As an interior designer serving Portsmouth, Rye, Exeter, and the Seacoast of New Hampshire, I’ve seen more homeowners looking for ways to make their homes feel more intentional and livable without necessarily increasing square footage.
For some, the house that once felt perfect now feels like too much to manage. For others, downsizing sounds appealing, but between today’s mortgage rates, housing prices, and the cost of moving, staying put simply makes more financial sense.
And honestly? I completely understand both sides.
What I’ve found is that many people aren’t necessarily unhappy with their home itself. It’s that the way they live has changed, and their home no longer fully supports this stage of life.
The good news is that whether you’re moving into a smaller home or rethinking the one you already have, you don’t have to sacrifice comfort, function, or beautiful design.
In fact, I often find that once a home is thoughtfully redesigned around how someone truly lives today, it feels more elevated, intentional, and enjoyable than ever before.
One project that really reflects this philosophy for me is what we call the “Scallop House” here on the Seacoast of New Hampshire.
For these clients, downsizing meant making a very intentional decision about how they wanted to live moving forward. While the home itself was significantly smaller than their previous one, they saw it as an opportunity, not a sacrifice.
Instead of investing in unused square footage, they chose to invest in thoughtful design, comfort, and details that truly reflected their personality and lifestyle.
We completely renovated the home to suit how they wanted to live day to day, layering in custom details, beautiful materials, functional storage, and spaces that feel warm, personal, and elevated.
And honestly? They’re living bigger now than they ever did before.
The home feels lighter, easier, more intentional, and deeply connected to who they are in this stage of life.
That’s the beauty of thoughtful small-house design. It’s not about giving something up. It’s about creating a home where every inch works beautifully for you.
One of the biggest concerns I hear from clients who are downsizing is the fear that they’ll have to give something up.
Less comfort. Less entertaining space. Less storage. Less personality.
But thoughtful design can completely change that experience.
To me, creating a smaller home that lives beautifully isn’t about simply fitting furniture into fewer square feet. It’s about designing a space intentionally around your lifestyle so it feels effortless, functional, and welcoming.
When every room has a purpose, a smaller home can actually feel easier, and even more luxurious, to live in. It almost feels like a sigh of relief.
That might mean:
Downsizing doesn’t have to feel like a compromise. In many ways, it can feel like a fresh start.
One of the conversations I have often with clients is this idea that bigger automatically means better.
But for many people, that’s no longer true.
Sometimes it’s worth asking:
Does it feel better to spend money maintaining a larger home where many of the rooms rarely get used? Or would it feel more meaningful to invest in making a smaller home feel incredibly thoughtful, personal, and beautifully designed?
There’s no right or wrong answer. It simply comes down to what feels most aligned with your lifestyle and priorities.
For some homeowners, they truly love having a larger home, and redesigning those spaces to function better for this stage of life makes complete sense.
For others, downsizing creates an opportunity to invest differently, fewer rooms, but more intention behind every detail.
I often find that when clients move into a smaller home, they’re able to focus more on quality over quantity:
And sometimes, a smaller home that’s been thoughtfully designed can feel far more luxurious than a larger home filled with unused space.
At the end of the day, it’s not really about square footage.
It’s about creating a home that feels right for you.
One of the things I talk about often with clients is how much life changes over time. The home that worked beautifully 15 or 20 years ago may not support the way you live today.
You may no longer need:
Instead, you may want:
This is where I believe thoughtful interior design becomes so valuable.
I help clients look beyond square footage and focus instead on how they want their home to feel and function on a daily basis.
Because good design isn’t about having more space. It’s about making your space work beautifully for you.
Not everyone is downsizing right now.
In fact, many homeowners across the Seacoast are choosing to stay exactly where they are because financially, it simply makes sense.
Maybe you locked in a great mortgage rate. Maybe moving costs feel too high. Maybe you love your neighborhood, or the sense of community you’ve built here on the Seacoast, and don’t want to leave.
But staying doesn’t mean settling.
I see so many homeowners who feel frustrated because their home no longer functions the way they need it to, but they assume moving is the only solution.
Often, it isn’t.
I am currently working with homeowners in Stratham, New Hampshire, who originally thought they needed to move to make their home work for the next stage of their lives. Like so many people right now, they loved their location and neighborhood, but the idea of moving, financially and emotionally, didn’t feel like the right fit.
Instead, we began looking at their existing home differently.
With a thoughtful redesign plan, we’re creating a beautiful first-floor primary suite that will allow them to stay in the home they already love while making it function better for the way they want to live moving forward.
For them, it became less about finding a new house and more about investing intentionally in the one they already have.
Sometimes this strategy is more cost-effective than moving in today’s market, but it also allows them to create spaces that feel more personal, comfortable, and aligned with their lifestyle for years to come.
For these homeowners, creating a first-floor primary suite wasn’t just about function. It was about being able to stay in the home and community they love without sacrificing comfort or long-term livability.
Sometimes the answer isn’t moving at all. Sometimes the answer is redesigning the home you already have so it better supports this next chapter of life.
When a home no longer functions well, people often assume they’ve outgrown it. But many times, the issue isn’t the home itself. It’s the layout, flow, or how the space is being used.
A thoughtful redesign can completely transform the way your home feels by:
And perhaps most importantly, it helps your home feel aligned with who you are now.
Not who you were when you first bought the house.
Not who you were when your kids were younger.
But the way you live today.
One of the things I love most about my work is helping clients create homes that feel personal, elevated, and deeply connected to their lifestyle.
Because every stage of life deserves thoughtful design.
Your home should support your routines, feel comfortable to live in, and reflect what matters most to you now, whether that’s hosting family, traveling more, simplifying daily life, or simply creating spaces that feel calm and welcoming.
Every project at Mandeville Canyon Designs starts with understanding how you want to live in your home, both now and in the years ahead.
From there, I create spaces that balance beauty, comfort, practicality, and timeless style in a way that feels effortless and authentic.
Whether you’re downsizing into a smaller home or redesigning the one you already love, thoughtful interior design can help you create a space that feels intentional, functional, and aligned with this next chapter of life.
If you’re considering a redesign, renovation, or downsizing project in Portsmouth, Rye, Exeter, or anywhere along the Seacoast of New Hampshire, I’d love to help you create a home that feels beautifully designed for the way you live today.
Because living well isn’t about having more space.
It’s about making your space work beautifully for you.
Renee possesses a rare combination of artistic creativity and intuitive design. Her warmth and compassion extended beyond working with us to understanding the style and feel of our home and how we live in it. We felt fortunate to work with and get to know Renee and absolutely love the updates she made to our home- from windows and walls to artwork and furniture!
Renee is an absolutely wonderful designer. Very talented and easy to work with! She will transform your room or outdoor space into exactly what you want, only better!
Talented, creative, dedicated, great communicator. Renee is such a special person.
We have worked with Renee Carman at this company for almost 2 years. Renee is professional, personable, and a pleasure to know. She is very helpful and will go the extra mile to please her clients. Renee has excellent expertise and knowledge of interior design. We have a beautiful home and highly recommend her.
Renee possesses a rare combination of artistic creativity and intuitive design. Her warmth and compassion extended beyond working with us to understanding the style and feel of our home and how we live in it. We felt fortunate to work with and get to know Renee and absolutely love the updates she made to our home- from windows and walls to artwork and furniture!
Renee was a pleasure to work with and has great vision. We were doing a total rehab of a recently purchased property and she was able to look at a gutted out '50s cottage and turn it into a beautiful mid-century modern home. She understood our budget and timeline and was good about narrowing all our options down to just a few choices. This expedited the process, made it less difficult and more enjoyable. Once the rehab is done, we look forward to working with her again and finish the rest of the rooms.
Renee at Mandeville Canyon Interior Design was simply wonderful to work with. She was able to understand what we were looking for in terms of color, function and design from the moment we first spoke. She's easy to work with, goes above and beyond and delivers an outstanding design.
I highly recommend Renee and Mandeville Canyon Interior Design. I don't think I will attempt to decorate another room in my house without the help of Renee!
Love working with Renee and Mandeville Canyon Interior Design ! I had the opportunity to collaborate on a large scale design project recently and the results were fantastic! Creative, resourceful and one of kind design ideas made this design opportunity with Renee "one of a kind" Have a large or small project? You won't be disappointed!!
Renee not only has an amazingly creative eye, she also directed a massive renovation for us this past year that included the challenges of operating during the pandemic. She put together a team that had an incredible work ethic and brought the project in on-time and on-budget. She's a great listener. When we threw ideas at her, she was never dismissive; quite the contrary, she made them better. Her patience, attention to detail combined with her whacky sense of humor meant we were all able to smile while producing a home that we love. A great talent and a great lady.
Rene is amazing! Great customer care and wonderful attention to detail.