Search Results for: little house
lyndsey’s little house in little rock is nearly complete!
Homeowner Lyndsey Lewis is back with an update on the little “green” house (eco-friendly and painted a shade of green too) she’s building in Little Rock through Bret Franks Construction! My, how far her cute little house has come since Lyndsey first started this series with us in November! Stop by next week for a FULL update, part of which you can see on Lyndsey’s personal blog, Little House in Little Rock, right now.
It’s go-time now. We’re near the finish line on the little house (less than a month out), and boy is the pressure getting to me. I have projects for my projects at this point! I lie in bed at night, unable to sleep, going through to-do lists. I dream about furniture arranging.
 Jen Franks [the wife in my husband-wife building team of Bret Franks Construction] told someone, “She’s a real go-getter. She’s doing all kinds of projects for the house and still working her ‘real’ job.â€
Me: “No, I’m actually just a really bad judge of time. I always think there’ll be more of it.â€
I decided to try my hand at upholstering my own headboard and ottoman. The headboard was donated by my big sister, Lola, after she decided to upgrade from the covered plywood. The ottoman was actually a wicker storage cube I bought at Big Lots during pharmacy school. The fabric and supplies I purchased for less than $20. I’d say it’s a decent DIY for an amateur.
Tip: For a bargain on upholstery fabric, try Rushin Upholstery on Roosevelt in Little Rock. They have a whole wall of fabric that’s less than $10/yard. Is it fancy? No. Does it have to newest prints in Elle Décor? No. But it is a fun, fun place to hunt and get creative. And no, I’m not a paid spokesperson… my aunt does commercial upholstery work and told me about the place.
I’ve barely gotten a good start on the twin bed for my loft. (I purchased two twin-sized beds at Habitat ReStore for $50.) Stripping paint is no joke, readers! But, when the bed is decently cleaned, I plan to paint it a color then white-wash it. I may paint words on the footboard too… perhaps ‘SLEEP TIGHT’ or ‘DREAM’ or ‘G NIGHT’ in industrial stenciled letters. (Or is that too kitschy?)
 My mother and grandmother gifted a couple of family quilts to add some extra cozy to my beds.
Ok, back to work for me. I still have to sew curtains, create a skirt for my bathroom sink, stain my dining table…
I’ve got plenty of time, right?
planning a little house in little rock
If you’ve been following our “At Home with Green Design” series, you’ve gotten to know homeowner Lyndsey Lewis, as she’s been writing since November about the certified green home she’s building in Little Rock. Today, the experts at Bret Franks Construction (comprised of Bret and Jen Franks) talk about the process of building Lyndsey’s sustainable home. The key, they say, is in the planning.
PS- Tour Bret and Jen Franks’ own certified green home in our July 2011 issue, here!
The Whidbey, the home plan for Lyndsey’s own green home
Building a custom home always takes careful planning and forethought. Building a tiny home takes the importance of planning to another level. Then throw in Certified Green and Energy Star Qualifications, and it requires special attention to detail to make the dream a reality. In addition to the design, colors, fixtures and finishes that need to be determined, there are building code requirements, space planning, and Green points to consider.
One important aspect of planning a tiny home is to verify that the home plan and location meet the International Building Code Requirements. Bret met with the City of Little Rock Planning and Development Department before construction began to confirm that Lyndsey’s Tiny Tumbleweed home plan would conform to local residential building and neighborhood design requirements.
The design and location of the garage was also critical – not only for the aesthetics of a visible corner lot but for the storage needs of the homeowner. We felt it was important for the garage to be just as unique as the home without overpowering the diminutive size of the home. After discussing the storage needs with the homeowner (including a desire for covered space for two cars), Bret and I designed a single car enclosed garage with an attached carport – sometimes called a “lean-to”. The design was inspired by our recent trip to the South Carolina low country and incorporates space for a single car, a large amount of storage on two levels, a covered area for a grill, and a carport space for a second car which can also be used for outdoor parties with recessed lighting and a ceiling fan. Multi-purpose spaces are integral to tiny homes and their garages!
The kitchen design also required considerable thought and planning. Before the initial cabinet sketches, we had many discussions with Lyndsey about what was most important to her – from the coffee pot location to the built-in trash can (a must when you have two curious dogs living with you!). And small space appliances from GE were also determined before the cabinet design was finalized. Everything in the kitchen was scaled to fraction of inches – because every “tiny” bit of storage space counts when your building a little house.
at home with green design : living in the little house
After seeing its progress on the At Home blog, we were all anxious to see how Lyndsey Lewis’ adventures in green design would turn out. Finally, in July’s “Green Living” issue, we got to see the final result of all her hard work. So we asked Lyndsey to come back to the At Home blog and tell us what it’s like living in Little Rock’s adorable Little House! Take it away, Lyndsey!
The little house project was less about downsizing my stuff and more about restyling my life. The process of building (and blogging) my home really woke up my left brain and reminded me to make time to be creative.
With less time spent working (or driving to work) and less money going to housing, I’m free to try out new things. My garden, started from seeds, has been a success! Not only does it provide fresh, organic groceries, but it makes the yard look like a domestic oasis.
Cooking has always been a hobby, but it has a whole new dimension now that I’m using produce from the garden. I also experimented with sewing (see kitchen café curtains), which is frustrating, challenging, and extremely satisfying when things actually turn out (mostly) correct.
Living in the little house, I really challenged myself to redesign the norms of my day-to-day tasks. For instance, caring for the ‘girls’ (see photo above) reminds me to think twice before choosing meat over other foods. I also try to make time to walk to work in the mornings now that I’m living close to work.
Even the way I do my laundry has been modified. Most of the time, the sun does the work instead of my dryer. Besides saving electric energy, there’s something really pleasant about watching clothes flutter on the line.
Having less space has meant buying less stuff. I’m struggling to master the art of window shopping. However, I do not count bartering as shopping. Mandy Keener (At Home Stylist) swapped me an awesome pillow (see photo above) for a box of glass pharmacy decanters like the one on my side table. I rescued the containers from the ‘toss’ pile at work…And voila! I now have style in the living room for free. (Thanks Mandy!)
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For more info, plus more photos of Lyndsey’s little house, read the full story on the At Home website here. To read about the making of, check out Lyndsey’s previous blog posts here.
The Little House in Little Rock
At Home in Arkansas: Why a small home? Was it about space or environmental responsibility, or a combination of the two?
Homeowner Lyndsey Lewis: I actually get that question a lot and it’s more of a combination of the two reasons. I was living in a traditional home in Maumelle. It was very nice and I liked the neighborhood, but I had an entire upstairs floor that was never used. I also work a lot and wanted a home that I could really enjoy when I was there, rather than constantly worrying about maintenance. In this house, I can do an entire deep clean in just an hour. When it comes to environmental responsibility, I believe in living with what you actually need, not what people think you should have. I wouldn’t consider myself to be an extremist by any means, but I do think it’s important to be responsible. Building a home that will last for years to come and that meets eco-friendly standards is a big part of that for me….
Before & After: Small House, Big Style
In our September 2022 issue, we shared designer Jill White’s own personality-packed kitchen and bath in Little Rock. Today we’re taking a look at the before photos to highlight the remarkable transformation Jill was able to make, especially in such a small footprint. “Everything was just so brown,” she says. “I knew I was going to have a lot of renovating to do.” Read on to see before photos paired with images from the story. Click here to read the full story.
The Dining Room | A punchy wallpaper by Lindsay Cowles, funky lighting, and furnishings in Jill’s streamlined style update the dining room.
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Small House, Big Style
A Little Rock designer gives her own 1930s cottage practical updates with a punch of personality
When designer Jill White first walked into this two bed, two bath cottage in Little Rock’s Heights neighborhood, she knew it was just what she needed. “It was literally the perfect size for me and little Stella,” she says, “little Stella” being her 10-year-old daughter. “You can stand in the middle and see every room in the house. We didn’t need anything bigger.” The only drawback? The residence would need some major love to truly fit their needs and style.…
House of Joy!
Maggie and Blake Chism embrace family life in a west Little Rock home that’s equal parts style and substance
After five years spent completing a medical residency and fellowship, Maggie and Blake Chism were ready to return to the Natural State. “We had lived in Memphis and, most recently, in Baltimore in a two-bedroom apartment with our three young children,” Maggie explains.With the light of a job for Blake in Little Rock at the end of the tunnel, the Chisms began the hunt for a home for their family of five.
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Discover Little Rock & North Little Rock
Experience the walkable neighborhoods of the Capital City and its neighbor to the north | A Special At Home in Arkansas Promotion
Bernice Garden in Little Rock’s SoMa district.
The past decade has brought renewed interest in walkable urban spaces across the country, and Little Rock and North Little Rock are no exception. With shops and restaurants returning to Main Street on both sides of the river, it’s easier than ever to fit more of the city into a day trip—just find a place to park and hit the pavement….
Happy House
A Little Rock couple calls on an old friend to design a new-construction home packed with personality
When Lisa and David Trent first started thinking about building their dream home in the Heights, there was no question about who to call to help make it happen. Lisa had been friends with designer Kevin Walsh since college, and she knew she could trust him to bring her vision to life. “Kevin and I were fast friends when we first met. We clicked immediately,” Lisa says. “Plus, I love his work and knew he would guide me in the right direction.”
While this house was built from the ground up, Lisa had owned a smaller cottage on the same lot for years. Her and David’s main motivation for building new was for a more spacious home suitable for the kind of casual, everyday entertaining they enjoy. Another request was to keep the master bedroom on the ground floor. Kevin worked with a draftsman to incorporate everything on the Trents’ wish list, all while keeping a sizable front lawn and outdoor living space in the back. “We didn’t even initially talk about a second floor. We came to that once we started laying things out and seeing what sizes rooms should be,” Kevin says of the space-planning stage. …
