What is Not So Big??

While one can argue the exact limits of what constitutes a "not so big house" there are some principles that help to define it. It is a house in which each room is actually used every day. There are no formal dinning rooms or parlors that are used only on holidays. There is a place for everything and everything is in it's place--there are not entire rooms used only to store "stuff" that we never use and have no real reason to hang on to. It is a house of beautiful details and qualities that make use want to be there. it integrates the outdoors. It offers both pivancy and openess with equal success.
We have all driven through (or lived in) neighborhoods of identical looking rows of McMansions in which the occupants could pass the salt to their next door nieghbor without ever leaving their seat at their own table. Many offer large expanses of space, much of which is unuseable because of the way it is configured. Soaring ceilings can make a space feel cavernous, which is impressive until you realize what it feels like to live in a cave --and how much it costs to heat it. After all, does a family of four really need a 6000 square foot home? Probably not unless they are operating a Bed & Breakfast Inn.
Most people find that they are most comfortable in a space that is scaled to human dimensions. Since most people are somewhere between 5 and 61/2 feet tall proportions that are generally comfortable for someone in that height range are comfortable for most people. The advent of Universal Design has added another dimension of creativity to make spaces that will remain useful and comfortable over the life course even if we should find ourselves disabled or wheelchair bound. There is little besides some thoughtful attention to detail and a little creative planning required to make these work.
I was previewing a home that was on the market with a listing price over a half million dollars. Much of the work was exquisite; the travertine tile was beautiful. the cabinets were wonderfully handcrafted and all the doors were wide enough for a wheelchair....except the ones into the bathrooms!!! Since my client was due to have an operation that was likely to leave him wheelchair bound, we kept looking.
Why do we insist these days on huge MasterSuites? We sleep less (an average of an hour and a half less per night according to recent studies). Instead of getting more done we are actually less productive--probably due in part to the fact that we are sleep deprived. If we remove the television set and the exercise equipment and the computer, we might find our bedrooms more functional and more comfortable for their intended purpose.
Not so big may not be a specific size, but it is definitely a way of being in the world. It is having a place that is comfortably intimate without being crowded. It feels open and spacious without being cold and empty.