Another day, another tiny house for us to enjoy. This one is built as a true retreat away from the world, with no running water or electricity. It’s in the middle of a clump of large redwoods, and designed to look as if it was built into the trees (it’s not).

“No water and no lights?” you might think. “Did the owner spend all the money on land and run out?” Rest assured, the owner is a former airline executive, and could probably well afford any number of luxuries. Sometimes a tiny house is beautiful for its on sake.

Images courtesy of Treehugger.

Real People, Real Kitchens: 15 Small Cool Kitchens You Won’t Want to Miss
The Kitchn
Check out The Kitchn’s roundup of little kitchens with big style.

Boulder Tiny House: Colo. Couple Build Simple, Sustainable 125 Square Foot Home
Huffington Post
“Could you live in only 125 square feet? That’s exactly what a Boulder, Colo. couple are doing now that they have completed building their brand new, tiny home from scratch.”

Death to the McMansion
Slate
“Add it all up, and the National Association of Realtors estimates that—today—56 percent of Americans want the attributes of this new American dream in their next housing purchase. Yet only 2 percent of new units being built today fit these attributes. That’s a massive pool of pent-up demand, locked away by federal policy still supporting suburban growth at the expense of all other types of communities. Change the policy—without having to spend a dime—and we’re off to the races with new jobs in construction and infrastructure, plus homes and communities that reflect the way we want to live today. And they happen to be good for the planet, reducing energy, water, and waste by at least one-third.”

How To Live Well in 1oo Square Feet
Apartment Therapy
“Recently, at SXSW 2012, we had the pleasure of hearing Jay Shafer of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company extol the virtues of living in a small space. While he admits that living in 100 square feet might not be for everyone, his talk contained plenty of tips that apply to anyone looking to live efficiently.”

We’ve covered plenty of tiny houses before, but this one would probably take the cake.

Luckily, it’s not actually meant to live in! It’s an art installation in San Francisco by artists Jenny Chapman and Mark A. Reigelman II. We wonder how many passer-by stop and wonder if they’re seeing things–”A cabin on a building? What on earth??”

Images courtesy of Laughing Squid.

It seems like Japan often leads the way when it comes to small but innovative housing. It’s no surprise of course, since this island nation has a large population and often limited land. However, Japan has long been known for its impeccable aesthetics. Combine that with an efficiency obsession and you’ll find that some of the best tiny houses in the world are from Japan.

This house (via Apartment Therapy) is especially cool–squeezed between two highrises, it still manages to have five stories and gardens on every floor. It might not be the most practical house, but it sure is a beautiful oasis in the middle of the city!

Images courtesy of Apartment Therapy.

Here’s another example of a tiny house that is built imaginatively and attractively. It comes from Japan, a place where space is at a premium, but has a long history of beautiful architecture. We found this house while perusing  Design Milk; you can check out the rest of the Mizuishi Architect Atelier-designed house here. It may be only 312 square feet, but it houses three people comfortably. We’ll let the pictures do the talking…

Images courtesy of Design Milk

If you do any work at home, you know how important it is to have a space dedicated to work. You don’t want to be distracted by household noises in the living room right as you on an important conference call. Sometimes though, there’s just no room in your house and an addition can be expensive. Luckily, Archipods has the solution!

Via Charles and Hudson, we found these innovative home offices. They go in your yard, so there’s no need to tack an extra room on to your house. Their exterior is cedar shingles, so they’ll fit into most types of gardens. The interior is a cool, modern look.

If you’re looking for a unique place to work at home, Archipods just might be the ticket!

Images courtesy Archipods

Ice Castles Grown by a Minnesota Man Using Geothermal Heating System
Inhabitat
“Winters in Minnesota are cold and the best way to get through the bone-chilling season is to have fun with it, just like Roger Hanson does. For the last four years the ice builder has been growing ice castles in his front yard with the help of his geothermal heating system, some fancy sprayers and a computer program he created himself.”

The $200 Microhouse
New York Times
“For ingenuity, thrift and charm, Mr. Diedricksen’s tiny structures are hard to beat. Made of scavenged materials, they cost on average less than $200 to build. They often have transparent roofing, which allows a fine view of the treetops, particularly in the smallest ones, where the most comfortable position is supine. They have loads of imaginative and decorative details: a porthole-like window salvaged from a front-loading washing machine, a flip-down metal counter taken from the same deceased washer.”

How Many Recycled Cans Does It Take to Make an Airplane?
The Daily Green
“The good news is that my yearly office cleaning gives me a chance to sort out the hundreds of press releases and news clippings I’ve saved during the year for my annual Top Ten Shocking Eco-Facts blog post. Remember, being the Green Cheapskate, that’s “eco” as in ecological as well as economical.”

DIY Home Humidifiers: Humidify Your Home for Less
DIY Life
“The cold winter weather outside, coupled by indoor heating systems, easily sucks all the moisture out of your home. Low humidity levels can also lead to a host of problems including dry skin, sore throats, along with cracks in paint and wood furniture. Adding a humidifier is an easy way to replace this lost moisture in your home, but at times humidifiers can require high maintenance and more space and money than you would like to expend. Luckily, even on the tightest of budgets, there are inexpensive tricks to humidify your home.”

Recession Buster: DIY Wall Art
Calfinder
“There are some great things you can do in a weekend to revolutionize your living room—and installing affordable wall art is one of them. Check out how.”

diy project: homemade leprechaun spirits
Design*Sponge
“Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner; it will sneak up on you before you know it, so you might want to prepare! The tradition of drinking on the holiday comes from a legend called Patrick Pot. This project honors that tradition.”

Would you ever choose to live in a broom closet? MSN Real Estate has a story about someone who did — a college student, not wanting a roommate, creatively looked for some extra space around his dorm. Voila! A room with a broom.

We might all not want to live in a closet (although some do), but living in a small space can be rewarding. More applicable to a general audience, though, are these tips from MSN Real Estate on how to live with less clutter and maximize your useful space. Check out the article to read more!

• Edit: Yes, you have to pare down ruthlessly. There’s no room for clutter in a tiny space. On the bright side, this is a golden opportunity to decide what things you really need.
• Divide: You can still have different rooms in a small space; it will just take some ingenuity. Bookcases, screens and curtains will become your new best friends.
• Get out:  Sometimes you just need to escape. MSN Real Estate suggests an outdoor space like a patio or balcony, but there’s a whole world out there. Think of some fun places in your neighborhood like a coffee shop, park or library to be your “extended living room.”

What’s the smallest place you’ve ever lived in? Did you like it? What are your tips?

Image courtesy of nicolas.boullosa on Flickr

Small kitchens: we’ve covered them before because it is fascinating to see how all the kitchen essentials can be fit into a space that is compact, efficient, and dare we say, beautiful. Dig Digs rounded up some small kitchens that we think anyone would be glad to cook in. Let’s take a look at a few…

How luxurious is this tiny kitchen? Gleaming stainless steel appliances and everything a cook needs are featured in Kitchen Studio by Fendi Casa.

Come together by Albrecht Seeger and Martin Klinke is a fun kitchen/dining room all in one.

And Grandma’s Revenge is a complete multi-use cooking and eating space. Just open and close to get different looks!

Check out more at DigDigs!

In honor of our last post of 2010, we’ve decided to round up our most popular posts ever. Below are the top 10. Enjoy and we will see you next year for more great home living information! Thanks for reading this year.

• Built Around You: Laundry in a Closet
• Remodeling Using ‘Quality Over Quantity’
• Unusual homes: Cool conversions
• How To: Grow Tomatoes Upside Down
• Space-saving ideas for small spaces
• Built Around You: Stylish Bathroom Overhaul
• Small on Space, Big on Style
• New Uses for Old Windows
• Amazing Windows Created By Amazing Artists
• myMarvin Architect’s Challenge: Lake Cottage