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The latest issue of Tiny House Magazine is out. Issue #166 is the October 2026 edition, and it’s a cozy one, right on time for the switch into fall and the start of the holiday season.
On the cover is The Aerie, a little green-shingled cabin perched on timber posts above the Blue Ridge Mountains just outside Asheville, North Carolina. Inside, Joshua Becker, Brenda Mason Parmelee, and content editor Andrew M. Odom cover seasonal fresh starts, small-space holidays, mail-order Sears houses, and one of the most underrated challenges in tiny living: the refrigerator.
On the Cover: The Aerie Above Asheville
Most homes that make the cover of Tiny House Magazine are for sale. This one isn’t. The Aerie is a getaway at Earth & Sky on a ridge near Asheville, so the only way to experience it is to book a night. The magazine put it on the cover anyway, because of how clearly it was designed:
“It picks a single idea and builds everything else around it.”
That idea is a window: six feet of glass facing the Blue Ridge, with the rest of the room arranged around it. You reach the cabin by a staircase on the shoulder of the ridge, and the structure stands clear of the slope on timber posts. The mossy green shingles help it blend into the canopy instead of competing with the view. It’s a good lesson for anyone building small on a scenic lot. Pick the one thing that matters most, and let every other decision serve it.
A Season or a Lifestyle?
Joshua Becker opens the issue with a fall reflection. The change of seasons gets people excited, and autumn can be a real fresh start, but only if we recognize we need one. It’s a short, thoughtful read on whether we’re making changes that stick or just rearranging things until the next season comes around.
Sears Would Have Given Me a Mortgage
In his opinion piece, Andrew M. Odom compares today’s housing market (30-year mortgage rates above 7%, first-time buyers at a record-low share with a median age of 40) with a time when you could order a house from a catalog:
“Between 1908 and 1942, Sears, Roebuck and Company sold more than seventy thousand houses out of a mail-order catalog. Not sheds. Houses.”
The kits arrived by rail in a boxcar: about 25 tons and more than 30,000 parts, with precut, numbered lumber, a roughly 75-page instruction manual, and even the nails, paint, and wallpaper included. Sears also financed many of them. Andrew says up front that he doesn’t have a solution to today’s affordability crisis, but the history is a fascinating look at how much simpler homeownership once was. It also explains why so many people now see tiny and kit homes as a way back to that idea.
The Holidays Are a Decision Problem, Too
Brenda Mason Parmelee lives in 310 square feet, and every year someone asks her how she does the holidays in a space that small. Her answer: she doesn’t miss anything. She applies the same philosophy she uses for her home:
“Clutter isn’t a stuff problem; it’s a decision problem. The holidays work the same way.”
Her piece is about deciding what the season is actually for, whether that’s hosting an older relative or setting up a tree. In her words, it was never about the size of the tree. It’s about the light, and who’s sitting in it. If the holidays usually leave you exhausted instead of grateful, this one is worth reading.
What Do You Do About the Refrigerator?
The issue wraps up with a practical problem every tiny house owner runs into. The story starts with a weekend in a 100-year-old, 400-square-foot cabin that was close to perfect, until it was time to put the groceries away and the family found a single-door Amana dorm fridge. From there, the article looks at how to choose refrigeration for a small space when you’re balancing size, power use, and budget. If you’re planning a build or an upgrade, this one is especially useful.
Get Your Copy
Get Tiny House Magazine Issue #166 Here
The digital issue is $9. You can also flip through a free preview on the Issue #166 page. Tiny House Magazine is an independent digital publication that has covered the tiny house movement for years, and buying an issue helps keep it going. If you missed the last one, here’s our look at Tiny House Magazine Issue #164.
Our thanks to Kent Griswold for sharing!
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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through one of our links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Alex
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