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Welcome to the Cottage.

The Tiny Canal Cottage is a resource for helping folks mindfully conceptualize, decorate and enjoy versatile + smaller home spaces. Founded by designer, consultant, stylist, creative director and author, Whitney Leigh Morris, this family-owned small business recently finished the construction of a new, compact cottage and greenhouse-office in the southeastern US, and are also restoring a little 1800s French farmhouse and its outbuildings with co-stewards. Morris’ focus is crafting flexible, sustainable, and more community-focused home spaces. Explore Whitney’s book, blog, and social channels for years of tips and tales from living and working in — and with — a smaller footprint.

Creating a Closet Reading Nook for a Child

Creating a Closet Reading Nook for a Child

View the corresponding video for this post via Pinterest, here.

As we closet out the summer and welcome the fall, we’re still somewhat in a place of limbo as far as our home life is concerned. Our shared farmhouse in France is undergoing fundamental repairs (which we knew would be required going into the acquisition), and our small shared cottage in the Southeast has just been permitted for construction. As such, when in the USA, we’re in a temporary space. While we are comfortable, we still feel adrift, which has been a challenge for everyone, including our four year old.

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Starting with our uprooting from Venice, and continuing on to our move across the country (and across the Atlantic, to a certain extent), and the arrival of baby Léa, our pathway through 2021 has been a serpentine one.

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To give our pre-schooler a solid little place to catch his breath and call his own as we work on our long-term home projects, we transformed a walk-in closet into a quiet little reading nook. Here, he can escape the barking dogs, the crying baby, and his frenzied parents when need be.

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We decided to simply work with the existing space, using various items left over from various partnerships and our cottage. This helped us keep the budget, waste and overall lift minimal.

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After temporarily relocating most of the closet’s clothes (which belong to other family members, as this is also a shared space), we confirmed that the walk-in was indeed quite roomy and usable for our little one.

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All that was needed was a fresh coat of paint to match tones from the bedroom while adding a pop of color. We chose Evergreen Fog (SW 9130) by Sherwin-Williams, as it’s a subdued but striking green-grey blend that’s full of soothing character. Our son participated enthusiastically in the painting process, which hopefully provides him with even more of a sense of connection with the space.

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With the help of floating shelves, a pendant lamp, a child’s reading chair, and a stack of library books, West now has his own escape pod. Naturally, he often finds Sophee in there waiting for him, but what else would you expect from our sweet beagle menace?

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Thank you to Sherwin-Williams for providing the lovely paint used for this quick and playful small space makeover.

Our Tiny (~114 sqft) Greenhouse 

Our Tiny (~114 sqft) Greenhouse 

Leaving the Farmhouse (for Now)

Leaving the Farmhouse (for Now)

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