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How One Couple Lives in a 144-Square-Foot Home

Six years ago, Diana and Michael Lorence built and took up full-time residence in a 12-foot cube with a sleeping loft, porch, and beautiful Shaker-like detailing—but no electricity—in the mountains of northern California. What were they thinking?

Little House in the Big Woods

The Lorence's dwelling in the northern California woods embodies simplicity at its finest. Drawing from their surroundings, the color palate was kept neutral.

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The Kitchen

While lack of elbow room in the kitchen may frustrate some cooks, the Lorence's thoroughly enjoy the simplicity of it. "While we've always lived in small houses, this one is the smallest and the best," says Diana.

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The Study

"A very small domestic space is conceived for the purpose of what Wordsworth called 'plain living and high thinking' is like a hand held up to the ear or a lens to the eye: It enlarges and amplifies and intensifies everything," says Diana.

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The Library

The couple's organized book shelf does more than store their reading material by adding color to this corner of the living room.

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The Living Room

"In every house we lived in before building this one—no matter the size—we always found ourselves gravitating to one room," says Diana. The living room, although tiny does seem to have an inviting "gravitational pull."

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The Bedroom


The ladder in the living room leads right up to their bed. "Here I feel all my loose and wandering thought are gathered up and made whole. It's an antidote to a world of distractions," says Diana.

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Do you think you could cut the excess out of your life and move to a space this small?


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Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.