MY STORY
My Small Space Story: How Tiny Spaces Shaped a Big Life
Some kids dream of castles. I dreamed of forts made from kindling.
Growing up on a farm, I built tiny buildings out of kindling sticks and spent my summers playing in an old army tent pitched in the yard - two cots, a few found objects and endless imagination. Later, it was cedar rail forts with no doors or windows (we weren’t allowed to cut the rails), and we couldn’t have been happier crawling in from the top.
That early love of cozy spaces sparked a lifelong passion for furniture and design. The granary on our farm, filled with old pieces left by the previous owner, was my personal treasure trove. If I could convince Dad to let me bring something down to the tent, it was the ultimate win. I was hooked.
Fast-forward to 1977: our first store on Queen West was just 11.5 feet wide by 30 feet long, with a tiny apartment above. It was small but full of possibilities and the beginning of an amazing adventure.
Though I studied interior design, I’ve never thought of myself as a traditional designer. What I am is a space problem solver. I love figuring out how to make a home work beautifully and practically, especially when space is tight.
Over five decades in the design world, I had the joy of co-creating and running shops like The Second Story, Paper Trends, Urban Mode, Urban Loft and more. We lived in three downtown condos - two of them just 450 square feet, so my love for small-space living comes from real experience.
Eventually, we built a 1,500 sq. ft. home near our store. John (my husband) wanted a yard, we gave him dirt, not grass, but it was a yard - all 8’ of it! And years later, I found my dream mid-century modern home in Peterborough: a 1,200 sq. ft. slab-on-grade house designed by Eb Zeidler when he first arrived in Canada. It’s still original and pure magic in every detail.
When Urban Mode closed, people said, “Congrats on retiring!” But I wasn’t done. I still love solving design puzzles, hunting for just right pieces and helping people feel better in their homes.
That’s why I started Celebrating Small Spaces. It’s part passion project, part design community and 100% belief that small-space living can be freeing, inspiring and just plain joyful. When your home truly works for your life, everything feels lighter.
I still get excited by a floorplan. I still rearrange rooms in my head. And I still believe small space living isn’t about less, it’s about living more intentionally, more beautifully, and more freely.
Stay tuned - there’s so much more to share.
