The Grahn-Hosey Family Living Small

Bedrooms: 1
Property: Rental
Square Feet: 700 approx.
Adults: 2
Children: 1

What do you get when a Swedish designer-turned-caterer has a baby with a Bay Area fabricator-slash-woodworker? Custom built shelves, one-of-a kind mobiles, and a cut-to-size diaper station. All put together with a Scandinavian eye and a Californian sensibility.

Emmet and Dylan have created a home for their family in a one bedroom apartment in the Precita Park neighborhood of San Francisco. Dylan is the founder of Skiff, a fabrication and design company, while Emmet is the proud owner of Mumsa, a fully organic and vegetarian program for preschool students.

When their daughter Alma arrived circa six months ago, they made a few changes, but weren’t concerned about a potential lack of space, “If anything it was more of a discussion on how to be able to raise a child in San Francisco” says Dylan. Having Alma sleep in their room rather than a separate nursery came naturally. Especially for Emmet who grew up in Sweden where apartment living is the norm.

In general the couple’s philosophy when transforming their space for Alma was to go easy on the specialized baby goods. They aim to create a harmonious space, “living in a space that creates obstacles, even if they are very small, will inevitably bring you stress. Being a new parent, having less unnecessary stress is essential. So if you’re tripping on a cord every day, it probably doesn’t serve you to keep it there.” says Emmet.

Alma plays in the clouds thanks to her handmade baby gym.

The couple are fortunate with this apartment in that there is a ‘front room’. Commonly annexed as a second bedroom in this kind of rental market - theirs hasn’t met such a fate yet. Instead it acts as office and living room, while offering the flexibility to transform into Alma’s room as she grows into toddlerhood.

Respective talents are well utilized in this room where the family spend most of their time. Along one wall is a custom made two person office desk. On the floor, a delightful wooden cloud play gym handmade by Emmet and Dylan in the final few days as they awaited Alma’s arrival. While across the room, what once was a disused doorway now features a custom built shelving unit. The pair have created space by building their storage into the room, and where possible, customizing to their needs as both small business owners and parents. Take the armchair that the couple converted into a rocker - it fits with their style and with a quick ‘hack’ to add the rocker feet, is an economical alternative to the rockers that currently dominate the nursery market.

Leaving the front room, we pass through an extension of the living room space (playing host to more seating and a gorgeous credenza), on the way to the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and out to the back garden.

In the bedroom, Alma sleeps in an IKEA Singlar crib joined to Dylan and Emmet’s bed. Part makeshift co-sleeper, part full-size crib, it allows for everyone to sleep close and for easy feeding during the night. “It feels like we are sleeping on one giant bed as a family,” says Dylan. The colorful geometric mobile that hangs above was designed and made by Emmet. While a bookcase leaning against the wall is one of Dylan’s builds.

Through into the kitchen, the apartment opens up to light bright space thanks to large windows that lead out to the back garden. The kitchen table, handmade by the couple, beautifully extends from the wall. While the familiar Stokke chair was salvaged from the street and given a lick of paint. Now it’s good as almost new and perfect for little Alma to begin her journey into the world of solids. 

Details dotted around the kitchen hark to another home far away: A bright felt artwork made by Emmet’s mom, a Swedish flag on the windowsill, a traditional calendar hanging in the hall. Though from two different parts of the globe, Emmet and Dylan particularly like their place in the world right now. Being so close to the Mission and all of their usual haunts, “we love our location, we’ve both been in the Mission for the past six years and many of our favourite spots are in and around here, so we walk a lot,” says Emmet.

A typical Swedish calendar is a daily reminder of Emmet's roots.

Alma needs a new diaper, so we head into the bathroom. Her changing station lives here, handily cut down to just the right size and installed by the couple. “We’re super happy with how it turned out, having an easy to use convenient changing table is a must”, notes Emmet. Further customization is abound. To modernize dated fittings, the couple removed and replaced all of the doors on the bathroom cabinets with custom made white washed pine panels. They also made two shelving boxes for the wall and a shelving fixture next to the sink. 

The family’s living space doesn’t stop here. They are lucky enough to also have a peep of the outdoors, a sweet patio spot on their back stairs and a small shared garden. Not to mention the very fabulous perk of the occasional use of an in-law unit. Thanks to a very gracious landlord, Emmet and Dylan can use this when family visits, such as Emmet’s mother from Sweden.

Emmet, Dylan and Alma’s Precita Park home is a rare treat in this city. A one bedroom apartment with the kind of generous flexibility that should see them grow into the space, before they outgrow it.

Words: Rachel Jamieson
Pictures: Rachel Jamieson

The Newsome-Campbell Family Living Small

Bedrooms: 1
Property: Rental
Square Feet: Approximately 600
Adults: 2
Children: 1
Pets: 2

14-month-old Freja lets out a squeal as she spots a large labrador retriever being walked along the narrow street below. Perched on top of the sofa, Freja lights up at the sights and sounds that filter through her living room window.

As with many city kids, Freja’s front yard is her neighborhood - The Mission, a bustling San Francisco zone with a changing face and a long history. In contrast, her back yard is home to two redwood trees, standing tall on a patch of earth that is now more accustomed to sprouting apartment blocks.

This second floor apartment is home to Freja, mom Wendy, dad Brett, Flaca the Italian Greyhound and Natsu the cherished elderly cat. Wendy is a hair stylist and Brett works in corporate catering. They lead busy lives and have lived in this apartment for several years now.

Wendy and Brett managed to create a nursery for their daughter in what was previously a small sunroom occupied by pet and household storage, “we had to purge a ton of albums that we've collected and rearrange the ones that we've kept. And also find new places for our pets food dishes and litter box,” said Wendy. With a little reorganisation, the tiny alcove space off the kitchen has become a living breathing nursery. Housing a mini crib, changing table, storage for baby items, and a whimsical monster-unicorn-head-trophy thing. It’s cute.

The nursery works remarkably well for now. The mini crib fits perfectly, and a full-size crib or toddler bed could even replace it when Freja gets too big. The real challenge for Wendy and Brett is not the space itself, but the closeness of their surroundings. Noise transparency in particular.

With no door on the nursery, and upstairs neighbours that don’t share Freja’s 7pm bedtime, allowances must be made in an attempt to create a quiet sleeping environment for the youngest Campbell. Particularly difficult is the lack of access to the kitchen once Freja has gone to bed for the night, or is down for a nap. Especially for a couple that tend to work later than the traditional working hours, and for someone in Brett’s line of work, “Brett would love to be able to play around more in the kitchen and try out recipes but it's not always possible with Freja's sleep schedule,” said Wendy. The pair have adapted their lives to facilitate quiet as much as possible, “we hide away in our bedroom a lot to listen to music or chat on the phone… it is also hard to clean and get caught up when Freja sleeps, because of her room location. We'd have to go through her room to take out garbage, and the same for taking out our dog.”

Freja eats a snack in her Ikea Antilop high chair. Loved by many parents for its simplicity of design and ease of cleaning, it's also only $20.

In terms of the space itself, the kitchen has not seen huge changes since the arrival of Freja. With the exception of the high chair and a small wooden play oven. Despite the limited access, Wendy and family like to spend time in this room. The parents both enjoy cooking and Freja takes advantage of the floor space to move and play. What’s more, its view out the the redwoods is special for a city apartment (one of which they have dubbed ‘Freja’s tree’, as it lies directly outside her nursery window).

An umbrella stroller like this Summer Infant 3D Lite is perfect for navigating stairs, then stowing indoors.

Follow the aptly named dog, Flaca (skinny in Spanish), down the hall and the rest of the house unravels; revealing a bathroom, master bedroom and lastly the living room, adjacent to the front door. While the hall is not wasted space either, playing host to storage, art and Freja’s stroller, which stays folded neatly until the next outing.

In the living room, Freja’s toys are mostly neatly stored away in a basket under the coffee table with the exception of a wooden activity center. It doesn’t feel cluttered or kids-y. There is ample art and personal pieces in the room that play homage to lives lived by a young couple. When Freja needs entertainment however, toys can be pulled out to transform the room into a play zone.

So far, Wendy and Brett have enjoyed family life in the apartment, “we've been pleasantly surprised at how well we've been able to live with less,” said Wendy. Beyond the sound transparency issue, the biggest challenge has come from storage. Or lack thereof, “it's been interesting trying to fit things in every other nook and cranny that we can come up with. Our closets and drawers are packed and there's no wiggle room under our bed,” Wendy adds. The couple try to keep on top of what is being used, what isn’t, and to purge the superfluous items. Bulky things that Freja used in earlier stages of her development, such as their cherished Bednest bassinet, or baby toys like a jumper and walker, have already been moved on.  

The family are in a constant state of give and take. And this adaptability is how the Newsome-Campbells are making it work in their small apartment; crafting a home for themselves out of, and with respect to, their urban environment.

Words: Rachel Jamieson
Pictures: Rachel Jamieson

The Clivati Family Living Small

Bedrooms: 1
Property: Rental
Square Feet: Unsure
Adults: 2
Children: 1

It’s an unusually hot day, the sun is beating down on the concrete pavement squares. I’m greeted by Matteo Clivati and his daughter, Anna (16 months), outside of their apartment block. With Anna in his arms, Matteo is eager to get back inside and cool down.

The Clivatis live in a one bedroom apartment in the Marina neighbourhood of San Francisco. For those who aren’t familiar, the Marina is separated from the rest of the city by a steep hill. Situated beside the bay, it looks out towards San Francisco icons like the Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz.

Inside the apartment we meet Sarah, Matteo’s wife. Sarah is originally from Texas and works in media, while Matteo is a chef from Milan. They met in 2012 when Sarah took a year off to work in a bed and breakfast in Lake Como where Matteo catered an event. Now three years later, they find themselves married with a 16-month-old and living in another beautiful part of the world. One that just so happens to also be home to some of the world’s most expensive rental property.

Though Sarah and Matteo moved into their one bedroom apartment as a couple, they didn’t hold any particular reservations about welcoming a daughter into the space. Even Sarah, who hails from Texas where they are not exactly famous for doing things on the small, was optimistic. Neighbors in the building had a child, so they knew it could be done (although they moved out on the day that Sarah and Matteo brought Anna home from the hospital). And the couple liked their apartment, and the safe and scenic neighborhood they had come to enjoy, “I never imagined I would live in the Marina - it wasn’t my scene, but we love it,” Sarah adds.

Anna's nursery, in what used to be the closet off the master bedroom.

The apartment may only have one bedroom on paper, but they are not lacking a nursery. It comes in the form of a large walk-in-closet off the master bedroom, “My mom helped decorate - it’s a legit nursery. It makes it feel like we have a 2 bedroom apartment,” says Sarah. The converted nursery now fits Anna’s full size crib, changing table and clothes, with shelf space to store books, toys and other household items.

Down the hall in the bathroom, the family are a little more conscious of space. The proportions of the room are slightly awkward for Anna’s bath-time. Sarah and Matteo solve this by positioning a laundry basket down the accessible end of the bathtub, creating a smaller bath zone to keep Anna from sliding out of reach.

In the kitchen, a clip-on high chair sits Anna at the dining table without adding extra clutter, “not only is it a major space-saver, but Anna eats right at the kitchen table with us,” says Sarah. And when your papà is a chef, what goes on at the dining table is not generally something you want to miss out on. In fact, while I visit Matteo prepares a simple snack for Anna that is presented so beautifully it could be mistaken for a restaurant starter.

Anna's Chicco 360 high chair saves some valuable real estate at meal times.

Whatever space the family miss in the kitchen and bathroom, they make up for elsewhere. The living room is large, the master bedroom is huge, and the apartment certainly doesn’t feel small. What they do lack appears more in the functional elements keep life with a child ticking over, “I wish I had laundry in the house instead of in the garage two floors down. And I wish I had a dishwasher - I waste a lot of time doing dishes,” Sarah says. The couple are also conscious of their proximity to neighbors. Being the only tenants with children in their apartment block now, sound transparency affects them, “either I feel guilty about making too much noise, or I’m annoyed because someone else is throwing a loud party late at night.”

But for these small challenges, Sarah and Matteo are happy here. They even surprised themselves by staying past Anna’s first birthday, “we originally said we would live here for six months - one year max,” said Sarah. Instead they have grown into the space, rather than grown out of it, “we just assumed that having a toddler who can run around would be awful in a one bedroom apartment, but it isn’t bad at all. There is plenty of room for us.”

Words: Rachel Jamieson
Pictures: Rachel Jamieson

The Valencia Julian Family Living Small

Bedrooms: 1
Property: Rental
Square Feet: 400
Adults: 2
Children: 1

Once entering the Valencia Julian family home, it quickly becomes apparent that the internal space is as much as an influence on day-to-day life as the external. Given that Paulina is a yoga teacher, it follows that her daily practice translates into the considered use of her physical surroundings.

Paulina and her husband Daniel moved to San Francisco from Mexico four years ago. When the couple welcomed baby Matías three years later, they made some modest and thoughtful transformations to their space. Amongst the organization and ‘paring back’ of living in a one bedroom apartment, we find a mindfulness and calm that creates their home.

The apartment mainly consists of one large elongated room featuring the kitchen and dining at one end, with the living area opening out on to the garden patio at the other. While the bedroom and bathroom are small offshoots off this space.

After Matías was born, Paulina and Daniel took out more out than they added in. They were surprisingly relaxed about the prospect of living in a one bedroom with a baby, “we thought - cool, we'll cozy up to balance out the chilly weather,” said Paulina. The couple created space where needed, and avoided buying too much baby equipment. “There is always the potential of accumulating more and more ‘essentials’ for baby. We need to constantly assess if buying extra baby stuff is truly necessary,” she added.

Paulina and Daniel described the math that went into altering their space. For fellow small space nerds, here is the Valencia Julian equation:

• Bedroom: Move the bed against the wall. Take out night tables, lamps, and extra accessories. Add a crib.
   
• Living Room: As the baby becomes mobile: take out extra furniture like bookshelves, stools and tables. Create space for crawling.
   
• Living Room: Take out the coffee table. Replace it with a rocking chair.
   
• Kitchen: Take away clutter. Add some baby supplies like a food processor, sippy cups, tiny spoons, and colorful dishes. Add a high chair to the dining table.

• Bathroom: Clear out any excess. Add in a baby bathtub, lots of coconut oil and an extra baby towel.
   
• Storage: Add an extra dresser to balance out the lack of closet space. Create some storage space for baby clothes and other items.

Matias' Ikea crib, positioned beside the bed.

Although the Valencia Julians have managed to be creative and maintain their home in a way that they enjoy. They also have a crawler. This means that order is not always achievable, what was once tidied away can become strewn on the carpet in seconds. They acknowledge that this has been one of the challenges of living in this apartment with a baby, “I've had to embrace chaos as part of my life and relax my sense of control. Great yoga practice for me,” Paulina added.

For those with a baby on the way, the couple advise to pause before buying too much stuff, “simplify by getting as few things as you need. Then wait until you have your baby to decide what you really need,” said Paulina. As Matías has grown, they have been conscious to stay ahead of the clutter by constantly reassessing what is necessary, “always keep things moving by giving away baby clothes when they no longer fit, and toys when they no longer interest your baby,” Paulina adds. The act of giving has been key part of this philosophy for this family, by keeping them connected and building community.

The very compact Mountain Buggy high-chair saves space while allowing Matias to join the family at the table.

The family is due to return to Mexico shortly, and with the move they will be bidding goodbye to their current lifestyle. They have a lot to look forward to, including space for Matías to have his own room, for guests to stay, and even for a small yoga studio. However there are many aspects that they will miss about their little home: “that it is ninety percent made up of gifts from friends and from the streets of San Francisco, that it has taught me the simplicity and creativity of living in a tiny space, that it is close to wonderful parks and public transportation, that it is filled with yoga and meditation energy, and that it marks an amazing chapter in our lives,” said Paulina.

Words: Rachel Jamieson
Pictures: Rachel Jamieson

The Rubin-Davis Family Living Small

Bedrooms: 2
Property: Rental
Square Feet: Approximately 900
Adults: 2
Children: 1

The climb up to the Rubin-Davis’ house is not for wimps. Yes, hills are a familiar part of the landscape, but this family might live up one of San Francisco’s steepest. And then there are the stairs.

Ariel and Steve complete this climb with Rosie, their 14-month-old daughter, in her stroller or carrier at least once a day. Ariel is a musician and creative, while Steve works in tech. Their home is high aloft San Francisco, opening up views to the East Bay. A sweet two bedroom with a small yard out back where Ariel grows giant zucchinis.

The family of three moved here just six months ago. In Boston they lived in an apartment twice the size and paid half the rent. Moving to San Francisco meant some creativity with their new space was necessary.

In the living room, Ariel installed shelving “I got industrial shelving brackets and sanded back some quality pieces of pine from the hardware store.” The lower levels neatly house Rosie’s toys in baskets so that everything within reach of little fingers is fair game. While the upper levels are home to books, art and the television.

Once again in the kitchen, wall space has been thoughtfully capitalized on to store knives, pots and pans. 

Floor space on the other hand is minimal, so their eating zone is set up in the living area. “The living room is a pretty decent size, but to be able to fit a table and chairs in the living area felt a little challenging,” said Ariel. A paired down version of a dining set-up worked for them “We chose a small table and just two chairs, and the table can fold down,” added Ariel. While Rosie’s high chair is moved between rooms as needed.

One of Ariel and Steve’s concerns about living in a smaller space was how to accommodate guests. “Because we’re not from here, we have lots of visitors and we always hosted people before,” explained Ariel. They now regularly host friends in their living room. “We have couches that can be pushed together to form a king sized bed,” she said. By putting together two twin memory foam mattresses from Target and covering them with denim futon covers, Ariel created her own modular system. The only other slight change for guests staying at the Rubin-Davis’ new place is their toddler-sized alarm clock “when she wakes up everybody wakes up.”

Across the apartment’s two bedrooms, Ariel worked to maximize storage by moving their clothes out of the closets. In the master bedroom she used a freestanding clothing rack, “we put our nicer looking and more often worn clothes on it and rotate them seasonally,” she said. While in Rosie’s room, Ariel removed the closet poles and mounted them to the wall. This allowed her to add shelving and create storage space in the newly free closet.

Rosie’s crib was also selected with apartment living in mind. It converted from a smaller bassinet to full-size, but has a smaller footprint than a standard sized crib. It’s a popular model with apartment dwellers; a Craigslist find that Ariel snapped up while they were still in Boston.

Though the bedrooms are a good size for a small place, sound transparency is another challenge. Rosie’s room is off the main bathroom and the kitchen, which makes it difficult for Ariel and Steve to entertain, “noise seems to wake her up a lot more easily in this apartment,” said Ariel. “So we don’t have people over as much. And when we do, we have to keep our noise down, keep the doors closed, and put rolled up towels under the doors,” she added.

This noise factor also limits Ariel’s music in some ways. It makes it difficult for her to play, to work on new songs, or even just to have the head-space to do either. Not only a challenge that results from living in a small apartment, but also from being a parent.

As much as a small space can be restrictive, it also opens up a lot of opportunity to venture outside. Ariel and Steve really enjoy their neighborhood and city life, and on weekends use their compact station wagon to get out into nature for hikes. The location works for them with a small child “We are at walking distance from so many great parks, cafés, and cultural spots like the museums in Golden Gate park,” said Ariel. She also likes living here from an aesthetic viewpoint “San Francisco is so beautiful architecturally, it’s inspiring to be living amongst all these old homes.”

Words: Rachel Jamieson
Pictures: Ariel Rubin and Rachel Jamieson

The Jamieson-Weir Family Living Small

Bedrooms: 1
Square Feet: Approximately 600
Property: Rental
Adults: 2
Children: 1

Briefly describe your family.

Mark is a software engineer and Rachel is a freelance writer and stay-at-home mom. We live in San Francisco with our one-year-old daughter, Penelope.

Did you ever imagine that you would live here with a child one day?

No. It was small but worked perfectly when we lived here as a couple. Now that we have a baby it is even smaller and works somewhat less perfectly. 

Mark and Penelope in the kitchen. 

What has been surprising about living in a small space with your child?

Originally when we decided to stay put while I was pregnant we thought we would need to move out at around six months, or when ‘the baby’ became mobile. Our neighbours in this building couldn't believe that we could even fit a newborn in one of these apartments. Now our daughter is one year old and we are still here. It is surprisingly doable to live in a small space with a baby, we're feeling a little more squeezed these days, but I can see it being an acceptable option for toddler years if we need to stay put.

Describe your biggest challenge so far.

One of the more difficult aspects has been both sharing our bedroom with Penelope, and her sharing her room with us. Before she slept through the night, we woke each other up a lot. Nowadays, she sleeps well, but she wakes up early. So we all start our day at the littlest one's decree, sometimes it's 6am, sometimes it is 5am.

In what ways have you altered the space to fit your little one?

Bedroom:

Penelope’s dresser and changing table moved into the bedroom, while our dresser has moved into the living room. At first this seemed a little awkward, but now it is useful. The dresser/changing table acts as a divider between Penelope's crib and our bed. We have found using the dresser as a changing table works considering the lack of space. The model we used was the IKEA Hemnes, big roomy drawers and sturdy enough to fit a full sized changing pad.

Because space is at such a premium, a full sized crib was not an option for us. We settled on a sturdy travel crib and it has worked well for our needs.

We also park her stroller in our bedroom. It's a very compact umbrella stroller, but still manages to take up a lot of the remaining space in the room. It is nice to keep her wheels out of our living space though.

Living Room:

There are no major changes that we have made to the living room. Clutter creeps in as toys multiply. We try not to buy many toys, but the ones that we do have are divided between a big basket and a cardboard box stowed under the coffee table. The coffee table sports foam edges to protect from falls during these precarious learning to walk months.

When Penelope was younger we loved the compact activity gym from IKEA. It looks good and it's small and light enough to move around when you're short on space. Nowadays she's more entertained by balls, things with wheels and blocks. The metal door on our media cabinet has become home to Penelope's magnetic blocks... the ones that aren't collecting dust underneath it that is.

The media cabinet turned Tegu block wall.

Bathroom:

We have a tiny, but functional bathroom in this apartment. We don't have a bath, so a suction hook above our shower stows Penelope's tub. 

Kitchen:

Penelope’s high chair is a Stokke Tripp Trapp. I love that it has a small footprint. Given that it takes a prominent space in our kitchen, I also appreciate that it is nice to look at.

In the early months we kept a foldable jumperoo in the kitchen, the smallest (they are generally huge) that we could find. That thing was a godsend whenever we wanted to get something done. These days, distraction takes the shape of a small wooden stool housing Penelope’s ‘kitchen’ items. At the moment there are a couple of shaker eggs, a small cardboard box and some stacking cups, along with other blocks and bits and pieces. She plays with these since she cannot get into the real kitchen cupboards, which to her frustration we keep closed with childproof latches. Although we do give her free reign in the pots and pans cupboard, another favourite of hers.

Little kitchen.

Do you have car parking space? How do you get around?

We don't have a car park, but that's ok because we don't have a car. We spend a lot of time in our neighborhood and spots within walking distance. We also use the Muni (San Francisco subway, bus and tram) with Penelope in her carrier or umbrella stroller.

What would excite you about living in a bigger home?

Giving Penelope her own bedroom would be about as thrilling a prospect as I can imagine. It would be such a luxury to not have to tip-toe into our bed at night so as not to wake her up. At the moment even getting up to go to the toilet in the night is a delicate affair.

Also, having more storage space. Good lord that would be useful. We only have one small wardrobe (inside the bedroom) in this apartment. Anything else we need to stow is hidden away under the bed or sofa. It limits the amount of stuff we can live with, which can be a good thing in some ways. 

How does living in a small space affect your future plans?

Living here we are conscious of the limits that this apartment imposes. How long can we live here? Is there an expiration date? We wouldn't want to try to fit two kids into this house, for example. It does affect how we plan for the coming years.

What do you enjoy most about living here?

Without a doubt location is this apartment’s biggest drawcard. We can be in any of our favourite SF neighborhoods in under twenty minutes and we’re just a couple of blocks away from Duboce park, which has a lovely little playground for the kids. Friends are close by, and there is always something going on when we walk out the door. Also, we’re very well served for shops, cafes and supermarkets. It’s a fantastic area, especially appreciated since we don’t have a car.

I also appreciate the fact that Penelope is growing up in this kind of population density. She comes into contact with so many people even when we’re just taking a walk to the supermarket. There are lots of sights and sounds for her to absorb and I think the richness of this day-to-day San Francisco experience is quite special.

Words: Rachel Jamieson
Pictures: Rachel Jamieson