thisxlife started out as a tiny house blog. After designing and moving into our own tiny house in 2017, we were frustrated by the lack of resources for people who wanted to buy a tiny home. We thought that the tiny house movement was ready to move forward – to move tiny houses into the mainstream and push the designs further. We wanted a tiny house for someone looking to trade up, not just downsize.
During that time, we discovered a real passion for lifestyle experimentation and connecting with others. We wanted to learn more about lifestyles that challenge the status quo and to share we learn with others. Our blog focuses on a broad range of topics: food, (tiny)housing, parenting, and more, all from the perspective that having less can often result in having so much more.
We’ve been featured in Dwell, Business Insider, Apartment Therapy, CupofJo & more (full list)
About us
Bela has lived her life in a balance between art, thought, and accomplishment, always looking for new areas to develop and new perspectives to learned. She works as the executive managing editor for the American Journal of Bioethics at Stanford, and has an M.S. in Bioethics from Columbia and two B.A.s in Photography and Philosophy from UNC-Chapel Hill. She’s been a Fulbright scholar, worked as a professional photographer, and teaches Pilates when she has the time. Her deepest passion is for those loved ones closest to her, and the only thing bigger than her brain is her heart.
Spencer has spent most of his life flipping from one thing to another, always pushing into the demands of a new challenge or opportunity. When he found out that he knew nothing about food, he dropped out of college to learn how to cook full-time. After four years and working his way into Magnolia Grill (Durham, NC) and Craft (NYC), he quit cooking to pursue his lifelong interest in Philosophy. After completing his B.A. and taking a brief dive into buying and selling wine, he started working directly for his family. Now he thinks of himself as a “stay-at-home family man” and focuses wholly on those closest to him. Whether designing a tiny home, creating content, setting up a rental, or working with his friends, Spencer always tries to keep something fresh on the horizon.
Escher’s the sort of girl who lights up a room as soon as she enters. She's always on the lookout for a good conversation and has never met a stranger she couldn’t enchant. Precocious and fun loving, Escher is bright with a deep passion for living and will gladly sing you a song in exchange for a treat. She's a perfect blend of her parents (literally, ENFJ (Bela) + ENTP (Spencer) = ENFP (Escher)), but obviously much more awesome and daily source of inspiration.