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With a small budget, an open mind, and perhaps a little help from your friends, there’s nothing stopping you from building your own tiny home.

After a forest fire destroyed their cabin in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Jeff Waldman and Molly Fiffer built a new retreat with salvaged, charred timber and a community of friends.

After - rear windows

Imagine waking up in a room with a stunning view, eating your breakfast on a terrace, walking to a secluded beach for a short dip in the ocean, then drinking wine near a private pool while watching the sunset. That is exactly what Casa Tiny offers to its guests, who can now rent it through Boutique Homes. The cozy house is located on the Oaxaca Coast in Mexico near Casa Wabi, an artists’ retreat founded by Mexican artist Bosco Sodi.

Surrounded by tall pines on a secluded Palos Verdes site, the Buff, Straub, & Hensman home is in almost entirely original condition.

The Tower House is made up of tiny houses, clustered at the southern end of the property and clad in white steel panels and western red cedar shingles. Spinning off the living room on the north side of the main house, the children’s study sits separate from the other pavilions. On its upper level, Oxley netting forms a web on which the kids and their friends can sit and read with views of the leafy street and garden.

Full of bohemian soul, the heritage neighborhood of Fitzroy in Melbourne is known as a real estate hot spot. But rather than capitalize on their block and exploit a vacant garden east of their property, the family of four who own King Bill decided to create a new pocket park to bring more greenery to the streetscape. When it came time to renovate their double-story terrace home, the owners sought out local studio Austin Maynard Architects—a firm known for its sustainable ethos—who incorporated the empty garden to the east, and an old stable at the rear, to the new floor plan. A large, curved, sliding wall separates the master bathroom from an open net lounge area above the study.

When Marieken Verheyen and Martin Hansen found a dilapidated vicarage after three years of searching for the right property, their friends warned them against purchasing it. Dating back to 1870, the farm—a home, barn, and two stables situated at the edge of a national park—featured overgrown gardens, derelict buildings, and haphazard repair work done by inexperienced builders. The artist couple from Amsterdam, however, were determined to realize their dream of creating a sustainable holiday destination that would celebrate simplicity and modern architecture. It took another three years for the couple to transform the complex into Re:hof Rutenberg. There are eight accommodations dotting the property in addition to a multipurpose barn, sauna, and farm shop. There are plenty of playful touches—a hammock hung between beams, accessible from the mezzanine, provides a sunny spot to lounge.

By merging typical Saigon architectural and stylistic details, architect Toan Nghiem of a21 Studio created a space that brings family together. Stacking roof layers, open flowering balconies, and an alleyway that serves as a living room, dining room, and outdoor playground are all filled with colorful, rich materials. Inside Saigon House, reclaimed and second-hand furniture lend history and spirit to the home. With so many small interior rooms and divisions between spaces, the addition of a net ceiling brings openness to the back alleyway, where the family often gathers to eat dinner. Not only does the net allow for ventilation and light, but it offers a place to play for the children, who love to climb and lounge above their parents.

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