It’s the latest buzzword. The word is being featured so much lately that I had to get out the dictionary and look up the word “cottage.”

“... A small humble house, a small country residence or detached urban house, small, simple, often crude...synonymous with cabin, lodge, shack, hut, shanty, or elaborate structure visited by the well-to-do for recreation purposes.”

Then I got out another old dictionary that said the word once applied to houses lived in by the poor. Guess it’s time to update the dictionaries. Those old perils of definition never heard of Poulsbo’s cottages that sell up to $200,000.

The “cottage” concept came about while investigating the downsizing issue in relationship to art. As we’ve collected and enjoyed art for many years, what happens when downsizing occurs? An important point to recognize is that downsizing is not exclusive to the 60-plus retiree. The 40 to 50 something is stepping into the picture.

Art needs space. Two obvious questions are how to dispose of, disperse, and utilize current art, and how to collect and exhibit in the new space situation.

Over the years many of you have heard my soap box spiel about including your friends and family. The joy of art is contagious. Including others creates opinions and attachments. When someday you give your kids or family that familiar art the significance is practical and bonding.

Sometimes art by recognized artists can be sold at a nice profit, or donated to a museum for tax credit. Later I will cover the issue of selling art.

Just like that thousand-dollar sofa you loved and enjoyed for twenty years, some pieces of art are like that — can’t be sold and has outlived its usefulness. Don’t let present lack of space diminish the years of enjoyment. Donate this art to a worthy charity.

Many collectors chose to accommodate a surplus of art by rotating their visibility.

The downsizing trend makes the presence of art important since intimacy becomes key. The new trend toward cottage and condo also includes a migration back to the city and the older houses therein, where more conveniences to social and practical amenities abide.

A quick examination to these three living situations shows different art considerations. The maybe 800 sq. ft. condo often boasts a direct sunlight view, which means a bad situation for art. Museum glazing and extended patio covering help, but I would put sensitive watercolors, inexpensive prints and unprotected textile art a good distance from front view windows. Acrylic, oil, pottery, blown glass and sculpture can take more light. The often-overlooked deck or patio is great for selected art pieces. Kitsap County has more shoreline than any other county in the nation — a condo haven.

The cottage is usually a ground level 1200 or so sq. ft. dwelling with neighboring cottages closely tucked to each side. Here’s a hint to builders. If the next cottage is only 10 feet away, why put a window to face a wall when art-exhibiting space is needed.

The return to the smaller city house with its minimal yard and store convenience still affords space for lots of furniture, rugs, antiques and art, while allowing the collector room to keep collecting.

Being a Bremerton fixture, it blows my mind at the house buying frenzy that I am witnessing. Not only from out-of-town, but people are moving here from Bainbridge, Poulsbo and Port Orchard. There is a recent attraction to Bremerton. Not just for downsizing, affordability or easy access to Seattle, but for Bremerton’s arts.

Stop and think about it. The trend is to downsize, which means reducing the quantity or size of art within the residence. So it’s only natural to compensate with art galleries, museums and theaters in close vicinity — hence Bremerton. My only question to Bremerton is, “Where’s your two hundred thousand dollar cottages?.