Unplugged and Loving
http://www.thespec.com/living-story/6919719-renwald-living-large-in-a-small-hamilton-home/
Colleen Gaffney is living the unplugged life in Hamilton and loving it. No toaster, no TV, no worries. The 55- year old shed a lot of stuff and a lot of square feet when she moved from Barrie to Hamilton four years ago.
"I didn't want to buy right away, so I looked
at a lot of apartments, then I found this perfect house.”
The house in the Strathcona Neighbourhood is 600
square-feet, the one she left behind was 2000. She was particularly pleased at
the adequate but not lavish number of electrical outlets. “I got rid of tons of things that
plugged in. I got rid of things with one purpose, so I don't have a kettle
anymore, a toaster, a hairdryer or a coffeemaker."
When she told friends in Barrie she was taking a job
at Hamilton Health Sciences they told her she would love Hamilton. She didn't
know much it but it didn't take much time to fell welcome.
“I love the art scene, the music, the food, and proximity to
Niagara. Colleen found her tiny house, on a search on the hospital intranet. As
soon as she walked in she could picture a life with paired down possessions. She
liked the light, the wide open space, the door opening to patio and proximity
to work. Though she has a car, it's rarely in use, she walks, takes transit or
Sobies around town. Soon her office will move from a mountain location closer
to home. She’ll be parking her pencils at an office at Jackson Square.
"I work in
integrated decision support."
What a
title!
"Just say I do
software training."
In her little house much of the action takes place
in one room. That's where the kitchen, living room, dining room and sort-of-spare
bedroom reside. " I've had dinner parties for eight and five people
sleeping over.
The kitchen with a big el shaped counter faces the
living room. Though it has less storage space than she was used to, careful
planning keeps it running smoothly for an avid cook.
In one corner is the flexible dining area. A wooden
table, belonging to her late husbands family, seats eight when expanded.
Colleen painted the antique chairs red and reupholstered in a bold botanic print.
Over the table a rug from Mexico carries on the red theme.
On the opposite wall a day bed from Ikea adds more seating
and serves as the guest room. "It's a nice place to sleep, sometimes you
can see the moon cross the skylight.” A selection of hats hang nearby-Gaffney
has a fondness for the, but they might be streamlined out soon since they are getting
the squeeze from her art collection
A wooden cabinet stores books, dishes and glasses
and anchors an art assemblage including pottery, textiles, sculpture and
interesting metal piece that evokes a book cover, or according to Gaffney’s dad
something that looks like it was run over by a car.
In the living room,
red turns up in carpets from Iran, a wooden chest belonging to her dad, and a
chair and ottoman Gaffney bargained for and had reupholstered in Hamilton. A
wee rocking chair from her childhood holds throws and scarves. She was the first girl born in a family
of six, so got her name painted on her chair.
It took just two
days to put her house in order after she moved in. She measured all her
furniture in Barrie, had the measurements of her tiny house, so she made a floor
plan of what would fit. “I just kept the things I loved,” she says.
In warm weather
the door is always open to the back patio, where the cocooning space has a
place to stretch out and read a book. “It’s a perfect place to have a rest
after walking home from work.”
Since moving to
Hamilton, Gaffney has been ticking off some bucket list items. She joined Steel
City Stories and told her first story in front of an audience. It was unscripted and about her house.
“I loved it, it’s a young passionate group and it was a buzz, to make people
laugh.”
So the streamlined
life in Strathcona is a success for a woman who believes less is more.
“I’ve always been
fascinated with small house architecture. I want to live lighter on the
planet.”
It’s possession
deficit disorder in the best possible way.
Video
Twitter:@kathyrenwald
Instagram:kathyrenwald
krenwald@gmail.com
