What A Slow Home Really Means...

In an effort to rid my home of clutter (and I mean even the general life kind) and chaos, I began a Slow Home Challenge for my family. Yet, after reading so many of your recent responses (thank you!!!) I think I may have placed too much emphasis on the de-cluttering aspect of this challenge. The de-cluttering is important, but it is only a small part of achieving a Slow Home. So with  that in mind before I go any further into the first week of my Slow Home Challenge, I want to try and clarify the definition of a Slow Home, as well as my intentions and goals for this challenge.


A little Background:


The Slow Home Movement began in 2006, and was founded by architects John Brown, Matthew North, and Carina van Olm, of the Slow Home Studio in response to what they saw as a growing trend of poorly designed, "fast houses." Their mission was to begin a movement that focused on designing residential properties that are "more personally satisfying, environmentally responsible, and economically reasonable." They wanted to reintroduce the into North American communities the value associated with slow homes, where a house is built with quality and true craftsmanship, and all aspects of its design are created to achieve high levels of function, efficiency, and pleasing aesthetics. In other words, they aimed to build homes that would allow entire communities to truly co-exist well together, and for families to progress through life living in a home that supported them as much as it sheltered.

The Slow Home movement is rapidly catching on, and praise for this life changing concept is beginning to emerge everywhere. The girls over at Opal Never Shouts, a blog about home design, have this to say about the Slow Home Movement, "It isn't all about the number of bedrooms, the square footage and the granite countertops, it is about how livable the home is and if it can grow and downsize with a family."


For your reference, the following is a synopsis of their 12 step Slow Home Guideline:

1. Location-a Slow home is preferably located in close proximity to work, shopping, schools etc...helping to minimize car use.
2. Size- Efficiently sized to fit the necessary needs of its inhabitants so that unnecessary energy waste and green house gas emissions are significantly reduced.
3. Orientation- The home is orientated according to the sun and prevailing winds so that it is better able to generate natural heating and cooling methods.
4. Stewardship- A Slow Home works to help conserve land and water use for future generations and is designed to promote well planned and compact residential communities.
5. Entry- The front and rear entries of a Slow Home are designed to provide a slow transition into the living area of a home.
6. Living- All living areas of a Slow Home, both indoor and out, promote the use of natural lighting and are able to serve as multi-use areas without wasting space.
7. Dining- The dining area should provide homeowners with ample space for a dining table and chairs well suited to seat the whole family.
8. Kitchen- In a Slow Home, the kitchen is located on the outskirts of the home's circulation route. Its triangular design and continuous counter space promote efficient work space, while ample storage allows for a clutter free environment.
9. Bedrooms- All bedrooms utilize natural lighting, and have ample space for an efficiently sized bed, and room to circulate.
10. Bathrooms- The bathrooms should be well organized, compact so as not to waste space, and should provide sufficient counter and storage use.
11. Utility- Slow Homes should provide homeowners with space designed specifically for parking, laundry and mechanical equipment. These areas are located on the outskirts of the living area and are designed as with a specific function in mind.
12. Organization- A Slow Home is well organized, efficient, and is laid out with rooms that flow well together. The circulation path from room to room should be clearly designed and unobstructed.

In just a bit, I'll resume this week's Kitchen challenge by addressing the work space. 

Thanks for all of your amazing support!