Tiny houses have unique design challenges and opportunities.
They’re destined to become a big part of our cultural future. They increase a property’s value as well as its functionality, and they are an excellent “first build” for most budding DIY homeowners.
Tiny houses rewrite the modern notions of space and rewrite the story of our “needs.”
Because they are all about constraints, they require the very best design thinking possible.
But be warned, their lack of size means there’s no buffer for mistakes.
Principles of good tiny house design
• Go up, not out
• Stay full size where it counts
• Reduce transitional spaces (the spaces in-between spaces)
• Door swings eat space
• Balance the open concept by creating pathways and destinations
• Realize what defines a room is not 4 walls but a state of mind
• Avoid “convertible” spaces but multi-task wherever possible
• Don’t skimp on electrical outlets
• Create living zones with lighting and shadow
• Tiny homes deserve tiny yards
• Get creative with storage (this is where ceiling height really helps)
• Laundry makes a house truly independent
• Smaller quantities means higher quality materials
• Use lots of natural light to bring the outdoors indoors
• Choose a simple, subtle, bright color palette with bold accents
• Make texture intentional
• Invest in the bed
• If it isn’t worth seeing it may not be worth keeping
• Character counts - tiny houses need big stories
• Sweat the small stuff. In a tiny house tiny things have big effect—both good and bad