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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.

Dedicated Housing for Foster Youth

Dedicated Housing for Foster Youth

My grandpa Lou was orphaned at 9.  He bounced around homes, towns, and states. He watched a caregiver burn his clothes and everything he owned right in front of him. At various points he ran away, lived on a breezeway, and was reunited with - and then dismissed by - relatives. It wasn’t until he met a mentor, his rabbi, that he felt heard, safe, and guided. He took over the management and responsibilities of a scrapyard, he served and traveled in the military, he started a family, and he gave back to his communities. 

When foster youth have a person and place they can count on, they can begin to break the cycle of trauma, and pivot their energy from surviving towards thriving. This is one of the many reasons I passionately support The RightWay Foundation, and invite you to join me. (A donation link is always on my site.)

Thanks to your ongoing generosity, RightWay provided dedicated housing for 34 current and former foster youth, and supportive services for 110 youth aging out of foster care throughout 2022. In the new year, RightWay will provide dedicated housing for 30 additional former foster youth… because having a place to call home is the first step to a healthy, financially stable adulthood. 

RightWay’s job training, mental health sessions, housing support, and overall community services work. I’ve witnessed it first-hand, and if you sign up for their newsletter and subscribe to their Instagram feed, you’ll see it too.  

Designing an Adaptable, Built-in, Small Space Sofa

Designing an Adaptable, Built-in, Small Space Sofa

Lower Waste Gifting - 2022 Edition

Lower Waste Gifting - 2022 Edition