“My daughter Amy came to look after me and said to me ‘Mum, have you ever thought of downsizing?’
“I was shocked, I’d never thought of downsizing, I didn’t think I’d ever get old.
“It took a few days, and I thought ‘it’s not such a bad idea’.
“I started exploring.”
Molloy looked around her and realised her large house and pool needed some work and ongoing maintenance.
At the time, she was also inspired by American author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden about the benefits of simple living, self-reliance and connecting to nature.
She began researching.
“I liked the idea of a tiny home and found a local company called Ruru.
“At the time they [owners] were living in a tiny home with four kids in Kerikeri and I went to have a look and loved the quality and design.”
Molloy put her house on the market and started the next step in her move to tiny living.
This involved “a massive decluttering”.
“That was a journey in itself … going drawer by drawer, cupboard by cupboard and room by room,” she said.
“It was a long process; it was a trip into nostalgia.
“Finally, I had a weekend where I invited friends to come and have a beer and take what they felt like.”
Molloy moved into her tiny home in March and couldn’t be happier.
Her new home is two storeys high, and about 10m long and 3m wide.
There’s a spacious kitchen and living area on the ground level, which open out to a partially covered deck.
Up a small set of stairs are two bedrooms; one for her and one for her guests, who are, more often than not, her granddaughters.
“I feel like a happy tortoise in a shell,” she said.
Molloy has found living in a smaller space easy.
“The breakfast nook in the kitchen is used as a studio, office and sewing room.
“And there’s space for my granddaughters to stay.”
Like any new build, the process of building a tiny home was complex, Molloy said.
There was the same amount of decision-making, including window placements, benchtop surfaces, plumbing, flooring and a myriad of other fixtures and fittings.
Keri Molloy’s tiny home may only be 30sq m but there is plenty of space inside. Photo / Jenny Ling
But the whole thing went smoothly, even with Molloy’s requests to make the odd change from the original design.
Her kitchen has bifold windows opening to a rural view, there are plenty of windows and the large deck provides added space for outdoor living.
Molloy loves it, yet warns “you’ve got to be organised”.
“I’ve rearranged things in the kitchen lots of times to get the most out of the space.
“But I’ve got windows and sun on both sides of my house.”
Overall, living in a tiny home is a state of mind for Molloy.
“I’ve learned to enjoy small things; I take such joy out of enjoying breakfast on the deck in the sunshine.
“I’ve always been a glass half-full type of person.
“I don’t have a problem closing one door and opening another.”
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and social issues.