In one of the earliest moments tiny houses appeared on mainstream television, HGTV’s Design Star dedicated an entire episode to the tiny house concept—and the results were fascinating.
In Season 6, Episode 9 of Design Star, the three final contestants faced an unexpected challenge: design an entire house. The twist? Each house would be just 99 square feet.
The Challenge: Jay Shafer’s Box Bungalow
The tiny houses used in this challenge were the Box Bungalow designs by Jay Shafer, founder of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company and one of the pioneers of the modern tiny house movement.
For many viewers, this episode was their first introduction to the idea that people could actually live in spaces under 100 square feet. The contestants had to prove their design skills by maximizing every inch of these compact homes.
Why This Episode Matters
This Design Star episode represents a significant moment in tiny house history:
- Mainstream exposure: HGTV brought tiny houses to millions of viewers who had never heard of the movement
- Design validation: Professional designers tackled the unique challenges of small-space living
- Jay Shafer connection: Featured designs from one of the tiny house movement’s founding figures
- Pre-Tiny House Nation: This aired years before dedicated tiny house shows became popular
Finding the Episode
This episode originally aired in 2011. While streaming availability changes over time, you may be able to find it through:
- HGTV’s streaming platforms or app
- Discovery+ (which includes HGTV content)
- Video-on-demand purchase services
Related Reading
Did you catch this episode when it first aired? It’s a fun piece of tiny house history that helped bring small-space living into the mainstream conversation. Share your memories in the comments!
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Alex
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