Custom Tiny Home Oozes Mid-Century Modern Charm, Promises Compact Luxury and Mobility

If tiny living is a "fad," it's not one that's going away anytime soon. Tiny houses have been a constant presence for over two decades, picking up incredible speed in the past few years and transitioning from a niche product into the mainstream. A mobile home like The Susan explains this irresistible appeal of tinies.

When they first started gaining ground in the early 2000s, tiny houses were home-like structures built on single- or dual-axle trailers, which promised a reduced carbon footprint, reduced expenses, and the ability to leave the crowded, polluted city behind in search of a Garden of Eden-like parking spot.

The "mission" of tiny houses evolved as the world changed, so today, they're also marketed as more affordable options than traditional housing, while offering a variable degree of mobility for digital nomads. They're cheaper to buy than standard homes, cheaper to maintain, and can travel from place to place whenever you want to – and where regulation permits. What's there not to love about tiny houses?

The compact footprint would be one. A tiny house is "tiny," which means living in one implies drastic downsizing of your entire lifestyle. Moving from a few thousand-square-foot home or even a city apartment into a tiny that's hardly larger than 400 square feet (37.2 square meters) is a challenge, a lifestyle adjustment, and obviously, a move that can't possibly suit every living soul out there.

However, a home like The Susan makes a strong argument for the appeal of compact footprints.

It's the latest model from Kansas-based builder Kaiser Tiny Homes, and it's designed as a two-person home with potential for full-term residency. It promises compact luxury, extra mobility, and some customization, and it promises to deliver all these within 240 square feet (22.3 square meters) of living space, not including a small loft that doubles as a bedroom.

The Susan places the focus on how a tiny house is more than a space you happen to live in full time. It's a statement and, as one, it stands out right away thanks to the sunny blue exterior. Not that the interior is less cheery: styled as a mid-century modern home, it combines lighter grays with whites and neutrals, and spots of bright colors to create an interior that is both elegant and inviting.

These are the main goals of The Susan, along with delivering as many customization opportunities as possible. The layout is a fairly standard single-loft one, with the space upstairs dedicated to sleeping, but the styling and some creative gimmicks make all the difference.

The downstairs holds a full dry bathroom with a shower, an incinerating toilet, and a sink with vanity, an office space, a full but compact kitchen, the dining room, and the separate living room, which can double as a guest room if need be. Storage options abound and are immediately noticeable in the shelves under the stairs, a small lofted section over the bathroom, and the divider for the lofted bedroom.

This might not seem like much if you're from a large family, but add a few more storage options into the furniture, and you have enough for a pair of adventurers to make do.

The same goes for the kitchen, which is a far cry from the chef units you're likely to find in larger tiny homes. In The Susan, you get a sink, a microwave, a portable two-burner induction cooktop, and counterspace you can occupy with other items or use for meal prep. There's also a small breakfast bar at one end and storage solutions under the counter. This is a setup that would probably work best for a pair of travelers who don't prioritize home-cooked meals over outdoor adventures.

Speaking of the outdoor, The Susan tries to compensate for the constricting layout with more openness. Instead of a standard side door, it features a double door of sliding glass at the rear, which serves the double purpose of basking the interior in natural light and opening it up to the outside in good weather.

Kaiser Tiny Homes doesn't offer details about insulation and plumbing, but we see The Susan comes with RV-style hookups for water and electricity. There's also a mini-split over the tiny office at the front of the house that will handle heating and cooling.

"This custom tiny home, with its blend of form and function, stylishly proves that a compact footprint can be both comfortable and elegant," the builder explains.

With a price tag of $58,000, The Susan also proves that tiny houses can still be relatively affordable, even if that amount doesn't include taxes and shipping. Bear in mind the recent explosion in tiny house popularity and how it's driven demand – and prices – through the roof, and you'll understand what we mean by "relatively affordable."