Tips and Best Ideas to Decorate your Tiny House

Tips and ideas to decorate your tiny house. Photo: Best Tiny Cabins

Choosing to live in a tiny home comes with a lot of benefits. Aside from the fact that tiny homes are trending, this style of living comes with fewer and/or smaller bills, which can significantly free up your bank account.

However, tiny home living also requires making some sacrifices. By definition, you can’t expect to have the same amount of room or storage in a tiny home. If designed improperly, a tiny home can feel closed off or claustrophobic.

Check out some of our top tiny house decorating ideas to make any tiny home feel larger than life.

6 Tips To Successfully Decorating a Tiny House

1. Put function first

In a tiny home, there’s so little space to work with that it’s especially easy for your design to become muddled. Having too many items in that small amount of square footage can result in things getting cluttered fast. There’s a risk of losing your design in the midst of it all. With that in mind, you need to take extra steps to ensure your intent stays clear. You can do that by putting function first in your design, according to My Move.

When we say “put function first,” we mean “let furniture carry the room.” While every space needs aesthetic touches, those should take a back seat to essential items like a sofa, table or bed frame. Get those in place first. In an ideal world, the purpose of each distinct functional area of your home will be clear with just a glance.

For an example of what we mean, look at the picture above. Notice how it’s very pared down. Yet, thanks to the furniture and directional visual cues, you can clearly tell that there’s meant to be a work area that’s separate from the main living space.

2. Choose items that do double-duty

Photo: Mansion Global

Since you only have a limited number of items to work with within a tiny house, you need to choose them carefully. Here, your focus should be on what kind of value they add to space. Is it functional value? Is it aesthetic value? Or is it both? Ideally, when you’re designing a tiny house, each piece that you bring into your home will offer both.

As for how to pull this off, it’s all about going bold with style. Choose items that have bold colors, patterns and textures.

3. Get creative with storage

The biggest challenge when it comes to setting up a tiny home is finding enough storage. While you undoubtedly decluttered before moving in, there will likely be many things leftover for which you need to find a home. While standard storage options like closets and cabinets will undoubtedly be necessary, you’re going to need to get a little creative and include storage options in unexpected places.

To do this, go over every inch of your tiny house with storage in mind. Challenge yourself to think of a way to add storage everywhere, whether it’s adding under-mount storage to an existing piece of furniture or bringing in more shelving. You don’t have to utilize all your ideas but, the odds are, you’ll be glad for any added functionality.

4. Do Use a Lighter Color Palette

Another one of the best tiny house decorating ideas urges you to keep everything light and bright. The darker space, the more closed off it feels. When designing your home, remember to use light colors to make your home feel bigger and more open.

5. Do Scale-Up in a Tiny House

Photo: Tiny House Listings Canada

When it comes to decorating your tiny house or small space, less is more, says Apartment Therapy.

“In a small space, I almost always find that having a single, larger statement item on display instead of several smaller options is usually more attractive,” says Whitney Leigh Morris, author and founder of The Tiny Canal Cottage. “It reduces visual clutter, and keeps an area looking airy and open.”

Instead of showing off a set of six wine glasses on your kitchen counter, Morris recommends opting to display a carafe or decanter, then organize the glasses within a cabinet.

6. Don’t forget accessories

Lastly, we know that when you’re living in a tiny house, you can spend so much time figuring out how to make the space work for you that you completely forget about the traditional elements of design. However, we’re here to remind you that they’re important – and accessories can help. After all, that’s how you infuse your personality into space and make it feel like home.

Creative Design & Decor Ideas

Decorate with Plants

Photo: Apartment Therapy

Plants are a much-needed staple of tiny home decor! Hang greenery from the ceiling, mount plants on the wall, or place succulents in otherwise unused areas to add pops of color and keep the air fresh, notes Extra Space. This is also a great way to start an indoor herb garden!

Opt for Natural Accents

For some people, environmental sustainability is what draws them toward tiny home living. If that’s the case for you, try to use as many reclaimed or refurbished items as possible. From treating and staining salvaged wood for countertops, flooring, and stools to adding textures to walls with shiplap, look for creative ways to reduce and reuse building materials!

Fold-Away Furniture

One of the most important tiny house decorating ideas is using fold-away furniture items. In tiny home living, you need to pack as much functional furniture into the home as possible without constantly intruding on the limited floor space, Decorology Blog cites.

For example, things like dining tables, beds, and chairs should have the option of being folded and tucked away. This is especially important in the common rooms.

Include Small Patterns & Pops of Color

Photo: Extra Space Storage

A key tiny house decorating idea is to mix it up. Although you don’t want to have too many competing patterns and colors, don’t miss an opportunity to show off your personal style. A fun backsplash in the kitchen, a bright accent wall in the living room, or unexpected tile in the shower are all ways to get experimental with design without going overboard.

Install French Doors

Because natural light is one of the easiest ways to expand small spaces, installing French doors is a tiny house interior design tip that’s sure to open up any layout. Whether your decor is rustic chic or minimalist, there are double doors to match any decorating style, if you’re willing to shop around!

Add Skylights

Photo: Strongguard

Shed even more light on your stunning tiny house decor by installing skylights! This is one simple way to bring the outdoors in and increase natural light during the day. Not to mention, skylights will give you incredible views of the starry night skies!

Include Ladders

An excellent tiny house interior idea is to install ladders instead of steps! This is especially popular in extremely small homes where stairs would take up too much space. Not only do ladders give you access to a loft or storage space, but they can add a touch of rustic or industrial style as well.

Build a Mesh Loft

Living in a tiny home with kids? If you’re worried about them not having enough room to roam, consider transforming some available vertical space into a playroom with a mesh loft, which can also double as a fun spot for nap time or reading!

Miniature Appliances

If you’re trying to live small, your appliances should also take up less square footage. Opting for compact refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, microwaves, and coffeemakers are tiny home kitchen ideas that save space and money! Combined washer-dryers are another awesome way to keep hefty appliances from cutting into living and storage areas.