Small Living Gets (a Little) Bigger
A Duluth couple lives comfortably in a small house while planning a modest addition
Interview by Laurie Junker | March 10, 2022
Olivia and Karl Mesedahl in their kitchen. Photo by Peyton Stasiak.
FEATURE
Olivia and Karl Mesedahl have clear priorities. Spending time outdoors cycling, cross-country skiing, and gardening are high on the list. So is gathering around the dinner table with friends. Having a lot of stuff is not, and they’ve made conscious choices to keep the siren call of possessions at bay by living in compact spaces.
Their first home was a tiny house on wheels, parked on a friend’s farm near Two Harbors. The couple lived in the 160-square-foot dwelling for almost a year before deciding that it wasn’t a good long-term option for them given the commute to Duluth and the challenge of accessing clean, running water and other utilities during Minnesota winters. They found their current home—a 600-square-foot house on a triple lot in Duluth that’s close to some of their favorite trails—four years ago, and since then they’ve been enjoying the extra space and enhancing the property with fruit trees, a berry patch, and a large vegetable garden.
Olivia, Karl, and Wally. Photo by Peyton Stasiak.
Now, the Mesedahls are planning to add more space to the house—about 300 square feet—with help from Cheryl Fosdick, Assoc. AIA, founder of CF Design in Duluth. “For people like Olivia and Karl whose treasures are conversations over many shared meals,” says Fosdick, “place-making is nothing more than an ample table in daylight, overlooking the garden—and nothing less than a savory cup of tea from a silver tin on a shelf by the window, which they brewed for me on the evening we first met.”
Olivia and Karl spoke with ENTER about their project and philosophy on small living.
Why small?
Olivia: One of the things tiny living taught us is that life is just easier with less stuff. You don’t have the worry of taking care of things—storing things, moving things, fixing things. We’d rather be able to clean the house in 15 minutes and get our skis on or work in the garden.
What was the impetus for this addition?
Olivia: We love having big groups over, and we’ve had to get creative to fit everyone into our small dining area. So, that’s not perfect. Most of this addition is for a bigger kitchen that’s open to a dining area with a table that can seat up to 12. It will also give me a little more room to prepare and store food.
Karl: Although we don’t have a lot of things, we do have a fair amount of outdoor gear—for hiking, cycling, and cross-country skiing. We don’t have a good spot for it, especially in the winter. A new mudroom area will solve this problem.
“We thought hard about what we needed—what would provide value on a daily basis. We prioritized things like a warm place for boots, a big table for having friends over, and a place to deal with the crush of vegetables we harvest at the end of summer.”
Why not add even more space since your lot is so large?
Karl: We thought hard about what we needed—what would provide value on a daily basis. We prioritized things like a warm place for boots, a big table for having friends over, and a place to deal with the crush of vegetables we harvest at the end of summer.
Olivia: Having lived so small has taught us what we don’t need. Yes, a home office would be nice, but I don’t want to have to work more to have that. Getting off the hamster wheel of wanting more and working more feels luxurious. We paid off this house a year ago, and we want to keep our debt low, so we have freedom and breathing room—to go part-time if we wish, or take a break to pursue a passion project.
Photo by Peyton Stasiak.
What’s the role of aesthetics in this project?
Karl: The way light works in the space is important to us—how it will reflect off the wood floors and countertops. We also want to respect and bring out the best part of the original design of our house, not upstage it.
Olivia: We’ve spent time in Norway and Sweden and appreciate the simple, clean look of the homes there, so we’re going to incorporate some of those principles, too.
How did you come to work with Cheryl Fosdick?
Karl: Cheryl designed the building where I work, so I’ve lived with her spaces for a few years. I’ve never been in a manufacturing shop with so much light and solar gain. I was also impressed with her approach to keeping things simple and respecting the surrounding land and what was already there. She brings that to our house, too, in the way our addition will blend with the roofline of our home and not be visible from the street.
Olivia: We feel lucky Cheryl was willing to work on such a small project. She’s so good with space efficiency and how to make the most of every nook and cranny. Plus, she gets us. An example is how she positioned one of our new windows to frame a view of our favorite tamarack tree in the yard.