Mrs. Gardner decided that she did not like the cold and empty spaces of many museums during her time.
VOA: special.2009.01.11
While some may find them cramped, it is worth pointing out that legions of foreign English-teachers (and aspiring travel writers) have spent years living in spacesnot much larger than these.
Admittedly, this is easier to pull off when no one else is aboard, but relocating some storage area to sidewalls (not in overhead spaces) adds a lot of cabin room and makes it less likely passengers will bash their heads on compartments above in that frantic post-landing-must-touch-my-carryon-immediately moment of choreographed (and mystifying) panic.