When HGTV’s Design Star featured Tumbleweed Tiny Houses, it marked a significant moment for the tiny house movement. The episode challenged three finalist contestants to design the interiors of Jay Shafer’s 99 square foot Box Bungalow tiny houses—bringing small-space living to millions of mainstream viewers.
Photo courtesy of Tumbleweed Houses
Microlodge UK created a distinctive line of micro cabins designed for campgrounds—offering guests something between traditional tent camping and a hotel room. Their hobbit-inspired designs showcase what’s possible with compact, well-designed camping shelters.
The company’s product line demonstrates the variety possible in glamping accommodations:
The full-sized Microlodge measures 16′ x 8′ x 8′ and includes impressive features for its compact size:
Photos Courtesy of Microlodge UK
Your family minivan can double as a surprisingly comfortable camping shelter. With a clever hammock setup, you can sleep a family of four—two adults and two kids—without buying an RV or setting up tents in bad weather.
This technique works great for:
Before heading out, remove your middle row seating to create sleeping space. Then gather these supplies:
The Freedom Microlite Caravan demonstrates that full-featured camping doesn’t require a heavy-duty tow vehicle. At just 9 feet long, 6 feet 1 inch wide, and approximately 1,400 pounds, this British-made pop-up caravan can be towed by compact cars and subcompacts—opening up travel trailer camping to drivers who assumed their vehicles couldn’t handle it.
Despite its compact footprint, the Freedom Microlite includes amenities typically found in larger caravans:
TINY: A Story About Living Small is a documentary film that follows filmmaker Christopher Smith as he builds his own tiny house in the mountains of Boulder, Colorado—despite having no prior construction experience. Along the way, he interviews other tiny house dwellers to explore a fundamental question: What makes a good home?
Christopher Smith, along with co-director Merete Mueller, set out to document the tiny house movement from the inside. Rather than simply observing, Smith immersed himself in the experience by purchasing a 5-acre plot of land and building his own small dwelling from scratch.
The documentary captures:
The Safari Condo Alto bridges the gap between compact teardrop trailers and full-featured travel trailers. Made in Quebec, Canada, this aluminum trailer features an electric pop-up roof that transforms it from a low-profile, aerodynamic towing configuration into a stand-up living space when parked.
What sets the Alto apart from traditional teardrops is its electric-powered expandable roof. When traveling, the trailer maintains a sleek, aerodynamic profile that reduces drag and improves fuel economy. Once parked, the roof raises at the push of a button, providing:
Photos Courtesy of Safari Condo
Austin Hay became one of the youngest tiny house builders when, as a high school student, he constructed his own tiny house on a trailer in his parents’ backyard. His story, captured in an interview by Kirsten Dirksen of Faircompanies, inspired countless others to consider building their own small homes—regardless of age or experience level.
Even as a teenager, Austin understood the financial implications of housing choices. His motivations for building small included:
Austin demonstrated that resourcefulness can dramatically reduce building costs. By sourcing recycled and salvaged materials whenever possible, he kept expenses to a fraction of what new materials would have cost.
Examples of his finds:
His approach to sustainable building extended beyond cost savings. Over fourteen months of construction, Austin generated less than two modest garbage cans worth of waste—a stark contrast to typical construction projects.
The Krunk Bunk is a hanging micro cabin designed by Derek “Deek” Diedricksen of RelaxShacks. Built to hang from tall ceilings, this suspended sleeping loft creates additional living space without consuming floor area. Perfect for high-ceiling spaces, the Krunk Bunk can serve as a sleeping platform, reading nook, or elevated workspace with room below for office or storage.
Photo Credits: YouTube, Make, Tiny Yellow House
In tiny houses and small apartments, beds consume significant floor space that could otherwise serve multiple functions. Multipurpose beds solve this problem by combining sleeping surfaces with other furniture—or by making the bed itself mobile and concealable.
One of the most practical multipurpose bed designs combines a workspace with sleeping quarters. The key innovation: the desk surface remains level when the bed folds down, so you don’t need to clear your workspace before sleeping.
The desk pivots as the bed descends, maintaining a horizontal surface throughout the transition. Items on the desk (up to 45 pounds) stay in place.
