While houses are getting bigger—by about 1,000 square feet over the past 50 years alone in the United States—countless homeowners are learning to live large by thinking small. Even without massive square footage to work with, these tiny houses prove that it doesn't take a lot of space to infuse a home with a lot of style. So read on to discover 50 tiny homes so charming you might just find yourself suddenly itching to downsize.
1 | This Maine masterpiece
Instagram/kylefinndempseyIf you ever wanted to live in your tree house as a child, this snow-covered home in Georgetown, Maine, from Seguin Tree Dwellings, could just make that dream a reality.
2 | This Croatian barrel house
Shutterstock/flocuIt may be cask-shaped, but this adorable tiny house in the Croatian countryside, complete with circular doors and windows, is anything but a bottom-of-the-barrel tiny home.
3 | This French waterfront home
Instagram/@latinyhouseWith a wood-lined frame, bright blue siding, large windows, and a set of wheels ready to hit the road, this French tiny home can take you all the places you’ve ever dreamed of going.
4 | This North Carolina tiny house
Instagram/@moderntinylivingThis Rocky Point, North Carolina, tiny house, dubbed the “Rocky,” has all the style you’d expect from a full-sized house, including butcher block counters, a farmhouse sink, stainless steel hardware, drop-down storage, and a ductless mini-split cooling system, but without the square footage—this stunner is just 20 feet long.
5 | This forest escape
Shutterstock/PPAIf you’ve ever wanted to really get away from it all, this forest-nestled house—complete with a spacious front porch—is about as off the grid as it gets.
6 | This tiny home in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Shutterstock/ James Aloysius Mahan VSmall in size but big on charm, the porch on this Blue Ridge Mountain tiny house is the perfect place to kick back with a glass of wine on a hot summer night and look at the stars.
7 | This off-the-grid house
Shutterstock/Ariel Celeste PhotographyThere’s nothing like a few plants to make the exterior of this off-the-grid gray tiny house feel bright and cheery.
8 | This well-appointed Ohio home
Instagram@tatjanabecijosWho says tiny living means skimping on amenities? This Ohio tiny house has a mini-split to stay cool in the summer, built-in shelving to hide all those items you can’t bear to part with, and it even has something most full-sized apartments don’t: a washing machine.
9 | This Dutch delight
Shutterstock/www.hollandfoto.netWhy even buy lamps when the glass front of this Almere, Netherlands, home is flooded with sunlight all day long?
10 | This Vancouver Island vision
Instagram/@westcoasttinyhomeWhile some tiny homes skimp on kitchen space, this stunning Vancouver Island tiny home has a true chef’s kitchen, including ample cabinet space, a full farmhouse sink, and something you won’t find in most tiny houses: a full-sized fridge.
11 | This slanted stunner
Shutterstock/inrainbowsWho needs city life when you’ve got these snow-capped mountain views—and plenty of windows to enjoy them from?
12 | This two-story tiny house
Instagram/tinyhousebasicsCouple Joshua and Shelley Engberg have become masters of tiny home design, as evidenced by this adorable home. At 374 square feet, this two-story house—complete with a pass-through to the outdoors—has more than enough space for a couple, family, or just a fun weekend away with friends.
13 | This Austin, Texas, retreat
Instagram/@villagefarmaustinTiny houses may have a small footprint, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they feel cramped inside. Case in point: This adorable home at Village Farm Austin, which is outfitted with shiplap walls, wood plank ceilings, and French doors that open onto a spacious private deck, making this petite house feel positively palatial. (Side note: That six-string is regular-sized.) And if you'd like to make the most of your space, here are 20 Amazing Ways to Brighten Your Home.
14 | This snowy getaway
Instagram/ravenhouse.getawayEven if you can’t stand winter, how could you not love cozying up in this adorable cabin in Leeds and the Thousand Islands, watching the snow fall from this A-frame’s oversized skylight?
15 | This adorable a-frame
Instagram/szetoszetoThis low, Quebec A-frame home has everything you want from a weekend getaway and more—it even has a rock wall inside.
16 | This rounded retreat
Shutterstock/www.hollandfoto.netThis tiny home made from a camper in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, feels anything but cramped, thanks in no small part to its ingenious two-seater front porch.
17 | This Oregon escape
Instagram/californiatinyhouseNo siding? No problem. This all-wood house in Bend, Oregon, is cozy on the inside, but has more than enough room to host guests on its spacious deck.
18 | This tiny home on Mount Hood
Instagram/mthoodtinyhouseThe Instagram-approved version of a log cabin, this 261-square-foot tiny home and its peaked metal roof are perfect for listening to the rain fall at night.
19 | This Minnesota cabin
Instagram/@weecabinsIf you’re ever looking for a secluded place to escape to, look no further than this quaint and cozy cabin from Wee Cabins in Ely, Minnesota, perfect for putting the finishing touches on that manuscript or just some serious downtime.
20 | This reimagined shipping container
Instagram/KontextureYou’ll never look at a shipping container the same way after seeing this stunning shipping container house in Phoenix, Arizona, that looks like something straight out of a design magazine.
21 | This hygge hideaway
Shutterstock/ingehogenbijlHygge may be a Danish concept, but we can definitely see ourselves holing up for the winter and decompressing at this home in the Netherlands.
22 | This traveling home
Instagram/@jayThe best part about this light-filled tiny home? Set on wheels, this house allows its inhabitants to live anywhere their car can take them.
23 | This redesigned school bus
Instagram/wilddrivelifeThis reimagined school bus bears no traces of its former life, instead creating a cozy home complete with a wood stove, captain’s bed, reading nook, dining area, and plenty of space for its happy canine inhabitant to roam.
24 | This amazing Alaskan home
Shutterstock/ron99Snow? What snow? This Alaskan wooden tiny house feels springlike all year round, thanks to the addition of window planters and a front porch.
25 | This A-frame in the trees
Instagram/@treehouseaframeIf you’ve ever dreamed of living in the clouds, this Shasta Lake, California A-frame is about as heavenly as treehouses get.
26 | This Australian getaway
Instagram/allaboutme.jpgSmall square footage doesn’t have to mean a cramped feel, as evidenced by this light-filled home in Oberton, New South Wales. It's outfitted with enormous windows, a loft bed, and both a mini-split and ceiling fan for those hot Australian summers.
27 | This repurposed barn and stable
Instagram/ryancullinen_designbuild"Reduce, reuse, recycle" doesn’t just apply to bottles and cans. This adorable tiny home, designed by Ryan Cullinen, is made from a repurposed hay barn and stables, and comes complete with an outdoor dining room, outdoor shower, and raised beds made from old troughs.
28 | This sweet South Carolina home
Instagram/creekwalktinyhomesLake houses don’t need to have massive square footage to be relaxing retreats, as evidenced by this petite piece of paradise in Travelers Rest, South Carolina.
29 | This multi-story mobile house
Instagram/@backcountrytinyhomesIt may have two porches and a roof deck, but make no mistake: This tiny house on wheels just requires a hook-up to your truck to hit the road.
30 | This Austin home
With its asymmetrical roof lines, two types of siding, and mix of oversized and undersized windows, this tiny house in Austin brings new meaning to “keep Austin weird.”
31 | This Canadian cube house
Alamy/All Canada PhotosAll it takes is a little space to live large, as evidenced by this adorable cube house, complete with an equally-sized front porch and cherry red front door, in Canada.
32 | This geodesic dome
Shutterstock/ James Aloysius Mahan VIf you’re looking for a space that’s even wilder than your average tiny house, this geodesic dome in the Blue Ridge Mountains certainly fits the bill.
33 | This forest house in Fernwood Hills
Instagram/@fernwoodhillsDeep in the forest in London, Ontario, staying in this tiny house is about as close as you can get to sleeping outdoors without getting frostbite.
34 | This round-roofed space
Instagram/@jennifergray1With a rounded roof, double front doors, and adorable landscaping, what this tiny house lacks in square footage, it more than makes up for in charm.
35 | This Norwegian retreat
Instagram/@daysofmrgrayWhile the footprint of this main house in Telemark, Norway, is undeniably tiny, its outdoor staircases and oversized windows make it feel anything but.
36 | This charming cabin
Instagram/@kari_c00perLocated in Mount Hood National Forest, The Roost Cabin, as this house is known, serves up tons of vintage style, from its charmingly-worn siding to the antique chairs out front.
37 | This stylish single-story home
Instagram/@hillsidecountryhomeWith three sets of French doors and a spacious pergola, indoor-outdoor living never looked so good.
38 | This modern log cabin
Instagram/@modernlogThis fresh, tiny take on a traditional log cabin in Gangwon-do, South Korea, looks like just about the coziest place to wake up on a winter morning.
39 | This Welsh wonder
Instagram/@underthethatchOn the outskirts of Narberth, West Wales, this tin cabin’s gingerbread front porch serves up plenty of Victorian-inspired charm.
40 | This repurposed shed
Instagram/@shed_tinyhouseThis tiny house is so stylish and welcoming it’s hard to believe it was once little more than a garden shed.
41 | This light-flooded space
With tons of windows and a set of French doors flooding it with light, this tiny house is the perfect place to curl up with a good book on a warm summer day.
42 | This stylish shipping container home
Instagram/@steelboxcoMade from an upcycled shipping container, this adorable tiny home is nothing if not charming.
43 | This New Hampshire beauty
Instagram/@tuxburytinyhouseA lot of wood and a lot of windows combine to make this tiny home, part of the Tuxbury Tiny House Village, a charming place to get away from it all.
44 | This small space with oversized windows
Alamy/Lars SpangenbergWith nothing but windows and a wood-paneled interior, every square inch of this tiny house exudes charm.
45 | This English escape
Shutterstock/Alicia G. MonederoAn itty-bitty space with tons of windows, this English tiny house has everything you could want from a weekend escape to the country.
46 | This petite guest house
Shutterstock/BondRocketImagesSheds are good for more than just storing tools—this modified one would be a welcome guest house for any overnight visitors.
47 | This New Zealand vision
Instagram/@housemenzTons of outdoor space, including planters and a deck, make this house feel so much bigger than its actual square footage.
48 | This brightly-colored beauty
Instagram/@matlachatinyvillageAs bright and cheery a house as you’ll find anywhere, this orange-and-green coastal retreat at Matlacha Tiny Village in Florida is the perfect place to kick back with a cocktail.
49 | This harvest home
Instagram/@harvestmoonhouseAll windows and wheels, this wood-encased tiny home, dubbed the Harvest Moon House, is the ideal spot to cozy up and wait out the winter.
50 | This classic charmer
Instagram/@shelterednookSmall square footage and major architectural charm combine to create a stunning getaway on the Oregon coast, complete with a miniature rocking chair front porch. And for the architectural flip side of tiny houses, here are 40 Crazy Facts About the World's Tallest Buildings.
To discover more amazing secrets about living your best life, click here to follow us on Instagram!