Function stacking: an enoughness life hack

One way of practising enoughness is to make one thing function really well in a multitude of ways.

Function stacking; a single output / function that serves multiple functions. It’s a term often used in permaculture but not commonly in the architecture + building design world. In permaculture circles function stacking recognizes that every element in a system can have multiple functions, instead of a single function.

In a garden, a fruit tree is a wonderful example, at a base level it provides fruit, the next layer of function is that it offers shade in the warmer months, its leaves provide mulch, the peel, cores + rotten fruit can feed chickens +/or make compost + it is always a fun climbing frame for kids (+ adults). After a prune or towards the end of the tree’s life it can become firewood.

— Homeful

These wonderful words come from a three-part Instagram series I collaborated on with Homeful. They offer pre-design simple small homes here in lutruwita, and make truly excellent educational content about building homes and living a meaningful lifestyle.

Here are the beautifully designed posts on Instagram: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Function stacking is one of many ways of practising enoughness, making one thing function really well in a multitude of ways, rather than filling the house with many appliances, which serve a single function each, for example. In homes, the kitchen table is a simple example, a spot where food is prepared, meals are shared, it’s where homework is collaborated on, board games are played, flowers arranged, cups of tea + conversations shared.

Function stacking can be considered with the design of spaces as well as the functioning mechanisms within them. Homeful designs are thought through to provide singular spaces that have a multitude of functions. Entry areas become air lock zones between living areas + bedrooms, spaces for storage, laundries + mudrooms. Open plan living spaces hold room for a dining table, window seat + kitchen facilities, designed for northerly aspects, so these spaces can also be used to raise seeds, dry clothes + heat passively on cool sunny days.

— Homeful

Wood heaters are great function stackers! We believe they still hold space to be considered in the function of home spaces, especially off-grid. When reliance on electricity is cost intensive + sometimes not reliable.

Wood heaters + stoves can be used for drying clothes (a metre from the heater!) warming up + cooking food, boiling water, rising + proving doughs, drying citrus peel to light the fire + drying other yummy fruits from the garden for snacks. As well as warming the home space + keeping the occupants toasty warm on those days when the sun doesn’t peak through the clouds. We recommend using a free standing wood stove for extra function stacking capacity, with a baking section or choosing a wood heater that can heat a hot water cylinder, the opportunities are abundant!

This multi-use does come with a higher input of human labour + preparation which can definitely be considered a workout, but imagine shifting the time it might take you to load the dryer + wait aimlessly for the beep of the microwave. Wood fires slow down time a little, softly improving our mental health, which is quite a luxury these days.

— Homeful

Here are the Instagram post again: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. (See thumbnails above)

Thanks so much to Rosie and Jane from Homeful for inviting me to collaborate on this cool project.

Also, a year or so ago I made a reel on function stacking, it’s here if you’d like a peek.

May your fruit trees be fruitful and may your fire warm multiple things…

Go gently.

Some housekeeping

Recently, a couple of generous folks have pledged to pay actual money to support my writing here on Substack. I’m incredibly grateful.

For now, I have payments turned off. I would love to be paid to write, so I’ll see how things go over time. I’d like to consistently stick to my 3 weekly newsletter goal before I feel ok about asking anyone to pay me to write.

Thank you so much for the encouragement.

Life recently…

1. Our home looking unusually tip-top, with some borrowed art from some cool friends.

2. Me having a moment of gratitude with a eucalyptus I planted a year or two ago at our farm.

3. A small quilted wall hanging I completed.

4. A weaving mend on a glove finger at a recent repair cafe I volunteered at.

5. The memory quilt I have been working on for 10 months has had its last stitch stitched - more on that later.

6. And we’ve been celebrating something big here - more on that later too I reckon.

Damn good links

Just one damn good link for you on the theme of function stacking. You can find an ongoing list of great things to listen to, read, and watch here.

SHORT FILM / save energy with a wood stove by stacking functions: off-grid cookery, drying, laundry, biochar…, by the journal of small work*, by elisa rathje at appleturnover. “Redesigning our systems to meet several needs at once. The wood stove illustrates how these frameworks can help us adapt to rapid change without losing our balance. We can apply these patterns all over.”