In the era of COVID-19, my dreams of international adventures have been put on hold, but my escape hasn’t quite stopped. You’ve planned safe, socially distanced road trips, but with a twist: small travel.
In October 2020, she embarked on an ongoing “little home tour” across the country and the world. My group so far consists of 25 local residencies and one international residency.
As an advertised minimalist, I travel lightly, even to remote destinations. The idea of a well-planned, efficient small living space that a tiny home can provide makes sense.
But not all tiny homes are created equal. Some people may assume that beautifying a small-sized home requires minimal effort, but owners and interior designers may disagree. Here, many Airbnb super-hosts (a designation given to the highest-rated, most experienced hosts) and home design designers share their ideas and inspiration for making the most of a small situation.
Design details
After sleeping in 26 of them, one thing is for sure: No two tiny homes are designed alike. As a short term renter, I am experiencing a new emotion influenced by the environment that each small home host creates. Many factors must be taken into account, from building materials to decoration.
Using meaningful materials in building these tiny homes is equal parts resourcefulness and creativity. The rental of James Pope’s tiny home on Matthew Creek Farm in Norlina, North Carolina, reflects the creative use of recycled merchandise. “All the windows came from Habitat for Humanity,” Bob says. “The floor was overflowing. The wood used in the loft from the greenhouse was removed. The wood used for the shower has been reclaimed. The window frame came from an old, rickety smoke that my friend was tearing up.”
Mark and Diane Sismore take them to a new level with their Lakeside Tiny House townhouse in Kempton, Pennsylvania, built in 1891.
Sismours wanted to retain the integrity and original features of the historic 150-square-foot detached summer kitchen, a free-standing structure that separated heat-inducing cooking activities from the rest of the home during the warmer months before air conditioning came along.
“We protected the textured walls, in keeping with the time period, with milk paint and wax,” Diane says.
Gabriel Tao filled his container home in Tampa, Florida, with one-of-a-kind ornaments. “I love nature and wanted our little house to encapsulate every part of it, from moss on the shower ceiling to wood cakes on the wall,” says Tao. While I only stayed one night in Tao’s little house, I kept discovering the little details, from ceiling to floor.
Home designers and designers advise small home owners to make a bigger impact in a limited space.
“Every piece counts,” says Casey Stephenson, studio director at Pansy Bayou Design Studio in Sarasota, Florida. She recommends finding “a new use for more valuable vintage items — retro renovation.” Tao achieves this by By adjusting the whiskey barrel in the bathroom sink equipped with a door for additional storage.
A-Class Amenities
This is where I differentiate between a tiny house and a tiny cabin for glamour.
When booking a tiny home on Airbnb, I expect basic indoor amenities like bathroom, shower, sink, toilet, air conditioning and heating. Not required but it’s a good idea to have a washer and dryer (often combined), strong Wi-Fi and a desk or table to work on. Short-term rental hosts compete for business, so sometimes amenities are the defining factor during your search.
“I want people to have everything they need to be comfortable and not feel like they were sacrificing while they were with us,” Bob says. His rent was ready with the water heater turned on and hot water flowing when I arrived. This may seem like a no-brainer, but some tiny homes are barebones when it comes to accommodations.
Then there are the outdoor amenities: outdoor seating, tables, patios, grills, lights, and parking. While some of these things are not essential, they can also be a deciding factor when choosing a tiny home rental.
In Florida, extreme weather — lots of sunshine and lots of rain — is the norm. So something as uninteresting as shadow structure scores high in my book.
Another outdoor feature that makes a world of difference is the parking. During my small stays, I’ve come out of worst-case scenarios—fighting for parking five blocks from my rent in 40-degree weather, standing on a dirt plot in a farm field, freezing while wiping snow from my car windows in the host’s driveway—to best condition: Spacious parking reserved like the setting at Crystal O’Mara’s Tiny Tropical House in Chuluota, Florida, which has spaces just feet from the rental property.
My favorite comfort? External lighting. Equally practical for safety and mobility around the small space, spotlights can also be a design element. From a practical point of view, I often arrive at my rental place in the evening after a long day of driving. Outside lights help me locate in an unfamiliar area, help me see while I unload my car and keep me from tripping as I make my way to the entrance.
Planning and Operation
A common theme among young home hosts and home designers is planning.
Says Jason Varner, who rents a small house in Vienna, W.Va.
Kristen Urban, an interior designer at JMT Architecture in Baltimore, says owners should “plan the space so that all household and personal purposes have their own designated location.”
“Recycling space and/or composting bins are usually overlooked and become an afterthought,” she says.
In some cases, tiny homeowners started with a pre-existing structure that they renovated. In such cases, the design is affected by what is feasible to move forward. It becomes a balance between structural limitations versus creativity and resourcefulness. “If I were to build another tiny home from scratch, I would definitely include plans for plumbing and electrical work from scratch,” explains Marianne O’Keefe, who introduced an update to an existing harbor in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Sometimes hosts’ planning is influenced by their trip to small home ownership. The Pope says his house was built out of a need for shelter. “I lived in my little house long before I heard about little houses,” he says. Similarly, Tao lived in a storage container while abroad during his time in the Marines. “When my girlfriend suggested we convert one into a tiny house, it just made sense,” he says. Residential living provided a direct understanding of what was required in a limited space.
Varner says he keeps his tiny home building practical by maximizing “every inch of space,” and says a builder or designer should focus on balancing comfort versus convenience. “You don’t need two sinks, so in the bathroom area use a small but long shower and toilet,” he says. Guests can use the kitchen sink for multitasking (dishes, brushing teeth, washing hands). Alternatively, there are narrow wall-hung sinks that fit snugly in bathrooms.
Furnishings layout is another major consideration.
Jennifer Kerr-Marsh, owner of Mangrove Bay Design in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, says owners need to “place furniture and remember human scale in a space. A person needs space to walk while carrying bags or a baby. Realizing these basics will make even the smallest of homes work.” for generations.”
Kerr-Marsch’s simplest advice: “Don’t plan a big house – plan a big life!”
One of the smartest examples of practicality influencing design is the staircase at the Sismours rental in Pennsylvania. “The stairs are designed to look like a complete step with each corner angled to prevent injury to the knees while climbing,” says Diane Sismore.
The thought and creativity that went into designing the stairs probably saved my knees a few times throughout my stay.
EXTERNAL FEATURES
While the tiny home trend started as a novelty—the movement dates back to at least the 1970s—it can now be found almost everywhere across the country. So how do some hosts take their rents to the next level?
Some of the houses I stayed in were notable because of what was outside. The interior of the rental is the main feast, but the outside space is the cherry on top.
Some embrace the local culture. “One of the great things about decorating the outside areas of my little home is the influence of my town,” says Cathy Taylor of her rental home, which she calls The Mount Dora (Fla.) Escape. “Mount Dora has a lot of art and antiques here, including the Reininger Antique Market and the famous Mount Dora Arts Festival. I love second-hand antiques and yard sales, so most of my outdoor decor is found that way.”
Others benefit from the ambiance of the house. John Carey Fulmer says of his tiny home at Fulmer’s Farmstead & General Store in New Augusta, Miss. , “There’s a rustic farmhouse feel to our place, so I definitely wanted to have that look all the time.”
final touches
In the world of tiny home rentals, it’s the little things (pun intended) that count. With so much competition in the market, a lasting impression is often sealed with a small nod.
“We wanted our little house to be an experience, not just a place to stay,” says Tao. “I used my 3D printer to design and print most of the decorations to make our guests feel completely at home in a magical setting.”
Other small touches but satisfying are unforgettable views. During my many stays, I have had the opportunity to watch the sunset over the sea, admire the autumn leaves and wake up to the snow-capped hills of the countryside. I understand that this may not be realistic for all small rentals, but it does leave a lasting memory.
The more I walk around the tiny houses, the more fascinated I become, not only with these tiny dwellings but also with their owners who display tremendous creativity and craftsmanship. The possibilities are huge in the world of tiny homes. I can’t wait to see other exciting surprises in store as my journey continues.
