Guest Post by Jessica Perry (Interior Designer)

What does it mean to have an eclectic style? This word is tossed around freely in discussions of interior design. If it’s done right, the use of eclecticism in home decorating can make a bold and fashionable statement. Done wrong and you have a room full of clashing designs and an uncomfortable atmosphere.

The concept of eclecticism is used in fashion design, architecture, even music. In home design, eclectic style involves combining elements that would traditionally not go together in an interesting contrast that, while opposing, is complimentary. It can be a difficult concept to grasp as a decorating perfectionist because you don’t want the room to appear mismatched.

Tips on Creatively Contrasting Your Tiny House

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Not outlaws anymore these tiny houses are having a big impact on families

TYPE OF PROJECT: new backyard cottage
PROJECT SIZE: 384 sq. ft.
ARCHITECT/DESIGNER: Bruce Parker/Microhouse

Three generations of Mary K’s family live in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle. Until recently she lived a number of hours drive away and had hoped to move closer to her new great granddaughter. How much closer? Into her daughter’s back yard. Seattle’s backyard cottage ordinance allows her to do just that.

She worked with a firm specializing in backyard cottages, microhouse, to design a cottage to live where she can be a more prominent part of her family’s life. Her new kitchen window looks out on a garden shared with her daughter and her cottage features a loft for her great granddaughter to play in. She looks forward to taking her great granddaughter to the nearby woodland park zoo.

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Above is Mary K’s Cottage Nears Completion. Her cottage measures a mere 16ft x 24ft.

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Guest Post By Movoto Real Estate

The tiny house movement started from a need to simplify life and to become more environmentally friendly. The concept behind taking up residence in a tiny house is to limit impacts on both wallets and environments by costing less, creating less waste, and leaving a smaller energy imprint. The move from big traditional homes to small spaces may seem like a form of societal regression considering our ancestors lived in caves, teepees, huts, and other small spaces while uncomplicated ways of life. They say we all come full circle; it is possible that the tiny house movement is simply a completion of a circle where society has ceased needing more and has realized that the basics are plenty.

What is a Tiny House?

A tiny house is a small space that ranges between 85 and 400 square feet and can be either mobile or stationary. Tiny houses are basic homes for singles or couples who are seeking to pare down to the basics. These homes consist of standard spaces like a scaled down kitchen and bathroom as well as a multi living space that is crafted to meet the owner’s needs. There are a host of companies that are including the demand for tiny houses in their product lines offering customers pre-fabs, kits, and build-to-order homes.

Used by permission of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. Photo by Jack Journey. This small house on wheels was created by Tumbleweed. The Weebee design is 102 square feet and costs about $49,000.

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A while back I introduced you to the first tiny house that has made it to ESPN. The folks behind it have definitely not stopped there. Their quest for snow (powder) has continued. Imagine living and traveling in a tiny house with more than just you… How about a total of five people?

This video-based post shows you the trials and tribulations of living in a 112-square-foot tiny house on the road. And they’re towing with an older truck and what it’s like to not have 100% reliability on the road. You’ll also see how they negotiate and figure out where to park the tiny house for the night so they can get rest. But ultimately their goal is to get some powder. Meaning the best ski possible.

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A Quest for Powder Tiny House!

Photo Credit YouTube/OutdoorResearch

Watch the entire video below:

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This 500-square-foot off-grid shipping container home might be what you’ve always dreamed of. It has built-in deck space, it’s own pool, and can easily be hooked up to utilities if you wanted to.

The interior is made out of OSB wood boards and it’s built with moisture-resistant insulation. There’s a murphy bed installed inside to double up on space when needed and is already hooked up with solar panels. There are 4 panels at 240 watts each hooked up to a 3600-watt 24-volt inverter. That means it produces anywhere between 3700 to 4400 watts of power per day as long as you have access to 5-6 hours of sunshine daily.

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500-sq.-ft. Off-Grid Shipping Container Cabin

See the rest of the photos below:

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The good folks over at Tennessee Tiny Homes just delivered their first tiny house. The client preferred not to have a television so they took it down and installed a large window instead, as you’ll see in the photos below. The house headed towards the Tennessee mountains and made it passed plenty of tight squeezes and big hills along the way. You’ll be glad to know that it made it 100% safely and now the home, named The Reed, now has its first happy owners.

The company is based in Memphis, Tennessee and owned by Joe Everson. The Reed Tiny House sold for $17,500. Congratulations to the new owners!

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Tennessee Tiny Homes Sells their First Tiny House for $17,500

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This is the story of the Quietude Prefab Cabin. It’s the story of Denise Franklin and her healing place. After going through a major illness and doctors telling her she only had six months left to live… It’s been more than twenty years, she had left her house, and husband, and was now in search of her sacred space.

With a budget of only $28,000, she thought it might sound impossible, but she knew that anything is possible if you believe in it enough, so she didn’t give up and eventually made it happen thanks to the help of the wonderful and amazing Henry Yorke Mann (architect). Denise ended up with her dream tiny home… 280-square-feet of peaceful bliss. Please enjoy…?

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The Cabin that Gives You Peace… The Quietude?

Photo Credit Stuart Bish and Henry Yorkemann Architecture

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A few months ago one of our wonderful readers, Jane, was kind enough to send me a copy of her new book. It’s called Freedom through Frugality. She wrote and self-published the book and it’s available at her website Spirit of Life Publishing. Recently she’s finished up a tiny house on a trailer project which you’ll get to see below. The design is unique because it doesn’t have a traditional pitched roof. This feature helps it feel quite roomy inside. The exterior siding is a stained texture 1-11. It’s lightweight, strong, simple and inexpensive.

Let’s go ahead and take the photo tour together below..

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