Tiny houses in times of Corona

There is a lot that can be said about minimalism and the Tiny House movement, of course, and in general I’m very much on board with what both of those movements bring to the table. Minimalism is impressive in its stance to minimise the number of items in one’s household, and a tiny house has a lot of advantages over a regular flat or house.

Of course, they also have their drawbacks. Minimalism can easily come across as to the outsiders as having crossed a line and leaving behind comfort and variation and living in a tiny house can feel claustrophobic to those who aspire to live in wide and open spaces. I would assume that there are minimalists out there who would not want to live in a tiny house, as well as tiny house dwellers who are far from organised and minimalist.

Ultimately, it’s all down to perception and priorities. However, it appears that these days the priorities might have to undergo some revaluation for both minimalist lifestyles and especially tiny house living. The sheer fact that we are required to stay indoors and shun the direct contact with other people has a dramatic effect on these lifestyles.

Minimalists will still have their wide open spaces, but being confined to them and having to rely solely on the contents of their flats might have the potential to drive them to utter boredom. The idea of not having a lot of belongings beyond the absolutely necessary may be a disadvantage when it comes to finding variety and inspiration within the confines of your home. There simply are no surprises and fewer possible activities with fewer items to play with.

Keep in mind, I’m assuming things here, but I stand by those assumptions. I find myself using items I have not touched in a long time but now find to be very useful indeed. I’m tapping into the rather shallow depths of those two drawers containing ‘interesting’ materials and use them as creative outlets during my confinement at home. I daresay I have little stuff like that, but I’m thankful right now I have it.

When it comes to tiny houses, living in one of them comes with the assumption that there is a great big outdoors you can tap into when you need space. Of course, many tiny homes comes on wheels and may be located in the countryside, but many others are not: tiny houses can be found anywhere, and especially the inner city areas with expensive rental costs have attracted a lot of attention. Many small flats have been refurbished to a standard that is more akin to tiny houses and the attempt at ultimate functionality than what you may think.

All those start from the assumption that people want to live in the busy part of town, but have a quiet retreat of their own, small as it may be. The idea of a retreat also implies that some (if not most) of such owners of tiny houses live a good deal of their life in more public places. They meet friends outdoors or in easily accessible bars or coffee shops, libraries and open spaces, and only occasionally invite them into their tiny home. Keep in mind: they often see their homes as a retreat rather than a social space!

These days, it is not recommended to spend much time outdoors, let alone meet friends there. That leaves the tiny house crowd lacking in part of their social spaces. I’m wondering how much that will affect their understanding and experience of a tiny space that they are ‘confined to’ rather than ‘inhabiting by choice’. I’m assuming this will have an impact on the way they feel about their space. If they are lucky, the space will provide for them (the more solitary inhabitants) with what they need, but I’m worried that some of the more social butterflies may have a hard time sitting this crisis out in what may start to feel like a very limited space. I hope for them that they have a bit of a view out of their windows and a chance to pop out occasionally.

Just as with many other aspects of our lives, Corona is having a huge impact on the way we live, work, socialise and generally deal with the soap drama of our lives. These are small changes that may at some point require major adjustments. Which major adjustments have you made to adapt to the current state of ‘normal’?

If you have enjoyed reading this, you may find these other articles interesting:

• Decluttering is not the same as minimalism
  
• Life at home in the Twenty-first century
  
• Revisiting habits