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Welcome to the Cottage.

The Tiny Canal Cottage is a resource that helps folks mindfully conceptualize, decorate and enjoy versatile, smaller home spaces. The Cottage was founded by consultant, stylist, creative director and author, Whitney Leigh Morris, whose focus is crafting flexible, sustainable, and more community-focused home spaces. Explore Whitney’s Substack, book, blog, and social channels for ideas that explore joyful, mindful ways to live in — and with — a smaller footprint.

Thanks... but no thanks! (Thoughts on Avoiding Unnecessary Gifts)

Thanks... but no thanks! (Thoughts on Avoiding Unnecessary Gifts)

Because the best gift anyone can give our children is a healthy planet for their generation and those that follow.

It’s the time of year… for unwanted and unnecessary gifts. 

With the planet groaning under the weight of ever-intensifying consumerism, households feeling relentless financial strain, and families grappling with an excess of clutter in their homes, it’s time we more widely accept and respect one’s decision to firmly avoid giving and receiving gifts. 

But how do we kindly tell a child’s relatives to stop sending toys? 

What do we do about well-intended friends who insist on giving “something”? 

What solutions are there for rehousing the unwanted gifts that inevitably make their way through the door, despite the recipients wishes?  

And what are some unique gifts that won’t further contribute to overflowing households, and — inevitably— landfills, which have a greater impact on disenfranchised and marginalized populations?* 

Rightsized Furnishings via Small Sized Businesses

Rightsized Furnishings via Small Sized Businesses

Staying Rightsized (Part 4)

Staying Rightsized (Part 4)