Take a Tour of a Truly Lived-In Tiny Home With Stand-Up Bedrooms, Office and a Big Kitchen

But while it's interesting to see how builders manage to use space in clever ways to make small spaces live larger and appeal to tiny living enthusiasts, brand-new show homes often seem lifeless and sterile, so a firsthand account of what living in a tiny house is really like is always welcome.

In this piece, we'll take a tour of Tia's gorgeous tiny home, which she shares with her dog, Tramp, and cat, Clover. This is a compact dwelling with two bedrooms, a small lounge, a huge kitchen, a home office, and a full bathroom. It was custom-built for Tia by Texas-based Indigo River Tiny Homes and cost about $170,000. That might seem like a steep price for a tiny home for a single woman, but Tia wanted the home to be tailored specifically to her needs. She wanted a space that would allow room for growth, that's why she chose a three-bedroom unit, and also opted for solar power and extra windows, which added to the final cost.

Before fully embracing tiny living, Tia lived in various apartments, but she wanted a space to call her own. She became interested in the tiny house movement around 2012 and spent ten years doing research, drawing plans, and figuring out if it was a lifestyle that would fit her needs and personality.

Today, she is living in her luxury tiny home in Namastay Hideaway, a tiny living community in Van Alstyne, Texas, and she's happy she finally took the leap. She pays $550 for the lease, which includes water, sewer, and trash, and she pays extra for electricity and Wi-Fi. Her tiny home is beautiful, comfortable, and functional, and she made it feel her own with little touches and special features, such as a spacious front deck, a large flip-up bar window, extra wardrobes, a shelf full of potted plants, and more.

Tia's tiny home sits on a quad-axle trailer, is 36 feet long, 8.5 feet wide, and 13.6 feet high, and we've actually covered it before. You can check out the builder's tour of the empty house in our previous article and then come back and see how different it looks now when it's lived in.

It boasts a modern exterior with Smartside siding and cedar accents and has two large storage sheds, one up front, where Tia keeps the water heater and water filtration system, and one at the back, which stores the components for her solar system. She recently added a huge front deck that greatly expands the living space and allows her to spend more time outside. A fold-up bar table next to a large pass-through window turns it into the perfect setting for hosting parties or family gatherings.

Inside the house, you're welcome by a cozy and energetic atmosphere. Tia decorated the house with wall art, potted plants, books, and other decorative items that truly make it feel lived-in. The combination of white walls, timber-clad ceilings, and teal cabinetry give it a lively vibe, while the abundance of windows ensures the owner can truly feel connected with her surroundings.

The ground floor comprises a compact lounge that Tia furnished with a small two-seat sofa that turns into a twin bed for guests, a spacious kitchen that acts as the heart of the home, a flex room that Tia uses as her home office, and a large bathroom with everything you usually find in a normal house, including a bathtub and a washer/dryer unit.

The kitchen features custom-built cabinets with plenty of cupboards, drawers, and toe-kick drawers that offer storage for all her kitchen utensils and is equipped with full-size appliances that enable her to cook her favorite meals. A pantry is also included beneath the staircase, and several open shelves add extra storage space.

Tia used the catwalk that runs the full length of the kitchen to display all her houseplants, which bring a real touch of nature to the place. For dining, there is a two-piece fold-down table with two sleek stools next to the large flip-up window overlooking the surroundings.

As mentioned, this tiny home has two bedrooms. They occupy the lofted areas and offer full standing height. This is an aspect that was very important to Tia, as she didn't want to have to crawl into a small loft to go to bed.

Despite being in a tiny house, Tia's bedroom has considerable space. It is accessed via the storage-integrated staircase and is fitted with a large bed with an L-shaped landing, two large wardrobes, and a window seat with storage. Large windows and a huge wall-mounted mirror enhance the feeling of spaciousness. The mirror, in particular, is a nice addition you don't usually find in a tiny home.

The guest bedroom at the other end of the house is also large enough for a queen-size bed and a wardrobe and is mainly used by Clover, Tia's cat. Beneath it is a flex room that Tia uses as her office when she works from home. It has a big standing desk, a wardrobe, and an extra storage unit with open shelves. It is also a pet room, as Tramp and Clover's food bowls and toys are scattered on the floor.

Reflecting on the changes that tiny living has brought into her life, Tia says that it simplified her life, encouraged her to do more outdoor activities, be more active, and basically live more intentionally.