Tiny Houses mean creative living

As I contemplate my next move in my life, I expect that I will be living in a pretty small space. And that's ok. I'd rather live in a beautifully appointed smaller home than kick around in an empty McMansion.

I'm not talking fairytale cottage small:

But something interesting and quirky would be fun:

Of course, to comfortably live in such a small space and pack in all the modern amenities takes a good amount of creativity and a whole lot of editing.

A lot of tiny houses have ladder-like stairs to second floor lofts, so I appreciate the standard staircase in the photo above. It takes more floor space, of course, but seriously, how long does one want to live climbing up and over to get to bed?

Every nook and cranny needs to be used. I love the look above, but am freaked out by a staircase that doesn't have a banister. This just needed a rope banister along the wall to feel a bit safer to my eyes.

This is quite a lot of functional space tucked under the stairs.

I love this look above, but who would use that ladder and my fear of falling would be triggered by the open loft.

The space above, designed by Tucker & Marks, shows that a small space can still be richly appointed. I'm not sure of the context of this particular space, but if it were a small house, I'd want to see drapery that could be pulled to diving the living room from the bedroom.

And this is my favorite. Love the formality of the table and chairs which seems surprising under the beamed ceiling. This little house from Kanga Room Systems in Texas.

The ladder is better than a straight vertical one, but still, probably not something I'd want to be dealing with - especially in the middle of the night!