Cottage Visit: Living in 540 Square Feet in Portlandia - Gardenista

Cottage Visit: Living in 540 Square Feet in Portlandia - Gardenista
Photography by Lincoln Barbour.
Portland, Oregon-based interior designer Jessica Helgerson lived for four years, “rather experimentally in a 540-square-foot cottage on five acres of farmland.” She and her family raised chickens, turkeys, bees, and grew their own food. To read more about the project, go to Jessica Helgerson Design.
A collection of brightly colored Fermob French cafe chairs add a cheery note to the outdoor dining table.
As part of the remodel, Helgerson added a green roof planted with moss and ferns gathered along the Columbia River Gorge.
Helgerson redesigned the interior for maximum space efficiency with an open-plan kitchen, dining room, and living room.
Built-in bookshelves and daybeds with drawers that hold children’s toys provide additional storage.
Built-in bunks in the children’s room.
Helgerson managed to squeeze a soaking tub into the tiny bath.
The cottage glows from within at night.
The house sits on a five-acre property on Sauvie Island, an agricultural island on the Columbia River 15 minutes north of Portland.
 {"vars":{"GA4_MEASUREMENT_ID":"G-GB8Q6PKMP8","GA4_ENDPOINT_HOSTNAME":"www.google-analytics.com","DEFAULT_PAGEVIEW_ENABLED":true,"GOOGLE_CONSENT_ENABLED":false,"WEBVITALS_TRACKING":false,"PERFORMANCE_TIMING_TRACKING":false,"CUSTOM_PAGE_TITLE":"${title} - Gardenista","WEB_STORY_LENGTH":"11"}} {"vars":{"gtag_id":"UA-146156281-1","config":{"UA-146156281-1":{"groups":"default"}}},"triggers":{"storyOpen":{"on":"visible","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"web_story_open","event_action":"story_open","event_category":"${title} - Gardenista","event_label":"${storyPageCount}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"storyProgress":{"on":"story-page-visible","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"slide_view","event_action":"story_progress","event_category":"${title} - Gardenista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"storyEnd":{"on":"story-last-page-visible","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"story_complete","event_action":"story_end","event_category":"${title} - Gardenista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"tapLeft":{"on":"click","selector":".i-amphtml-story-back-prev","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"interaction","event_action":"tap_left","event_category":"${title} - Gardenista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"tapRight":{"on":"click","selector":".i-amphtml-story-fwd-next","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"interaction","event_action":"tap_right","event_category":"${title} - Gardenista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"openAttachment":{"on":"story-open","tagName":"amp-story-page-attachment","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"interaction","event_action":"open_attachment","event_category":"${title} - Gardenista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"muteStory":{"on":"story-audio-muted","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"interaction","event_action":"mute","event_category":"${title} - Gardenista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}},"unmuteStory":{"on":"story-audio-unmuted","request":"event","vars":{"event_name":"interaction","event_action":"unmute","event_category":"${title} - Gardenista","event_label":"${storyPageIndex}","send_to":"UA-146156281-1"}}}} {"requests":{"reportEvents":"https://pi.story.domains/events/amp"},"transport":{"xhrpost":true,"useBody":true},"extraUrlParams":{"eventName":"${eventName}","device":"${device}","platform":"${platform}","languageId":"${languageId}","deviceLanguage":"${deviceLanguage}","appVersion":"${appVersion}","storyId":"${storyId}","channelId":"${channelId}","companyId":"${companyId}","userId":"${userId}","slideId":"${slideId}"},"triggers":{"openStory":{"on":"visible","request":"reportEvents","vars":{"eventName":"story_open","device":"desktop","platform":"amp","languageId":"2","deviceLanguage":"${browserLanguage}","appVersion":"2","storyId":"WDj4W","channelId":"3425","companyId":"2214","userId":"${clientId(msuser)}","slideId":"${storyPageIndex}"}},"slideView":{"on":"story-page-visible","request":"reportEvents","vars":{"eventName":"slide_view","device":"desktop","platform":"amp","languageId":"2","deviceLanguage":"${browserLanguage}","appVersion":"2","storyId":"WDj4W","channelId":"3425","companyId":"2214","userId":"${clientId(msuser)}","slideId":"${storyPageIndex}"}},"tapLeft":{"on":"click","selector":".i-amphtml-story-back-prev","request":"reportEvents","vars":{"eventName":"slide_tap_left","device":"desktop","platform":"amp","languageId":"2","deviceLanguage":"${browserLanguage}","appVersion":"2","storyId":"WDj4W","channelId":"3425","companyId":"2214","userId":"${clientId(msuser)}","slideId":"${storyPageIndex}"}},"tapRight":{"on":"click","selector":".i-amphtml-story-fwd-next","request":"reportEvents","vars":{"eventName":"slide_tap_right","device":"desktop","platform":"amp","languageId":"2","deviceLanguage":"${browserLanguage}","appVersion":"2","storyId":"WDj4W","channelId":"3425","companyId":"2214","userId":"${clientId(msuser)}","slideId":"${storyPageIndex}"}}}}