Well, this discussion is the reason I didn't mention the size of my house in my post . My last house was 2100 sq. feet, which I've heard is about the average in the US. It was an 8 rm. new colonial, with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a large family room and a very small formal living room and dining room. Since I actually use those rooms for entertaining, that part was bad. Our furniture didn't exactly fit.
It felt cramped with 2 growing teens, who were 10 and 13 when we moved there. Family room and bedrooms were good, but the house felt small to me, compared to my house in AZ that had the same square footage. I think it has to do with the lay out. So, we finished part of the basement, mainly so son #1 could play his guitar and son #2 could use the trainer and blast the Spinervals without me going nuts from the noise. Then, a few years later, we added on a very large screened in porch, which we really lived in for 3 months out of the year. We ate all of our meals out there, when it was nice. That really made a difference.
This house has just under 3,000 sq. ft., no one can give me a straight answer on the exact size. But, the house is built vertically, in a very different shape, on 4 levels. It is an older house than the last one by about 12 years. The bedrooms are smaller, and so are the bathrooms. But, the other rooms are bigger. I miss having the open type of kitchen/family room, but it's not so important, now that the kids are gone. However, this house does not feel bigger to me when I am inside. It looks dramatic and big from the outside, but I think it's because it's a contemporary, in a part of the country where they are unusual.
It's true, 2 people don't need a house this big. But, since we have remodeled the place from top to bottom, including replacing every system and window, roof, etc. to make it energy efficient, I feel we actually live more economically than we did in the last place. I also live closer to shopping and do many more errands by bike. It's closer to the city by 10 miles, which has made a huge difference in time/gas when I go to my classes and we have 2 commuter rail stations, as well as being closer to the end point of the regular train line.