In June 2020, Bryce Langston and Rasa Pescud of Living Big In A Tiny House visited this tiny home in New Zealand—a dream sanctuary packed with clever design ideas and functionality in every space.
Shaye, the owner of this tiny home, designed it for her and her little girl, Hazel. She fell in love with the process after building her first tiny home several years ago and decided to create her own tiny house design-build business.
Shaye is also a professional diver and has had plenty of practice from previous builds. This tiny home was designed by Shaye’s mom, which makes it even more special.
Shaye wanted the home to be transportable at a height of 14x9x28ft. She envisions herself living in the house for many years, so she also future-proofed the home to allow for more children and a blended family.
Shaye took advantage of the parking spot and created a lovely veranda area that she and Hazel enjoy a lot. The home is made from ironclad and cedar. It’s a classic combination that looks great.
This tiny home’s rooftop garden is the highlight. Shaye is passionate about plants and wanted her home to blend in with the environment. She installed a living roof over the porch.
When you enter the home, your attention will immediately be drawn towards the plant wall to the left. This creates a stunning feature.
The large couch in the lounge area is complemented by the huge bi-folding doors that open the space to the outside.
The kitchen has an exquisite river table, a timber sink, a four-burner gas hob, a microwave oven, and a fridge—all of which are standard size. Mirrors make the shelf pantry seem larger than it really is.
The tiny house also has a spare room that can be used for future expansions. The couch can be pulled out to make a double bed. Shaye, Hazel and Hazel enjoy the spare room for watching movies on the computer.
The bathroom is super spacious and features a double vanity and a roll-out composting toilet, which is part of Shaye’s effort to hide all the “ugly stuff.”
The rooms upstairs have sliding doors and are joined by a walkway.
Hazel’s room has everything a kid would need, including a cute bed, storage for toys and trinkets, and a little desk for drawing.
Shaye is able to stand straight in the main bedroom. It has a lot storage. A mirror behind the bed creates an illusion of more depth and space. It also reflects the garden beyond.
Shaye and Hazel had lived in the tiny house for eight month when it was filming in June 2020.
“I thought there may be a bit of an adjustment getting back into tiny house living, but there hasn’t even been an adjustment,” she said. “It’s just been amazing. I’ve just felt so blessed that this is my home, and I love every part of it. It’s worked out better than I could have even hoped.”
See this tiny home in action in the video.
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