Tiny house owner and musician Ella Jenkins brings to mind a few of the standard adjectives that come with the idea of moving into a home that measures a mere 130 square feet. She is quirky, eclectic, adventurous, independent and articulate about her decision to live in a home she can move from place to place with the help of a pickup truck. She describes herself as “scatterbrained,” but there is a cool-handed method to her madness, as her very personable blog reveals.
The angst behind Jenkins' decision to go small is familiar to the tiny house movement. Jenkins, who plays the Scottish harp, was hovering over a decision to trudge to a nine-to-five job (if she could find one) in order to flail, from week to week, at earning enough for a $1,000 per month apartment and all the vanities that come with that. Instead, while surfing online, she became infatuated with a video of a man who was living in an 89-square-foot room.
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The rest, as they say, is history. Jenkins took the plunge, sending away for Tumbleweed Tiny House Company's plans for a modified Cypress -18 tiny abode that could be built on a trailer. It would be 13'2” high from the ground, cute as a Scottish tea cup, and force decisions that squirrels might confront when packing their home for the winter. In her blog, however, she says that she tries to remember the lack of space for her home is the same thing as having too much stuff, which calms her nerves about living small. But let's look at her house. It has the same personality as Jenkins has. You're bound to like it.
The quirky corner post looks to be more decorative than functional, but it immediately tells you that this homeowner embraces nature's own beauty and likes to go with the flow.
It's a small yellow door, but it's bright and cheerful. The great front window with a sky-blue frame is also delightful.
The space downstairs -- often called "the big room" in the tiny house community -- is functional and open. Each window has carefully chosen curtains. The seating area looks like a great place to work with the laptop.
There is also a very useful storage loft above the seating nook, which is surprisingly uncluttered. However, it's clear that Jenkins likes to keep the loft window unblocked to allow that dash of sunlight to light up the ceiling.
The reverse view shows the bedroom loft above the kitchen. The gold-colored ceiling lamp fits well with this natural color scheme. You can also see lots of little storage spaces in this shot. There are the kitchen cabinets and the shelves on the near side (left in photo) wall. But there's also a hanging basket above the window, a tiny corner shelf and a row of hooks that are currently keeping three pans within reach.
Above is a detail of the bathroom, which is full of endearing touches, including the brass portal mirror and the branch that is perfect for hanging necklaces and earrings.
And here's a wider-angled look at the bathroom. The water tub on the right is just the right size for a shower.
Below is storage space under the bedroom loft. Surely, you can see where living in a tiny house means re-orienting your thinking from "my space is too small" to "I have too much stuff." Once you train yourself to accept the second of those paradigms, you can enjoy what you have, instead of yearning for a larger home.
Jenkins says she works as a street musician and takes odd jobs when she needs to. In the meantime, her life is an adventure, as the photo below clearly shows.
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