15 Genius Tiny House Ideas That Make Your Space Feel TWICE as Big (2024)

Small homes often require big ideas, especially when it comes to design and organizational solutions that will contribute to the functionality of a petite space. From furniture that pulls double-duty to creative decor that gives the illusion of higher ceilings, there are plenty of tiny house interior design ideas that homeowners can rely on to live larger—and more stylishly—than their square footage implies.

Whether you call an RV, a remote cabin, or a prefab house your home sweet home, we've found a design solution for you. Below, we're rounding up 15 tiny house interior design ideas that small-home dwellers can steal for their own spaces. The best part? They're not just suited to the under-400-square-foot-set—many of these solutions are suitable to any size home, so long as style and function are your focus (and really, when are they not?).

Store Things in Unexpected Spaces

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When space is at a premium, you have to look for storage opportunities wherever you can get them. Sometimes, creative locations—like under the stairs or above the toilet—can offer a surprising amount of hidden square footage that can easily be converted into usable storage space. In this tiny house interior design idea, a recessed coat closet is hidden beneath the stairs and behind molding for a sneaky spot to store seasonal attire.

Wall-Mount Your Furniture

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One surefire way to make a room feel less crowded? Take the furniture off the floor! Wall-mounted pieces are beautiful in homes of any size, but they can be particularly useful in tiny house interior design ideas, where they work well to free up floor space and improve the overall flow of a room. Lovers of midcentury modern design are especially in luck, as many floating designs—like the desk in this room by designer Tariq Dixon—skew toward that design era.

Consider an Unconventional Layout

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There is no designing "by the book" when it comes to a tiny house, and each petite structure needs to be approached with a creative eye and a penchant for throwing the rule book out the window. Often, utilizing the space in a tiny home means considering an unconventional layout, like a combo dining table-meets-bed in the middle of the kitchen or, in the case of this Chauncey Boothby–designed powder room, a round mirror hung atop a half-window.

Skip Design Mainstays

Speaking of rules, none state that your kitchen has to have an island or your bedroom must tout two nightstands. If your space calls for a different solution, consider this tiny house interior design idea your permission to embrace it. In the snug apartment above, the team behind The Brooklyn Home Company swapped a traditional kitchen island for a more flexible piece made from reclaimed wood. The result is a visually airy spot that's ideal for prepping dinner, pulling up a chair to WFH, or enjoying an intimate at-home date night.

Keep Your Color Palette Tight

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One way to make a small space look larger is to cut down on visual clutter, and that can be pretty hard to do with every hue of ROYGBIV represented in 500 square feet. To keep things simple and streamlined, choose a tight palette of four to five hues—like the selection of blues and whites picked by Brian Patrick Flynn above—and repeat them throughout the space for a cohesive scheme that steers clear of looking visually overwhelming.

Live the Loft Life

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There's a reason loft beds are so often seen in tiny homes—this tiny house interior design idea is a genius use of space. Not only do they give dwellers a more secluded place to snooze (great if you're crammed into a few hundred square feet with your entire family) but they also free up the floor space beneath for a larger kitchen, eat-in dining nook, dedicated workspace, or whatever your tiny home floor plan is missing.

Maximize Natural Light

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Any designer will tell you that natural light is king, whether you're dealing with 150 square feet or 15,000 square feet. Approach every room in your tiny house with the intent of maximizing the natural light in the space, from orienting the furniture to picking finishes. A prime example: In this snug kitchen, designer Kerri Pilchik opted for high-gloss white cabinetry to bounce light from the room's singular window around the space.

Make Your Appliances Mini

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Bigger is not always better, especially when it comes to the finishes and fixtures you choose for your tiny house interior design ideas. It used to be that going small with your appliances also meant sacrificing quality, but these days, that couldn't be further from the truth. Whether you downsize your fridge or opt for a single-burner electric cooktop, you can enjoy the same craftsmanship and functionality in a petite form that works better for your home.

Transform After Dark

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Life in a tiny home often calls for rooms (and furniture) that pull double or even triple duty. To pull the design equivalent of a magic trick, swap a traditional bed frame for a Murphy bed, which folds out from the wall—often out of a bookcase or shelving unit—to transform an office or living room by day into a bedroom by night. This out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach will grant you all the functionality you need without sacrificing the square footage also needed for something else.

Install Sliding Doors

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Certain structural aspects of a home can take up a deceptive amount of space. One common culprit? Traditional swing doors. The radius you need to open a door from one room to another means less square footage you have for furniture. Instead, swap in a sliding door (also often referred to as a barn door) or pocket door. This tiny house interior design idea will allow you to still close off a space for privacy while maximizing your available square footage. Bonus: They add a stylish upgrade, too!

Make the Most of Small Moments

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A tiny house means fewer design opportunities, so it's important to make magic wherever you can. A jewel-box powder room? Yes, please. An office nook with floor-to-ceiling artwork? Go for it. A laundry closet with stunning wallpaper, a la Cameron Ruppert Interiors? Couldn't love it more. Your design taste doesn't have to live small just because your home does.

Skip Upper Cabinetry

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In the battle between organization and airiness, a more-is-more attitude doesn't always apply—at least in a tiny home. While there's always a need for more storage, typical solutions, like upper cabinetry in a kitchen, need not always apply. The reason? They're heavier visually, which can make your home feel even smaller as a result. Instead, skip the upper cabinetry, let your kitchen breathe, and find somewhere else to stash your beloved mug collection.

Hide Your Ugliest Stuff

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Living in a tiny home means that almost all of your stuff is on display all the time...and that can be a little daunting. Everything is within your sightline, from your cleaning supplies to your comic collection. So much exposure requires creative solutions—organization, yes, but also clever ways to tuck things away in a pinch. In this tiny house interior design idea, you can install fabric to cover open shelving or surround a useful nook to add a bit of softness and a lot of function.

Add a Storage Bench

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In the world of double-duty furniture, benches reign supreme as a great way to marry style with storage. Often seen in the kitchens, breakfast nooks, or entryways of small homes, storage benches offer a bonus way to keep unsightly essentials (think: extra dishware, hosting supplies, or even tech gear) out of the way until you need them.

Rethink Traditional Storage Options

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There's nothing wrong with traditional storage solutions, but in a small home where you get so few design opportunities, it makes sense to look for an organizational option that's as pretty as it is practical. An offbeat item, like a bar cabinet—seen above in a home by Kate Marker—can boast a higher style quotient and still provide plenty of storage space for your dishware, cleaning supplies, or other odds and ends.

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Alyssa Longobucco

Contributing Writer

Alyssa Longobucco is a freelance writer, editor, and stylist with a background in interior and lifestyle content. Her work helps readers digest design trends and provides actionable expert advice for creating a home they love. She has over a decade of experience in the media industry, and her work has appeared in Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, SELF, Apartment Therapy, The Knot, Domino, HGTV Magazine, Country Living, and more. Alyssa holds a BA in Journalism and Public Relations from Marist College and interior design certifications from NYIAD and RIDQC.

15 Genius Tiny House Ideas That Make Your Space Feel TWICE as Big (2024)
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