) Work Beautifully

published 2 days ago

A Family of 3 Makes a 650-Square-Foot Cabin (with Small Bedrooms!) Work Beautifully

published 2 days ago

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About this tour

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Home Type

Cabin

Location

Manitou Springs, Colorado

Style

Cottage

Vintage

Bedrooms

Square feet

650

Sq ft

650

When photographer Jasmine Morse, her husband, Isaac, their son, Josiah, and dog Hugo were downsizing a year ago, they went from 2,000 square feet to this 650-square-foot cabin in Manitou Springs, Colorado. And yes, there was a fair bit of purging of stuff that had to happen before the move!

Credit: Jasmine Morse

Jasmine advises NOT to fall for the lie that kids need a ton of things. "It's true that we have to find storage for diapers, a diaper bag, some toys, etc... but kids don't actually need a lot," Jasmine writes. "Our son's toys fit in cubes at the bottom of our bookcase and in his closet, and we spend a lot of time outside instead. His diapers and the corresponding gear fit in a little rolling cart in his nursery. We don't have a changing table; we just use a changing mat on the floor. Just because you have kiddos doesn't mean your space has to feel cluttered."

The family’s rental cabin is steeped in interesting history. Over 100 years old, their home is a part of a “village” of cabins owned by the nonprofit Isaac works for and “occupied by on-site staff and their families,” she explains. “Back in the day they were used as recovery cabins for tuberculosis patients, and since they are a part of the history here in Manitou, it’s very difficult to get approval to change layouts or floor plans.”

Though rich with historic architectural charm, Jasmine describes the interior of the cabin as having been updated recently, but not so much that all the quirks were removed. (Jasmine says the floors are uneven and require adding shims to most of the furniture, for example.)

Credit: Jasmine Morse

The hanging pendant light can be found at Amazon.

When they moved in, they didn’t want to decorate in a way that would make the space feel “sterile and new; we wanted a space that told our story and had some character.” To achieve this, they mixed old and new pieces, like the leather chair in the living room which belonged to my Isaac’s grandfather. They were able to “find the right balance of comfortable and functional.”

Though rich with character, the cabin was lacking in space, especially in the home’s two bedrooms, which measure only about 7×10 feet. For the couple, that meant only being able to squeeze their queen bed frame in, “no room for a dresser or anything!” The only closets are tiny ones in each bedroom; the home offers no linen, hall, or storage closet.

Credit: Jasmine Morse

Jasmine and Isaac got married in Red Rock Canyon, "which is a beautiful hiking area just five minutes away from here. It's a place with lots of rust orange dirt, red rocks, greenery, and blue skies. Those colors inspired the color palette for our space (like the blue velvet cushions on the dining banquette, the green comforter in our bedroom, the rust orange throw pillows in the living room, etc.)," she writes.

“We’ve had to be extremely creative in creating storage options, finding multifunctional pieces, and playing with creative furniture layouts to make the space work for our family of three,” Jasmine explains.

And because it’s a rental (and according to their rental agreement), the family isn’t allowed to make a lot of cosmetic changes to the space (so no painting walls, no adding wallpaper or backsplash, and even no swapping light fixtures). They also had to add personality with things like rugs, furniture finds, and unique art pieces.