A Colorado residential architect’s view on embracing right-sized homes
True modern luxury isn’t measured by square footage—it’s about living in a home that’s perfectly scaled, thoughtfully crafted and designed to enrich life rather than overwhelm it. Right-sized living isn’t about having less—it’s about having just enough space to live comfortably, do the things you love and truly recharge.
Modern Luxury Means Just Enough
When a home fits the way people live, everything simply feels more natural and harmonious. Oversized rooms can feel empty or awkward—like a primary bedroom with a seating area no one ever uses. A cozy, uncluttered bedroom, with every square foot carefully considered, creates calm and restorative energy.
Live Comfortably, Recharge Fully
It’s not about making everything small—it’s about creating balance. A living room can feel wonderfully open with generous doors that connect to the outdoors, while a reading nook can feel most inviting as a more intimate, inward-facing retreat. Bigger isn’t always better. Homes that are oversized can be harder to live in and often waste precious resources. Right-sized design makes life feel better—for the people who call it home, for the planet, and, in Colorado, it allows homes to settle naturally into the landscape and climate that shape them.
Design Spaces That Connect You to Nature
One of my main guiding principles when designing a smaller home is connecting the home to its site. Thoughtful placement and framing make spaces feel larger, fill rooms with natural light, and create a restorative connection to the outdoors. I often achieve this with floor-to-ceiling windows, interior courtyards that visually extend the home outward, and materials that flow seamlessly from outside to in, softening the line between indoors and out.
Open floor plans, higher ceilings and subtle shifts in volume enhance this sense of spaciousness without increasing the footprint. Built-ins and strategically designed storage keep interiors calm and uncluttered, ensuring every area feels intentional. Emphasizing natural light and views in Colorado homes strengthens this feeling of openness and connection to the landscape, creating interiors that feel both airy and grounded.
Right-Sized Homes That Work for You
Making a home feel right-sized not only reduces the cost of building materials but also—perhaps more importantly—lowers long-term expenses for heating, cooling and maintenance. Smaller, well-crafted designed footprints use less energy, require fewer systems and make day-to-day upkeep simpler. The savings often allow clients to invest in finishes and design details that truly make a home their own.
Many clients assume that more space automatically makes a home function better, but that isn’t always the case. With practical design, spaces can serve multiple purposes, meaning you don’t need a separate room for every activity. Downsizing isn’t about giving something up—it’s about gaining something meaningful: a stronger sense of connection with the people you live with, a more intentional relationship with your home, and freedom from empty spaces that require time and energy to maintain. In other words, smaller can lead to simpler, more balanced, and ultimately more rewarding living—a lesson I’ve seen resonate deeply with homeowners in Colorado.
Trends That Make Right-Sized Living Inspiring
I’m seeing a welcome shift toward quality materials and deliberate, lasting design. Many of my clients focus on creating homes that feel truly special, with attention to how spaces live, rather than simply adding square footage. While every client is unique, a few trends continue to emerge:
Smaller bedrooms that prioritize well-proportioned living spaces for families to gather and connect.
Flexible spaces that evolve as a family grows, like a children’s playroom that later becomes an office or guest room.
Nooks instead of traditional rooms—for example, a small alcove off a hallway serving as a cozy workspace.
Outdoor extensions of the living areas, where patios, decks and porches visually and physically blur the line between inside and out.
In practice, “having exactly enough” means creating spaces that feel generous and purposeful without excess—places where every detail contributes to comfort, beauty and functionality. As a Colorado residential architect, this approach to me often means framing views with intention, connecting seamlessly to outdoor living, and designing homes that feel airy and expansive without becoming oversized.
