How to Decorate The (Your!) Tiny House

There’s an old saying (a warning really) about “not putting the cart before the horse”.  And while this is perfectly sound advice, it is advice that I find myself NOT taking; more often than I care to admit.  

And, here I go again.

The very first book I purchased about Tiny Houses was “How to Decorate The Tiny House” by Andrew Odom.  Since I am a very visual person, I really don’t need four walls in front of me to begin the process of deciding what to hang on them.  Besides, as further justification, the book was super easy to download and a quick read.  It provides lots of storage ideas and……oh wait…..I’m getting ahead of myself….again.

Tiny House planning is a long, somewhat complicated process.  It’s not like buying or building a “normal” house where you find or design in a space for everything you own, as well as all the stuff you hope to own for the next 15+ years that you’ll presumably live there.  In fact, it’s exactly the opposite.  You start by deciding ONLY what you ABSOLUTELY need, then designing a space that will accommodate you and your now-significantly-smaller-pile-of-stuff; and not one square foot more.  It requires making tough decisions about the people, and possessions, and puppies you plan to have in your life.  (To have or not to have?  That is the question!)

But, all of that thinking and planning is the tough part!  And since I don’t want to get discouraged before I even start, sometimes I enjoy distracting myself from the tough part by gazing, longingly, at the fun part….

…the decorating!!!!

If you’re looking for a bit of distraction from your Tiny House build (or any other mundane project, completely outside the Tiny House World) then I highly recommend Andrew’s book.  Or, perhaps more appropriately, if you’re looking for décor ideas for your Tiny House that has already been completed; then I REALLY recommend his book.  In a nutshell, it’s a little bit of eye candy for the Tiny House Soul.

The best part of this “décor” book is that he doesn’t even try to portray himself as an interior designer.  (What?  A décor book written by a non-interior design professional?  Gasp! )  He’s just a practical guy with some good ideas, and good friends with equally good ideas; for how to decorate a tiny space. 

I was so inspired by this idea, I already bought these magnetic containers!

First off, there are lots of pictures taken from a variety of settings, not just Tiny Houses.  I guess I expected that.  But what I didn’t expect was his keen emphasis on color and how it influences our mood and behaviors.  Yeah.  I know.  Who’d thunk?

The book is only 46 pages so for the instantaneous-gratification-nut in you, it’s perfect.  He has pulled together advice from other tiny space experts like Deek Diedricksen as well as featured high end ideas (read: expensive) alongside IKEA inspired storage solutions. 

Love vintage?  He’s got you covered.

On a budget?  He has ideas for how to re-purpose things you already have.

Are you a minimalist?  He’s got a place for everything! (and shows everything in its place!)

So, in a nutshell, buy Andrew’s book.  He’s a nice guy.  It’s a great book.  You can find it on his website tinyrevolution.us; under the heading of “Store”.  (ie…where you buy stuff, not where you put it.) 

Did I mention that his book costs less than a Venti’ Frappuccino?

It won’t decorate your house for you, but may inspire you with some great ideas to do it yourself. 

And, if not, I have an expensive Interior Design friend I can introduce you to….