The Minimalistic Living

Gudaba Shrestha

Over the years, people have complained about the lack of space to live in. The ones occupying the upper rung of the socio economic ladder are hardly satisfied with a single large property and go on acquiring more, while the ones not so fortunate get pushed aside and are forced to live in cooped up spaces. This startling difference in property space led to the emergence of slums in many places of the world, especially in the third world countries. Not only are slums extremely uncomfortable to live in , keeping in mind the size, but also in terms of lifestyle.

Dharavi slum in Mumbai, India

In 1997, Tiny Houses came into the picture and have been a rage ever since. Even before this ,people had lived in caravans and trailers. However, with the Tiny House movement, minimalistic living suddenly started appealing to the masses. In the present scenario, even the ones economically well off are welcoming the concept of tiny homes for living, recreation or otherwise.

Modern day Tiny Houses are well equipped with most modern amenities and caters to the individual needs of the client. If the Tiny House is on wheels, it can go off the grid by not staying connected to the main power supply. A trailer often seems to be the best choice for constructing a Tiny House, complete with a kitchen, bathroom, living area and a bedroom in the loft. With better planning, one can construct two lofts in a Tiny House, thus,improving the usage of space.

Ideally, a tiny house is meant to accommodate not more than two people,there have been instances of smart planning helping successfully accommodate five people , including children in one house.

A lot of people may wonder about the storage offered by these houses , and it turns out to be pretty decent. Lack of space has caused designers to toss traditional furniture out of the window , replacing it with more functional ones. The stairs are not merely stairs but become drawers and shelves , the dining table does not need four legs to stand on and dead space is used in the most effective way possible. People are often ditching beds for futons which occupy less space and are portable.

Tiny Houses are great investment for those consumed by wanderlust. They happen to be cost effective with very less power consumption , therefore cutting costs manifold. The houses are long lasting and often low on maintenance, thus making it a better choice compared to average non-mobile houses. A Tiny house on trailer provides the freedom to move around freely with parking, energy and water supply being the only practical requirements.

A tiny house.

Multi functional staircase in a Tiny House.

Thus, with the rising hassles of acquiring a non-movable residential property, Tiny Houses provide an easy alternative for those who have a low budget. It could even be a possible solution for homelessness and unhygienic slum dwelling. However, the technological advancement and change in mindset required for the tiny house movement in third world countries makes it a tiresome task.