Notes, Notings, and Common Refrains

Y and Y. I agree with you on all points about the discomfort of overlarge living spaces and also the preference for rounded shapes. In a perfect world, I'd someday have a cob house.

It would be nice to have the kind of house with just enough space for all the bookcases, the computer desk, and a kitchen where everything can be reached from a single standing place. And a little bed, a small closet, herbs in windowsill pots.

The space you describe as making the footprint larger without having to expand the home makes me think of loggia—not done up in the intimidating classical style, but simplified to make an outdoor/indoor usable area.