Tag: tinyhomes

Tiny homes, 2025 edition

While I am a big fan of tiny homes on this blog, I haven’t done a post on them in some time.

I used to do them on the regular because a) I like the idea of tiny homes b) a blog I follow called Yanko Design often posted stories on tiny homes, giving me lots of material to comment on.

As it is, I still love tiny homes, and I still follow Yanko, so here’s four recent posts from them worth checking out:

  1. First up is this cool place in Tokyo. Most tiny homes in North America are horizontal: that one is very vertical (as you can see in the photo).
  2. Next is this small but might home built from a shipping container (a popular framework for tiny homes).
  3. While many tiny homes come assembled, this incredible foldable tiny home that a single person can install within an hour with no tools .
  4. Finally, if you want even more tiny homes, Yanko has 10 more homes designed to be sustainable retreats for off the grid living.

I think tiny homes are excellent, and I wish more people embraced them. If you are a fan as well, check out those links.

For fans of tiny homes….

We here at this blog have always been fans of tiny homes and have written about them often.

It turns out the New York Times are fans as well, and have a section of their web site devoted to them called living small.

Some of them are quite grand, like the one above. And others are simpler, like the one below. They’re all great in their smallness.

Check them out. Even if you prefer larger accommodations, I think you’ll like them.

Tiny Homes in 2022 – ten amazing ones

I love tiny homes. I’ve been writing about them often here.  Yanko has a wrap up of their top 10 tiny homes for 2022 and I’d be remiss if I didn’t highlight some of them. It’s quite the range. For example, this one is barely tiny:

This one is more of what you’d expect:

And this one is breathtaking:

Head on over to Yanko for the entire 10, with plenty of pictures and details.

On tiny homes, 2021 and 2022

I don’t know what it is, but I am fascinated by tiny homes. While many of them are unattractive, the ones featured in these four pieces are anything but:

All four links are to Yanko Design. (As are these images.) Check them out: they’re beautiful and set in gorgeous locations.

With the way real estate is going, we may all be living in such tiny spaces soon.

If I had the space in a sheltered woods then I would build this home

So many small homes are…well…not great. Small! But nothing special.

This one is arguably an exception to it. Not only is it more attactive than most, but it is fairly fast to make: This DIY Guesthouse Cabin Comes in a Kit and Only Takes Three Days to Build | Apartment Therapy.

You can argue it is not a home at all. Fair. But it is related, I think. And worth checking out.

In Detroit, Tiny Homes are in vogue (and for good reason)


This is a fascinating article on the use of tiny homes to help those without a place to call their own: In Detroit, Tiny Homes Are More Than a Lifestyle Trend – POLITICO Magazine

I think for many cities, apartment buildings are the way to go. More importantly, I think cities need to wake up to the problem of unaffordable housing and strive to make living in the city achievable and satisying for those that live there. If that means high rises in one city and tiny homes in another, then what works best is what should be aimed for. Here’s to livable and affordable places to live.

(Image from the article. It’s a nice place. Very IKEA, but that’s ok.)

A bold maximalism


Meanwhile a bold maximalism is achieved here, not so much by the amount of items as by the amount of bold colours and prints used throughout the place. It’s still not a big place, but it feels right. I guess that is all relative, but I love this.

For more, see This Manhattan Home Feels Like a Jewel Box | A Cup of Jo

(Image a link from the above article in A Cup of Jo)

Taking a tiny home for a test drive

If you ever thought about living in a Tiny Home, here’s your chance to try them out before you buy one. Simply rent one of the ones listed here:  Tiny House Rentals for Your Next Getaway (Apartment Therapy). There is a range of places and styles and prices for them.

I have thought of living in one myself, but wondered if I could manage. This could be one way to find out.

Photo courtesy HomeAway

Can you finance a tiny home?


According to this, yes (kinda): Tiny House Financing Tips – Mobile Home Loans | Apartment Therapy

It’s not in any way straightforward like getting a loan/mortgage for a traditional home, but it can be done.

If you are interested in getting such a home, it’s worth reading those tips.

P.S. To buy the house in the image, go here. It will set you back around $11,000.

 

A tiny home that seems livable


Many tiny homes look nice to visit but the thought of living in something so small seems impossible. An exception to those homes are these MADi houses, featured here: MADi Flat Pack Tiny House – Fast Set Up Eco Friendly | Apartment Therapy. 

They seem spacious, thanks to the A frame and all the windows. Better still, they seem very affordable.  Tiny home fans (or skeptics), take note.

You can find more about them here.

What No One Ever Tells You About Tiny Homes

Tiny home
What this piece in the New York Times says is the truth about tiny homes is really true about living in any small space, be it a tiny home or a very small apartment or condo. I liked this article because it mentioned things you might not think of, such as how ordinary objects which are not noticeable in bigger spaces become significant in larger spaces. Anyone thinking of downsizing should read this piece.

I still think there are lots of benefits in living in a small space. And some of them, like the one above from inhabitat.com, are gorgeous. But yeah, onions and laundry baskets. 🙂