This $26K Tiny Home Is Brightly Colored From the Inside Out and Full of Charm

The best thing about looking at tiny houses is seeing just how far people’s imagination can go. Most of the time, small dwellings are so spectacular or have mind-blowing features and details that they almost make you pack up and start a tiny journey.

Derek manages to live together with two roommates, a dog, and a cat. Surprisingly enough, this is all possible inside a tiny house in Portland, Oregon. Before choosing to make this change, Derek was renting a 300 sq ft (27.9 sq m) downtown apartment, which cost him a significant portion of his monthly income.

As usual with these types of mobile homes, Derek's tiny house was mounted on a double-axle trailer capable of carrying lots of weight. A fairly nice perk of owning this tiny home is that it allows him to make lots of practical and aesthetical changes that would otherwise be prohibited in a rental property.

Measuring just 22 ft (6.7 m) in length, 13.5 ft (4.1 m) in height, and 8.5 ft (2.6 m) in width, it is also easy to transport, as proven by the fact that it has already been moved four times. The living space is not too shabby either, with 250 sq ft (23.2 sq m) available, only 50 less than the apartment.

A home should be an extension of yourself, and we can see Derek’s lively personality even before stepping inside the house. It is perhaps the most colorful and charming tiny house I have ever seen, besides Barbie movies and toys. The exterior combines a variety of colors, including purple, mint green, yellow, and even peach pink.

There is plenty of natural light that gets inside with the 11 windows placed on each side of the house. The windows are mosaic-stained, making the interior even more magical and colorful.

Stepping inside, we are greeted by a wonderful and brightly-colored interior. Before redecorating, it used to be white with wood accents. Now, almost everything is pink and purple.

The living room is also used as a downstairs bedroom where Derek sleeps. It consists of a full-size mattress with lots of storage underneath and a large TV. That storage can be accessed through the closet doors right next to the bed. Above that closet, there are also two separate open-shelf cabinets on each side with lots of toys, books, and board games.

Not even the ceiling escaped the explosion of colors, a textile tapestry was attached underneath the loft. This not only hides the wood textures but also gives a psychedelic look to the living room.

One of the two lofts serves as a second bedroom. It can be accessed via the custom-made purple ladder from the living area. Since all of the inhabitants sleep in the downstairs bedroom, this area is used as a bedroom for the cat, Saturn, for now. It has all the cat stuff, such as a litter box, a tiny bed, and toys. There is also a miniature storage loft on the side with a few blankets and pillows.

Derek and his roommates plan to transform this loft into a space for relaxing and sleeping. They want to add a queen-size bed, a TV, and a console for those late-night, therapeutic gaming sessions.

The second loft (which also happens to be the largest room in this tiny house) is unexpectedly used as a wardrobe. Like the rest of the house, it used to be white, but now it boasts a lovely orange color. It has lots of hanging space for clothes, a large shoe rack, and art supplies. This loft can also be accessed from a different ladder in the living area.

The kitchen might look small, but it is quite roomy. It has enough space to fit a normal size fridge, a double-bowl sink, a stovetop, a water heater, and a microwave. There is also a large pantry right before entering the kitchen.

On the right side, we find the green-colored bathroom. Derek funnily named it “Shrek’s cave” due to the color scheme that was chosen. There is not much space available, but it is still a full bathroom. It only could fit a minuscule aluminum-sided shower cabin, a composting toilet, and an even smaller sink.

Derek bought the house from Craigslist for only $26,000 (€24,252). The price is smaller than what a lot of tiny houses cost. He also pays $655 (€610) a month for renting the lot with the water and electricity included. Each of the inhabitants pays $250 (€233) a month for everything. It is quite a bargain considering how much the rent would have cost even in the tiniest apartment in the city.

The tiny lifestyle has allowed Derek to own a house, while at the same time saving money to spend on other important things such as traveling.