tabitha redder/managing editor
A small movement across the country is taking minimalism to an entirely new level and making a big statement.
“Tiny homes” are increasing in popularity and more people are downsizing their living spaces to reduce financial needs, to have the freedom to relocate as they please or just to simplify their messy, cluttered lives.
It’s interesting that the average home size in the U.S. has increased from 1,400 square feet in 1970 to 2,700 square feet in 2009, yet the average size of a household has decreased.
These tiny homes are usually smaller than 500 square feet, many around 100 square feet, which sounds uninhabitable, but thousands are jumping on this bandwagon. Not just single households either. Families, too.
Even if this lifestyle doesn’t seem appealing, followers of this trend make a few respectable points.
Living in a smaller space leaves less opportunity to accumulate unnecessary possessions, so these people truly value everything they own. They keep only what they absolutely need.
This simplistic lifestyle sheds light on America’s consumerism. Americans want more things, bigger things, new things, and they want them all the time.
People are never satisfied. But in a tiny home, people appreciate the few belongings they have.
This micro-movement is innovative for our culture, even a bit quirky, but it isn’t a revolutionary idea across the globe.
The average home size in Sweden is 839 square feet, 646 square feet in China and 614 square feet in Russia. These statistics aren’t for tiny homes there. These are average home sizes.
While small houses generally equate to cheaper building and maintenance costs, they don’t look cheap. Some of these tiny homes surprisingly are aesthetically pleasing.
But some of them are expensive. While one could argue an expensive tiny home would contradict the idea of a tiny home, it’s not conflicting with the essence. A tiny home leads to a simpler life.
According to USA Today, the nation’s first “tiny house-friendly” town is in Spur, a town in the Texas panhandle. The town’s city council passed a resolution in July that allows homes smaller than 500 square feet to settle anywhere within its borders.
At the very least, this movement is thought-provoking and creates an urge to re-evaluate what one thinks is a necessity in life.
