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Top 5 Tiny House Designs if you’re Single


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I’ll admit – it has been a long time since I was single. Over 18 years, in fact. Since I live comfortably in 120 square feet with one other person (and a cat) I started to think about what kind of space would be right for a single tiny house owner.

Before I provide my list of tiny house designs for singles I do want to say that the perfect tiny house for anyone is whatever tiny house they want to live in. But, without further ado, here are 5 designs that I think would be great for just one person.

Renzo Piano’s Tiny House. This teensy tiny house made the circuit a few weeks back. The approximately 8X10 tiny house is a lifelong dream for 75 year old award winning architect, Piano. The tiny house, called Diogene, may have been named for the Greek philosopher Diogenes who believed the artificial growth of society was not compatible with happiness. When the tiny home hits the market in about three years it will cost around $45,000. This minimalist home appears to have everything that a single person might need to be comfortable.

piano-diogene

I encourage you to see more tiny house ideas for single people below:

The Epu. An early design from Tumbleweed Tiny Houses, and the one featured on Oprah in 2008, is the 96 square foot Epu. This little house has become synonymous with the very concept of what a tiny house should be and the cozy home with a small fireplace may be just the perfect thing for one person.

Photo By Jack Journey Copyright Tumblweed Tiny House Company 2008

Photo By Jack Journey Copyright Tumblweed Tiny House Company 2008

A yurt? Yes, a yurt. These nomadic Mongolian tents are the gateway drug to tiny houses for many dreamers. If you live on your own and plan to travel there is no reason to pick up a small yurt that can become your mobile home. For a slightly more permanent and modern yurt, check out this design.

Inside of a yurt

A tiny apartment. When is a tiny house not a house at all? When it is an apartment. Fair Companies has featured several small New York City apartments that work well for their renters. My favorite small apartment design has to be this 180 square foot loft featured on The Tiny Life.

small apartment kitchen

A tiny convertible apartment. Finally, I wanted to re-share this gem from a few years ago. This 258 square foot apartment appears to be a big empty cube, but owner Christian Schallert converted his Barcelona home to a very functional space by offering a number of hidden and convertible amenities. Original story here.

Lego Apartment Fair Companies Screen Capture

So how big is too big and how small is too small for just one person? What kind of tiny house do you want to live in?  

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Laura LaVoie

Contributor and Tiny House Owner at 120SquareFeet.com
Laura M. LaVoie is a professional writer living in the mountains of North Carolina in a 120 Square Foot house with her partner and their hairless cat, Piglet. Laura graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in Anthropology. She has been published in magazines and anthologies on the subjects of mythology and culture. She spent nearly 15 years in the temporary staffing industry before deciding to become a full time writer. Laura works closely with the Zulu Orphan Alliance volunteering her time and the skills she's learned building her own small house to build a shelter for orphans and other vulnerable children living near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Laura also enjoys simple living, brewing and drinking craft beer, and popular culture.
{ 4 comments… add one }
  • Alex
    July 23, 2013, 11:37 am

    I just want to add this.. It’s my “Lovebug” tiny house design concept: https://tinyhousetalk.com/lovebug-tiny-house-design-for-couples/

  • Carolyn B
    July 30, 2013, 12:58 pm

    Good article, Laura L. BTW, you don’t even look 18 in your facebook photos. Must be that good tiny living with less stress attached.

  • ElTee
    July 31, 2013, 12:41 pm

    Alex, thought you might be interested to see that the Daily Mail in the UK seem to have finally picked up on the subject, covering Renzo Piano’s Diogene house, it has more pics of it there too:
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2380727/Renzo-Piano-designs-17-000-Diogene-micro-house-covers-just-65-sq-ft-fit-lorry-kitchen-bedroom-shower-storage.html

    *admittedly I wouldn’t usually link to the Mail but this interests me & I assume it’d interest you & your readers. But anyone would think that TH’s were a new thing lol.

  • Cahow
    August 3, 2013, 9:11 pm

    “So how big is too big and how small is too small for just one person? What kind of tiny house do you want to live in?”

    Honestly, Laura, there’s no single answer to this question. It’s rather like “How many calories must a man/woman have each day?” Well, how old are they? What do they do for a living? What is their metabolism like? For each person, there’s a correct amount of calories and so it is for each person, there’s a correct amount of square footage.

    I know from living it, that 70 sq.ft. and 144 sq.ft. is NOT for me! I lived in both sq.ft. for one year each; I spent most of my time crying and feeling sorry for myself. Boo F’in Hoo, right? ~snort~ Our current lounge at the cottage is 15′ x 15′ and I feel that THAT is a doable amount of space if I was forced to reduce my life down to 225 sq.ft., but nothing less than that; 20’x20′ would be much nicer. Also, I feel that the way the square footage is laid out is critical. I do NOT respond well to rectangular living, so an 8′ x 40′ building would put me on edge. I’d rather have a large, wide space in all directions to suit my needs. Both my husband and I have stayed in many a guest cottage/coach house that are rectangular and we were quite content for up to a week’s time.

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