Most Americans have a big refrigerator with a built-in freezer, a nice big dishwasher, a sizable oven for those occasional feasts, and a cavernous washer and matching dryer to cut down on laundry days. Tiny houses make it difficult to squeeze these large appliances into a tiny footprint. Luckily, manufacturers have stepped up and sized down without sacrificing quality.
Clotheskeeping in a tiny house must be a kind of nightmare anyway (unless you strip down to basics). But not having ample laundry facilities doesn’t mean you have to wear stinky clothes. LG, Deco, Heier, and MagicChef have created combination washer-dryers for the American market. These units are pretty common in denser places like Asia and Europe, but unheard of in the U.S. until very recently. Be sure to read all reviews carefully—they are not all created equal. And with the price tag at well over $500, you want to make sure the clothes you pull out of there are clean and dry. However, the convenience of combining washing and drying is not only space-saving, it’s pretty darn cool. It’s sort of like a crock pot for your clothes.
Kitchen appliances are tricky anyway, and getting them downsized can mean spending big bucks. We’re not talking about dorm fridges here, we mean heavy-duty, lasting, properly temp-controlled real refrigerators that you can slide under a counter. U Line, Frigidaire, Summit, and others have some excellent options. A dishwasher is probably a luxury item in a tiny house, but Edgestar, Danby, and others make countertop dishwashers that can hold six place settings. As for ovens, some of the high end toaster ovens can do a great job roasting chicken, baking pizza, and many other tasks you wouldn’t imagine for such a small appliance. For more oven space, there are compact ovens (24 inches or less) that can fit into pretty tight spaces.
Just because you’re downsizing doesn’t mean luxury disappears—many tiny houses have flat-screen televisions, computer work stations, porches, gardens, skylights, brewing supplies, even tiny hot tubs. Many tiny houses are getaways and mental breaks. Art studios, writing cottages, reading nooks—tiny houses aren’t just for glamping, they can function as whatever you most need them to be. The best part of picking out floor plans and imagining details is in customizing your tiny space to accommodate your needs.
