Living with Less?

Every once in awhile I treat myself to 10 minutes of Oprah. I figure it's the one perk of juggling work and kids... the opportunity to watch a little daytime television if I've got a free moment. We don't have Tivo or cable so the slim pickin's keeps me focused on work. But if I find something that's about design or lifestyle improvements... I can't help but take a peak.

Last week on Oprah, she was visiting women in countries all around the world to get a glimpse of how differently we all live. What piqued my interest was a tour of a 'typical' home in Denmark. I found it hard to believe this was typical. If it is, I'm totally jealous of the Danes! My 5 year old leaned over my shoulder as I was writing and said she wanted to live here too!




I found these great still shots from a Finnish design blog where you can get info on the architect.

So Oprah got a little tour of their modest abode. The interior is immaculate, bright, and pure. I truly appreciate the design rigor that goes into making something this refined and pared down to the essentials.



I was also intrigued by they way they live... shopping for fresh foods daily, biking instead of driving, living in a modest sized apartment and most of all...not buying stuff for the sake of buying stuff. They only have what they need and what they do have gets stored away so they can live uncluttered.




But here comes the funny part... as you can see, they have three kids! How do you live with so little stuff when you've got toddlers? And what 2 year old wouldn't want to take a Sharpie to that huge white canvas of a floor!?

Oprah couldn't get over the size of the children's bedroom... and to be honest I couldn't either. My kids share a modest sized room, but this one for two kids was about the size of a walk in closet... a very beautiful walk in closet with an expansive view of Copenhagen. I couldn't find a photo of the room that was on the show, but here's another room that's similar.




And I particulary like the look of this bathroom. I have a thing for brown and white as you may have seen in my own bathroom. I love the contrast... it shows off the composition of forms and shapes.




So for now, I'll take this home and tuck it away in a computer folder with my other 'dream home' images. It will continue to inspire me to live with less and appreciate what's important to me... staying healthy, being a part of a community, and spending time with my family.

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