The last time people were building their own 450 square foot homes by hand as a regular thing, the Civil War was a recent memory.
But the Tiny House movement is proving once again that everything old can be new again. Ron and Sue of Millersburg, Ohio are hoping a whole lot more people will catch on.
Traditional gabled roofline and shingled siding give this cottage a homey look.
Their motto is, “Live Small to Have It All” and they self identify as “Old, idealistic farmers, fresh out of youth,” but you’d never know it to see the lively cottage they now call home. They’ve been married for 29 years and in those (nearly) three decades the largest place they have ever called home was still well under a thousand square feet.
The kitchen, with its reclaimed Coca-Cola signage cabinet doors.
Their bright, retro cottage is filled with charm, which is probably where it got the nickname, “Storybook Cottage”. With high peaked gable roofs, and a shingle sided exterior with a cheery green finish, their home features traditional, hand-wrought construction.
This painted side board adds more kitchen storage.
Advertising art and reclaimed lumber and artifacts form a homey, hodgepodge interior.
You can see their individualistic mindset shine through in the decor.
The couple sees themselves as a part of a movement towards “rational habitation” instead of the move that has us building our average homes in many communities at over 3,000 square feet.
The stairs feature some beautiful reclaimed materials.
From the tiny, vintage four burner stove to the painted, Shaker-style sideboard, every piece to their home has been chosen with care.
Rather than bright “pops” of color favored by many modern designers, they have chosen to bring cheer and warmth to every corner in an array from mint green to bright red.
The attic bedroom with a headboard built into a gabled window.
With lots of vintage patina and natural wood, from pine floors, to board paneled ceilings, the cottage is unique all the way to the peak, where the couple’s double bed has its headboard built into a dormer window to make the best use of the space.
