The McKenzie Tiny Is a Contemporary, Very Stylish Take on Downsizing

Downsizing has been around for more than two decades, finding a venue first with those looking to reduce their carbon footprint and live more intentionally. Today, downsizing is proving a solid option for those struggling financially or with the housing situation, as it promises debt- and stress-free home ownership, with the possibility to move around at will (more or less).

As long as you don't mind scaling down your entire existence to just a fraction of the space inside a typical, non-movable home or to the size of a cramped city apartment, tiny living is an appealing solution for long-term residency. Motley Tiny Homes, a new builder from Oregon, US, aims to show that it can be a luxurious one, as well.

Nate and Christina, the founders of Motley Tiny Homes, must be well aware of the existence of supersize tiny homes – those massive park models with large layouts and all the creature comforts of a mansion, if not the actual size. So, for their first model and build, they decided to focus on the feeling of luxury achievable within a relatively compact space. It's a very roundabout way of saying that they're still working with reduced dimensions and struggling to make them feel far fancier than they are, but it works wonderfully.

The proof is the McKenzie unit, officially called the McKenzie Contemporary tiny house. The first unit also serves as a display model, so customers can add additional functionality to some spaces or opt for different finishes. A video tour is available below, with both Nate and Christina doing their best to explain some of their choices and their ultimate goal behind the build.

Christina probably says it best: just because you're downsizing doesn't have to mean you have to give up on some of the small pleasures of life, whether that's a gorgeous bathroom or cooking a large family meal. Consequently, the McKenzie features a spacious bathroom and a full-service kitchen that might even accommodate more cooks – even if it goes against what common wisdom says about having too many of those in a single kitchen.

The house sits on a triple-axle Iron Eagle trailer, braked and rated for 22,000 lbs (9,979 kg). The McKenzie is designed according to general regulations regarding the use of tiny houses as ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) in the US. It measures 31.6 feet by 8.9 feet (9.6 by 2.7 meters), offering a total living area of 310 square feet (28.8 square meters) across both levels.

It's designed to sleep one to four adults in total comfort and has certain touches that give it that proper-home feel with a dash of luxury. Good examples are the fireplace in the living room, the backlit, de-fog mirror in the bathroom against a gorgeous, dark navy backsplash, the custom mantelpiece on the fireplace with its combination of reclaimed wood and marble tiles, or the custom cabinets in the kitchen.

The ground floor holds the living room, which can work as a guest room if need be, the full-size kitchen that comes fully equipped and with plenty of storage options, and the bathroom, which is very spa-like in finishes and features. You get to the lofted bedroom through a storage-integrated staircase with a tempered glass stairwell and a "secret" platform that has a hanging wardrobe and doubles as changing space.

Unlike many other tiny homes, where you can sense the pressure the reduced footprint exercised on the final product, there's little of that here. The McKenzie feels like a proper home but, you know, tinier. It also boasts features not usually found in tiny homes, like handrails on either side of the staircase, a Lunos heat recovery system to avoid mold build-up, ultra-silent fans that serve the same purpose and could work 24/7, backup zone heating in the bathroom, digital front lock, smoke, and CO2 detectors, and an egress skylight in the loft.

The tiny relies on propane for the on-demand water heater and the stove and an RV-style hookup for water, sewage, and electricity. It has a Pioneer mini-split for AC and heating (and the additional heater in the bathroom), and luxurious finishes like quartz countertops, marble tiles, and stone-hewn floors, combining excellent wear resistance with gorgeous aesthetics. Think of it as a mini-countryside home on wheels, and it's probably an accurate description.

The McKenzie Contemporary tiny retails for $134,790 for the Premium Upgrade Package. It's a lot of money, to be sure, but it's still affordable compared to other tiny houses, which fall short of offering this kind of fancy finishes and features. If that's still too expensive, we can always window-shop together. That part is free of charge.