Casa Pequeña | Felipe Valdivia

The “Tiny House” typology has become very popular lately. And with it, the romantic idea of ​​living with less (less space, fewer things, and supposedly fewer problems) has come to capitalize on a wide range of content; Netflix series, Instagram accounts and countless Pinterest boards showing small houses in rural landscapes have made this idea a trend. And even more, this is promoted as a vision of future; a response to the imminent collapse of current ways of life. But what happens in reality, beyond the idea?

We moved into this house at the beginning of January. In Los Lagos the arrival of summer is synonymous with madness and collapse. Everything gets messy for a couple of months. With the good weather come the holidays, and with them the visits. We hadn't been in the house for two weeks when the first ones arrived. Just enough time to accommodate belongings, food, some furniture, utensils and artifacts in a minimum space. A first attempt at order that was born condemned to return to the starting point.

We were up to twelve people in a house of 4.8 x 4.8 meters. The attic became the place of privacy and the most appropriate for taking naps. The living room, as a place that occupies the center of the house, also happened between the kitchen and the main bedroom. Three equivalent surfaces working in continuity. On warm summer days and nights, the main window would slide all the way back, and the deck doubled the amount of floor space inside.

There is an unstated pact in assuming life in such a small space. Everyone who occupies it (temporarily or permanently) must be willing to adapt and collaborate in it. For example, whoever washes dirty dishes should put them away immediately, and the loft ladder should be accommodated if not being used. At bedtime, the last one standing must keep quiet, or be out of the house. Otherwise, clutter builds up quickly and life gets clumsy.

The days are getting shorter, the nights colder, and life has turned to a normal intensity. The visits passed, and over time the house has achieved a more stable order. Looking back from this point, inhabiting the house has become an analogy of what going to less could mean at different levels of complexity. For now, more than a goal to achieve or a list of requirements that have been satisfactorily met, a direction to follow. But in the end, a radically opposite direction.