Tiny Houses

The best tiny houses of 2021

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The utilitarian design of Gawthorne's Hut, by Cameron Anderson Architects, references a hay shed that was installed on the farm property, but was destroyed in a storm
Amber Creative
The Magnolia V7, by Minimaliste, measures a total length of 38.5 ft (11.7 m)
Minimaliste
The Magnolia V7's living room receives lots of natural light thanks to its generous glazing, including the large sliding glass door
Minimaliste
The Magnolia V7 features a modern and light-filled decor that's inspired by Scandinavian interior design
Minimaliste
The Magnolia V7's interior is kept a comfortable temperature with the help of a ceiling fan and two energy efficient mini-split air-conditioning units
Minimaliste
The Magnolia V7's living room includes a folding dining table that stows away when not in use
Minimaliste
The Gaia, by Pin-Up Houses, is an inexpensive shipping container-based home that cost just $21,000 to build
Jakub Zdechovan
Gaia's original shipping container doors have been left in place and can be used to open up the home to the outside
Jakub Zdechovan
Gaia's bathroom includes a sink, shower, and a toilet
Jakub Zdechovan
The Gaia includes a drop-down deck area that's operated with a hand winch
Jakub Zdechovan
Gaia's interior is mostly laid out as one large room with the space-saving sofa bed area serving as both bedroom and living room
Jakub Zdechovan
There are three models of the eponymous Brette Haus available: the Compact, Urban, and Rustic, and these range in size with a usable floorspace of 17 sq m (182 sq ft) up to a maximum of 39 sq m (419 sq ft)
Brette Haus
The Brette Haus is primarily constructed from CLT (cross-laminated timber)
Brette Haus
The Brette Haus is made in Latvia and is available throughout mainland Europe and the UK. Shipping is also possible to USA and Australia at extra cost
Brette Haus
The Brette Haus' folding design was created to make it easier to transport
Brette Haus
The Rustic model shown starts at €18,700 (roughly US$22,000) for the smallest and most basic model
Brette Haus
Casa Ojalá, by Beatrice Bonzanigo, runs off-the-grid and gets power from solar panels. It also includes a rainwater collection system
Luca Miserocchi
Casa Ojalá's walls can be fully opened up for those who would like to sleep and bathe in the open air
Luca Miserocchi
Casa Ojalá can be configured to reveal a bathroom with bathtub, sink, and shower (the toilet is sunken out of sight)
Luca Miserocchi
Casa Ojalá measures 27 sq m (290 sq ft)
Luca Miserocchi
Casa Ojalá features a rooftop terrace area that's accessed by ladder
Luca Miserocchi
The Nomad is a compact new tiny house by Minimaliste that measures 24 ft (7.3 m) and is designed for off-the-grid travel
Minimaliste
The Nomad is based on a double-axle trailer and is accessed by a motorized folding deck area at its rear
Minimaliste
The Nomad's interior is arranged on one floor and has a total floorspace of 165 sq ft (roughly 15 sq m)
Minimaliste
The Nomad's kitchen includes a propane-powered stove, an oven, and washer/dryer
Minimaliste
The Nomad is accessed by glass sliding doors
Minimaliste
The Te Whare Nukunuku Tiny House, by Build Tiny, has a total length of just 6 m (19.6 ft)
Build Tiny
The Te Whare Nukunuku Tiny House is accessed by double glass doors that really open up the home to the outside
Build Tiny
The Te Whare Nukunuku Tiny House's bed is lowered into position when the owners are ready to sleep
Build Tiny
The Te Whare Nukunuku Tiny House's bed is operated using a hand crank
Build Tiny
The Te Whare Nukunuku Tiny House's kitchen includes a fridge/freezer, microwave, and a dishwasher
Build Tiny
As its name suggests, the Fibonacci House, by Twente Additive Manufacturing, was inspired by the Fibonacci number sequence
Twente Additive Manufacturing
The Fibonacci House measures just 35 sq m (376 sq ft) and has a simple, utilitarian interior decor
Twente Additive Manufacturing
The Fibonacci House is located in the Kootenay Lake Village community at Procter, British Columbia, Canada
Twente Additive Manufacturing
The Fibonacci House has a bathroom with shower, sink, and toilet
Twente Additive Manufacturing
The Fibonacci House's individual sections were printed in layers
Twente Additive Manufacturing
Permanent Camping 2, by Casey Brown Architecture, consists of a two-story tower structure that opens up to the outside with operable facades
Andrew Loiteron
Located amid the lush green hillside of Berry and enjoying views across the Pacific Ocean
Andrew Loiteron
The design allows the home to completely close when not in use, protecting the dwelling from the harsh Australian climate
Andrew Loiteron
The cabin features a basic open-space interior inspired from boat building
Andrew Loiteron
Two decks extend the home out to the east and west, greatly increasing the floor space
Andrew Loiteron
The Redukt individual design no. 3, by Redukt, measures 7.2 m (23 ft) in length, and features double doors on each side to let the outside in
Redukt
The Redukt individual design no. 3 includes a small and basic kitchenette with a sink, a two-burner stove, and cabinetry
Redukt
The Redukt individual design no. 3's glazing can be covered with shutters
Redukt
The Redukt individual design no. 3 features a utilitarian interior decor of unfinished wood
Redukt
The Redukt individual design no. 3's downstairs bedroom includes some storage space
Redukt
The utilitarian design of Gawthorne's Hut, by Cameron Anderson Architects, references a hay shed that was installed on the farm property, but was destroyed in a storm
Amber Creative
The interior decor of Gawthorne's Hut is mostly finished in wood, but bricks in the bathroom offer some separation
Amber Creative
Gawthorne's Hut is powered by a roof-based solar-panel array, which is connected to batteries
Amber Creative
Gawthorne's Hut has an open floorplan, and most of the available floorspace is divided between a living/sleeping area and a kitchenette
Amber Creative
Gawthorne's Hut has been carefully arranged so that its windows and doors face south, and provide natural ventilation
Amber Creative
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This year has been a bumper one for downsizing and, as 2022 fast approaches, we've chosen a selection of the most interesting, innovative, and well-designed examples of small living we've seen throughout the year.

Our selection of the best tiny houses of 2021 has been carefully chosen to reflect the incredible variety present in the small living movement.

So, as well as some traditional tiny houses on wheels, which range in size from compact models meant for regular travel to huge behemoths that will probably never leave their plot, we've also included an innovative home that was constructed using a 3D printer, a shipping container-based dwelling, and even a residence that folds to make transport by truck easier.

With such things in mind and in no particular order, here are our favorite tiny houses of the year. Be sure to head to the gallery to see more photos of each one – and let us know your own top tiny house builds of 2021 in the comments.

Magnolia V7 – Minimaliste

Visitors enter the Magnolia V7 through a large glass sliding door
Minimaliste

Minimaliste has been iterating on its popular Magnolia model for years now and this seventh version caters to those who want to live life on wheels, but without sacrificing the space and comfort of a more traditional home.

Measuring 38.5 ft (11.7 m) in length, the Magnolia V7 offers a roomy apartment-like interior with a spacious living room and bedroom, plus a well-stocked kitchen. It's also well insulated and has a very high level of airtightness, which means that it performs well in extremes of both heat and cold.

Gaia – Pin-Up Houses

The Gaia, by Pin-Up Houses, is an inexpensive shipping container-based home that cost just $21,000 to build
Jakub Zdechovan

The Gaia, by Pin-Up Houses, is a shipping container-based home that runs fully off-the-grid using solar power and a rainwater collection system.

The home is based on a 6 x 2.4 m (20 x 8 ft) container and has been modified with a roof shade and a drop-down deck area that's operated using a winch. Its interior is mostly taken up by one main room that doubles as living space and sleeping area, plus it also features a kitchenette and a separate bathroom nearby.

Brette Haus

The Brette Haus is primarily constructed from CLT (cross-laminated timber)
Brette Haus

Brette Haus' eponymous tiny house is a bit of an odd one. Though portable, rather than being based on wheels, like many tiny houses, this pint-sized dwelling actually folds in on itself for easier transport by truck. According to its designers, the home is rated for up to 100 relocations.

Once on-site, installation takes just three hours and it also doesn't require a permanent foundation. The interior is simple and, depending on the layout, contains a living space, kitchen, and an upstairs bedroom. There are also lots of options available, including its size and whether it runs on or off-the-grid.

Casa Ojalá – Beatrice Bonzanigo

Casa Ojalá, by Beatrice Bonzanigo, runs off-the-grid and gets power from solar panels. It also includes a rainwater collection system
Luca Miserocchi

Beatrice Bonzanigo's prototype Casa Ojalá is unlike any other tiny house we've seen and has a flexible interior layout and space-saving furniture, plus hand crank-operated sliding walls open it up to the outside, allowing adventurous types to relax, sleep, and even bathe out in the open.

Its cylindrical form hosts a transforming 27 sq m (290 sq ft) interior that can be configured to reveal a bathroom with bathtub and shower (the toilet is sunken out of sight), plus a ladder offers access to a rooftop terrace area. Options include a basic kitchenette and solar panels for power.

Nomad – Minimaliste

The Nomad is a compact new tiny house by Minimaliste that measures 24 ft (7.3 m) and is designed for off-the-grid travel
Minimaliste

Most of Minimaliste's tiny houses, like the Magnolia V7 already mentioned, are very large and luxurious dwellings meant to be parked up and left in place. With the Nomad, the firm has retained its trademark hardy four-season tiny house design, but offers it in a smaller, simpler, and easier to tow model.

Measuring just 24 ft (7.3 m) in length, the off-grid ready Nomad is accessed by a neat motorized folding deck. It features a dining/lounge area that seats up to four people, and can also be transformed into a sleeping area for guests. Elsewhere is a kitchen and bathroom, plus a master bedroom.

Te Whare Nukunuku Tiny House – Build Tiny

The Te Whare Nukunuku Tiny House, by Build Tiny, has a total length of just 6 m (19.6 ft)
Build Tiny

It can be a real challenge to squeeze a well-proportioned living area and bedroom into a home with a length of just 6 m (19.6 ft), so Build Tiny simply didn't bother. Instead, the firm used a novel elevating bed to cleverly maximize floorspace inside the compact tiny house.

The Te Whare Nukunuku Tiny House is all arranged on one floor and in addition to that awesome bed, which travels down from the roof using a hand-crank when it's time to hit the sack, contains a sofa bed, a well-proportioned living area and kitchen, and a bathroom.

Fibonacci House – Twente Additive Manufacturing

As its name suggests, the Fibonacci House, by Twente Additive Manufacturing, was inspired by the Fibonacci number sequence
Twente Additive Manufacturing

3D-printing firm Twente Additive Manufacturing created what it calls Canada's first 3D-printed home with the Fibonacci House. Measuring just 35 sq m (376 sq ft), the concrete micro-house sleeps up to two adults and two children.

The build process involved a 3D printer extruding a cement mixture, layer by layer, building up the basic structure of the home in sections over 11 days. Once finished, those sections were then joined together by human builders and they finished the home off with window frames, a door, roof and furniture, etc. The interior contains a kitchen, living room and bathroom, as well as two simple mezzanine sleeping areas.

Permanent Camping 2 – Casey Brown Architecture

Permanent Camping 2, by Casey Brown Architecture, consists of a two-story tower structure that opens up to the outside with operable facades
Andrew Loiteron

Permanent Camping 2 is an unusual corrugated copper tiny home designed by Casey Brown Architecture that consists of a two-story tower-like structure that opens up to the outside with operable facades.

The design allows the home to completely close when not in use, while also protecting the dwelling from the harsh Australian climate. It has a basic 9 sq m (97 sq ft) interior inspired by boat building and features a wood-burning fireplace, a small bench with cooking burner, running-water copper basin, open shelves and hidden underfloor storage.

Gawthornes Hut – Cameron Anderson Architects

The utilitarian design of Gawthorne's Hut, by Cameron Anderson Architects, references a hay shed that was installed on the farm property, but was destroyed in a storm
Amber Creative

At a glance you could be forgiven for thinking that the 40 sq m (430 sq ft) Gawthornes Hut, by Cameron Anderson Architects, is a simple utility shed – and that's very much by design. This luxurious cabin has been modeled to blend in with a working farm's buildings and runs off-the-grid with water storage and solar power.

Its interior is tastefully done, with a main room hosting the living area and bedroom, plus a kitchen to one side and a bathroom nearby. In a nice touch, it incorporates a brick chimney that already existed on the site from an old home.

Redukt individual design no. 3 – Redukt

The Redukt individual design no. 3, by Redukt, measures 7.2 m (23 ft) in length, and features double doors on each side to let the outside in
Redukt

Commissioned to design a tiny house for a family of four, Redukt created a compact model that mitigates its small size by opening up to the outside using large glazed doors installed on both sides of the home. It also runs from solar panels for full off-the-grid freedom.

The Redukt individual design no. 3 has a length of 7.2 m (23 ft) and its interior contains a living room that's filled with light thanks to the generous glazing, as well as a bedroom and bathroom downstairs. There's also a kitchen area, and a second loft-style bedroom. This is accessed by neat fold-away steps, which save space when not in use.

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2 comments
Bob Stuart
I hope the new year will bring us news of net-zero homes, and routine inclusion of the energy needs of others.
CarolynFarstrider
What a pity that Gawthornes Hut is SO unsustainable. Massive amounts of redundant void that has to be heated or cooled, and massive amounts of unnecessary materials to construct it. Sustainability should be at he heart of elegant architecture. It's very far from being 'utilitarian'.