Samira Kafala for BI
Before I first set foot inside a tiny home, I assumed people only lived in them out of necessity. I had imagined they were a last resort for people priced out of traditional housing.
I began to question my assumption, however, during the three days in February I spent visiting Dutch tiny-home villages.
The villages are three of five sites across the southern Netherlands run by the Minitopia Foundation, which works with local municipalities to transform derelict land into tiny-home communities. I visited Eindhoven, the largest of Minitopia's sites with space for 100 homes; the original site in 's-Hertogenbosch; and a smaller village in Valkenswaard.
The people I met in these communities came from all walks of life: young couples to divorcees, retirees to families with small children. Many had chosen to go tiny, not because they had to, but because they wanted to.
Samira Kafala for BI
For some, it made financial sense. One family said they could work less and save more without having to sink most of their income into a mortgage. A retired woman described feeling liberated by living mortgage-free in her 60s. And a couple in their 30s told me they created a pitch deck to convince their parents that tiny home living was a great idea. In their minds, building a tiny home of their own — using ChatGPT, no less — would help them achieve financial autonomy.
Others said tiny-home living fit their lifestyle, like a single dad who said it gave his son a freedom-filled childhood and a divorced woman who said she loved how easy it was to make friends.
Tiny homes, I learned, aren't just a last resort. For many, they represent a rejection of the bigger-is-better mindset and a belief that less space can equal more freedom.
This series explores why people are choosing tiny homes, what they gain, what they give up, and whether living smaller delivers on its promise.