With just over a week until we move, I am feeling really nostalgic about small space living. There are so many amazing and inspiring examples of the Small Space Squad! And today’s home tour featuring Lexa Amstutz is another great example. I’ve always dreamed of making over an RV, so it’s awesome to see how Lexa and her husband Peter have taken their 5th wheeler to a totally new level aesthetically! BTW if you don’t know what a 5th wheel is, basically it’s an RV that attached to a truck… so you can literally take it anywhere! Now that’s living the dream. Let’s dig into this bright and airy home tour.
Home Tour: Inside The Bright & Airy RV of Lexa Amstutz
Who: Lexa Amstutz + husband Peter
Where: Thousand Oaks, CA
Number of years spent living small: 2 years of tiny living
To start, tell me your story about how you ultimately ended up choosing a small space?
Parker and I always dreamed of living tiny together. We loved the idea of living simply, so that we could save more, give more, and travel more. When we got married in 2017, we moved into a small apartment together. We kept our eyes open for tiny house options, and finally found our ‘95 5th wheel on Facebook! We spent a few weeks renovating before we moved in. Although, we have continued to tackle projects throughout our last year and a half here.
What is your biggest challenge in your small space?
One of our biggest challenges of living small has been organizing and managing our clothing. Like everyone else, we can accumulate more clothes than we need and end up with an overflowing closet. Thankfully, we have learned to keep only what we wear.
What is your favorite part about living small?
Our favorite part about living small is how simple, calm, and bright our home is. It’s not always clean or put together, but to us, it feels like a peaceful escape.
What is your number one hack for living small?
Our number one hack for living in a small space is definitely to keep the least amount of items that you need. It seems basic, but if you intentionally pair down each area of your home, you will feel the difference. From our kitchen utensils, to toiletries, to clothing, we do our best to pair down. This method contributes to our tiny house feeling peaceful instead of chaotic… (Most of the time!)
Do you ever feel pressure to be “minimalistic” or feel guilty about buying things you don’t “need” for your home?
I think living in a small space has helped us to see each of our purchases through a lens of “do I want to clean this up every day?” We don’t have many areas to store or hide items. This helps us reduce urges to buy that fun item that we don’t really need.
What have you learned about yourself by living small?
We have seen how living small has taught us to be grateful for each and every aspect of our home. Our daily use of each small area of our home is a reminder of how blessed we are. From our little shower, to our shared closet, to our micro kitchen, we have grown to love and appreciate our blessings in a more poignant way.
What’s your number one storage hack?
In terms of storage, we like to utilize bins and baskets that keep our amount of belongings in check. As a general rule, if an area of our home is perpetually messy, it’s time to pair down.
Who is your biggest small space inspiration?
We really enjoyed a documentary on Netflix called Minimalism. The documentary follows two friends on a journey toward minimalism while exploring different people’s approaches to simplifying their life and living spaces. We also find constant inspiration from other tiny home Instagram accounts, Youtube channels, and blogs. A Youtube favorite of ours is “Living Big in a Tiny House.” You can find endless types of tiny living situations there!
What do your friends and family say about your choice to live small?
We have experienced nothing but support from our friends and family regarding our choice to live tiny. When our loved ones come to visit our home, they are often surprised by how spacious our home feels as opposed to how they assumed it would feel. We also generally get a few laughs at how small our closet is, ha!
Thank you so much to Lexa Amstutz for giving us a peek into your amazing home! Be sure to follow her Instagram feed for more inspiration.
You can find even more Small Space Squad Home Tours here:
- Kristina Rasmussen
- Wild and Pine
- Sun Soul Style
- Anne Sage
- Jess Ann Kirby
- Sara Toufali
- The Gold Hive
- Den For Our Cubs
