10 Signs of a Good Tiny House Design

It was 2014 when the hype of living in tiny homes started. TV shows like Tiny House Nation, Tiny House World, and Tiny House Hunting publicized the idea of a minimalist lifestyle. They made it possible for viewers to find a strategic tiny house design. TV viewers also yearned for those cute little dwellings that are practical, and sometimes even luxuriously designed.
Tiny homes, or houses that have a maximum of 400 square feet need to be well-designed to match every household’s needs. Well-designed in this context means that the items in the house are carefully thought of, strategically placed and practically made for convenience. As you think of moving into a tiny home, here’s what you need to know about having a good tiny house design.

Downsizing to a Tiny House

Scaling down to a smaller dwelling means that there are some considerations worth noting. May you be a single adult, a couple or a family, there are steps in moving to your tiny home.

Declutter

Tidying up before even moving to your tiny house is a must. Things that you need to get rid of include big heavy furniture, a whole load of clothes, and, unnecessary and insignificant items. Decluttering does not necessarily mean throw them away; you have options to donate, sell or move them to storage.
Tiny homes do not provide space for big heavy furniture. These items take far too much room making the negative space slim to none. The weight also restricts the house’s mobility.
Clothes also take a lot of room not only in closet space but also in bedroom storage. Some have considered owning a capsule wardrobe limiting oneself to 37 to 50 pieces of outdoor clothing. Such clothes are basic clothing that fits perfectly to mix and match for different looks.
Unnecessary and insignificant items are those that may not be of use upon transferring in your small dwelling. Items belonging to this group do not go to storage; instead, are disposed of, donated or sold.

Maximize your smartphone

In today’s digital world, we count on apps for a minimalist lifestyle. Leave your radio and tune in to Apple Music or Spotify. Watch your movies through Netflix and dispose of your CDs, DVDs, television and its players. Get rid of your clock; instead, use your phone’s clock. Say goodbye to your notepad and calendar as you replace it with your Reminders or Notes, and Calendar apps. Lastly, clear out albums space with Instagram or Facebook albums.

Acquire and dispose

The mentality of continually clearing out mess to keep your tiny house organized may be difficult to master. But once you have put it in your system to dispose of an item if you have newly acquired another will make it easier for you to be free of eyesore mess. This habit will keep your home tidy and organized all the time.

Why Design Matters

Downsizing does not necessarily mean downgrading. To further appreciate living in a small dwelling, what you need is a perfect tiny house design. These carefully thought-of designs make your homes look spacious and organized despite the limited square foot. Well-designed dwellings also make your living cozy and comfortable. Moreover, we want a tiny house design that makes you proud and contented as an owner. Additionally, design matters to make sure your home caters to your needs.

10 Signs of a Good Tiny House Design

Nobody wants to live in a home with an awful design physically and practically. Everyone wants a cozy and comfortable space to reside in. Nothing says cozy and comfortable than a neat, organized and well-furnished home. As you think about moving in a tiny dwelling, make sure you have crossed out the checklist of our ten signs of a good tiny house design.

1. Uses space-saving storage

Storage may be the top problem of people wanting to move into a tiny house. Creative thinkers, however, provided a solution to your storage problem, i.e., hanging everything, built-in storage spaces like drawers and cabinets, and interior compartments. Space-saving storage not only makes your house spacious but also keeps it organized.

Hang just about everything

Rather than bombard your tiny home with furnishings, make use of hanging wall shelves, hooks, kitchen cabinets, and corner shelves to save storage space. These materials make sure to keep your house clutter-free and not worry about hitting your knee in displaced furniture.
Hanging wall shelves and corner shelves are storage for just about anything. From your mother’s make-up to your father’s tools, they are ideal to place these things. Books and even plants are also perfect for wall shelves.
Hooks may be placed behind your bathroom door or under the kitchen wall shelf. From towels to robes in the bathroom, to pans and kitchen utensils in the kitchen, hooks are the way to go. Furthermore, you may place in a more durable hook some foldable furniture you may have.
Built-in kitchen cabinets on the wall for your cutlery, plates and other kitchenware would give your kitchen a nothing-on-top (of the table) look.

Make use of interior compartments

Most often than not, downsizing to a tiny house also means scaling down your appliances. Nothing says organized like having interior compartments for your not-so-big appliances. A good tiny house design uses built-in compartments for washing machines, gas ranges, or microwaves.

Stash away with built-in drawers

May it be a built-in drawer on a staircase, a bench, a bed or any other compartment, it is good to have a place to set aside your other items. These drawers will give you more negative space since you do not need many closets or storage boxes lying around.

2. Houses folding furniture

Folding furniture scream space-saver that makes it a sign of a good tiny house design. The fact that your furniture could be put away into a wall or folded away and hooked by the wall, you have already saved space. The convenience and practicality of folding furniture also help your home stay organized.
Moreover, the functionality of folding furniture is impressive. Not only do they transform from a wall to a bench to a dining table but they may function as other things. For example, when a four-seater dining table is not in use, it may squeeze to a two-seater office desk. Moreso, it may be folded and put away as a wall. A wall that transforms into a bench also gives way to guests to appreciate your tiny dwelling.

3. Has some reflective finish

We all know that it is a tiny home, but we still want to make it visually bigger. Adding reflective surfaces like mirrors, aluminum or stainless steel, in your tiny house design is an excellent choice to make your home look spacious. Reflective surfaces reflect light into the area, so it brightens and gets a wider look. White tiles may also do this in the bathroom especially when reflected through a window.

4. Built with lightweight materials

Most homeowners of tiny dwellings chose it to have the ability to move when they want to – – may it be to avoid the weather or for a private retreat. Another sign of good tiny house design is making mobility possible by using lightweight materials most especially for roofs, walls, and windows.
For a transportable home, one homeowner recommends the use of steel framing. She mentioned that this is 40 to 60 percent lighter than wood and yet 25 percent more durable. On the other hand, one homeowner recommended plywood (shear wall) for interior walls. For lightweight windows, she added that the key is not to have a cripple stud, a header or a sill.

5. Made of high ceilings and windows

A well-designed tiny home also has high ceilings. Such would give the owner a bigger space and not feel cramped up in a tiny nook. High ceiling also provides the homeowner with an opportunity to install more windows and create more illusion of a bigger space. Windows give way to the light to pass through. Similar with reflective finishes, windows create a free-flowing and brighter look.

6. Has a loft for the bedroom

Sleeping in a great bed brings relaxation. Nothing more can describe cozy and comfortable than a good bed space. Having a loft would not sacrifice the dream of having a Queen or King-sized bed. Despite living in a tiny home, you may have your nightlamps, side tables, and drawers. Not only that but you also feel like you have a bedroom even if there is no partition for this. Having a bedroom space is a must; thus, a loft is another mark of a good tiny house design.

7. Houses a narrow staircase

You would want to save space by having a narrow staircase without a railing on the way to the loft. This way, the staircase does not look bulky. It is not space consuming at all, and it adds to the minimalist experience.

8. Has bump-outs

Bump-outs, also known as slide-outs, are additional space often 10 to 15 feet; but may be as small as 2 feet. This extension is significant in extremely tiny rooms. The Spruce illustrates that a 45 square feet additional space is small for a regular home. Although, 45 square feet is already a 30 percent addition in a 150 square foot space.
In a trailer, bump-outs are in in the back-end of the container; typically reserved for bathrooms or kitchens. Bump-outs are generally not mounted on the sides because of the limitations of a tiny home trailer.

9. Uses an open plan approach

A tiny house is small enough being around 100 to 400 square feet. Partitions from the living room to the kitchen or the dining table are massive space deal breakers. Even if the partitions are as thin as two inches having much of these would eventually eat up space. Not only that, it defeats the purpose of creating space with a reflective finish like a mirror or installation of windows.
Partitions also cramped up space and show the areas beginning to end. Not having partitions gives a continuous open plan look that makes for a breathable and broader space. This open plan approach is a must in your tiny house design.

10. Uses space for miscellaneous

You may want to maximize all the area in the four corners of your tiny dwelling for rooms inside the house; however, we recommend that you also make use of the outdoors. Choosing to live in a tiny home – – which is usually a trailer type, because not all states have amended construction and zoning laws – – you would want to transport yourself in a serene place sometimes.
Give a little space for a hammock or recliner outside of your house and appreciate the places that you reach. You may even want to add a tiny porch for aesthetics.

Enlarge Your Home with A Good Tiny House Design

You may be freeing yourself up of skyrocketing mortgage loans, getting yourself out of homelessness, wanting to live in a homey adventure or simply embracing a minimalist life. Whatever your reason for moving into a tiny home, you want your house as cozy and comfortable as possible. Cozy and comfortable may not be possible if your house is cramped up. What we want is an organized and breathable space.
Again, make sure your tiny house design is packed with these space-saving storage space, folding types of furniture, reflective finish, lightweight materials, high ceiling and windows, loft, narrow staircase, bump-outs, uses an open plan approach and has room for miscellaneous. With this list of 10 signs of a good tiny house design, we hope that we have completed your building plan of a tiny home.