Tiny Fun House » Small home office

Designing TFH(N)

Pete — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:00:23 +0000

Here’s an updated PDF map of the new Tiny Fun House. My measurements may not be perfect, and my Inkscape skills are weak at best, so I can’t guarantee results. But it looks like our new place is around 420 square feet, which raises the question: what’s our new slogan going to be?

We’re up for discussion in the comments section. Also, hand over any layout ideas you’ve got. As with the last map, if you take a picture of your design and e-mail it to me, I’ll post it.

(TinyFunHouse print: Of course, the furniture is actually mostly in place, but we’re always up for suggestions. Also, it’s worth noting that the ceilings in this apartment are significantly higher than in our previous apartment, offering some interesting storage opportunities. And we do like storage!)

More moving weekend media

Pete — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:15:01 +0000

4156|500

Melissa’s album from San Diego

3887|500

Mark and I go to Coney Island (plus some moving)

Activities!

Pete — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:17:29 +0000

Here’s a fun project for the whole family: redesign the (old) Tiny Fun House.* I meant to pass this along back when I put it together in April, but since I just found it languishing on my desktop, here it is: Tiny Fun House: The PDF.

If you come up with some revolutionary design ideas for the TFH, take a digital picture of your layout and e-mail it to Melissa or me. We’ll post our submissions and vote on the most interesting and revolutionary. (That is, if anyone submits anything at all.)

If you don’t know our addresses, post a comment on this post saying that you’ve finished your design, and we’ll contact you.

*Remember: this diagram reflects the layout of TFH-South, which we are about to move out of. However, any revolutionary ideas could be used to maximize space in our new place.

Tools of the trade

Pete — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:10:17 +0000

This is what I look at all day. And I think everything in this picture is useful to my craft. Counter-clockwise from bottom left: reference books; a writing talisman from my cousin’s travels; external hard drives; cable modem; router; amplifier/sub-woofer; wine coaster/opener; a Virginia white wine and a red wine blend; satellite speaker.

I sit here

Pete — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 02:32:37 +0000

All the time. And I love it. Actually, my back was killing me from sitting on the couch all the time while my old office chair was on the fritz. This one is way more comfortable than the one in my Reston office too, so hey.

This is a good thing; in the TFH, an office chair has to do double duty as a living room piece too. So this is kinda like a tiny leather La-Z-Boy.

Actually, speaking of broken furniture, we have to resuscitate one piece before we have guests this weekend. More on that later.

New chair for a new year

Pete — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:30:15 +0000

After my earlier post on our dying office chair, some faithful TFH readers (my parents) saw fit to give me a new one for Christmas. The real one isn’t quite this regal, but it is nice.

BONUS QUIZ: The tiny office chair pictured here is modeled after a full-size chair “famous” for two reasons. The first four or five people to name that chair’s original owner will receive a postcard from the TFH and a role in my next JibJab project. I’ve turned comment moderation on, so submit your answer in the comments section. If you are right, I’ll censor your correct answer and post the rest of your comment. (It might take a little while before your comment shows up on the blog, don’t worry!) If no one has the correct answer by tomorrow mid-day, I’ll add a hint.

A faithful steed, broken

Pete — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:43:46 +0000

I’ve had this roly chair since high school, or early college maybe. It has suffered through a number of moves, Knoxville to Alexandria, Alexandria to Syracuse, Syracuse to Knoxville (shoved into shed), Knoxville to Arlington (Shirlington), Arlington (Shirlington) to Arlington (Fairlington), Arlington (Fairlington) to New York. In the process of most of those moves, it’s been smashed into the back of the tiniest U-Haul trailer I could find, strapped into a pickup truck bed or dismantled and tossed into a Corsica or Camry trunk.

But a couple weeks ago, under the constant strain of supporting me about 50 percent of each day and serving as one of only four functional seating places in the TFH, we’re starting to see (and feel) some serious structural failure. Unfortunately, it’s time to part ways.

Tiny Corner (home) Office

Pete — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:43:17 +0000

Is it really a corner office if your building is immediately adjacent to another? Probably not, unless you count our fireplace as a window (yes, we have a fireplace. And it is tiny too). Still, here’s yesterday’s view out my (home) office window. The plant was on a field trip. It normally resides on our dining/coffee table.

A reader* writes:

[W]ill you please write something else on your blog? I like to read it at work. It is my favorite. If you could update it daily, then that would be better.

Though I think the comment was facetious, it’s the thought that counts. And yes, we’ll try to update more often.

The reader continues:

Sometimes, if I read your blog and then close my eyes when I hear a ambulance siren go by towards the hospital, I almost feel as though I am in NYC.

Wow. Now that’s something. We’ve learned that 33 percent of our audience is in the “hospital,” possibly a euphemism. The truth is, on the back side of the fifth floor and with our air conditioner set on permanent hearing loss, we don’t pick up on much emergency traffic.

OK–back to work. It is an office, after all.

*One of three or so, if you count those using feed readers–whether they actually read it or not.