Small but perfectly formed. That's exactly what you can say about the charming tiny house in Brandenburg, Germany, that entrepreneur and podcaster Nora uses as a weekend retreat. But when did she make the conscious decision to downsize, and what benefits can minimalism bring? And is tiny living a trend with a future? We met Nora for an interview and talked to her about life in 30 m². Along the way, she also shared a few valuable interior tips.
Hello Nora, tell us more about the person behind the blog.
Over the last few years, as founder and managing director of my company EDITION F, I achieved and experienced a lot – and worked a lot too. This was meant to be my year of slowing down, so I stepped back from day-to-day operations and handed over the management.
This year is all about small projects for me: my new podcast FAUSTDICK, which I make with my former business partner Susann, some lovely consulting projects and, above all, lots of time for myself, family and friends, our new tiny house and the garden. That's also when I started my new little blog, Petit Paradiso.
What is Petit Paradiso about?
I've always loved travelling and discovering special places. But sometimes beautiful little places are very close by. Petit Paradiso is about all of these places. I write about the journey with our tiny house and, soon, about trips to destinations near and far again.
You founded the digital magazine EDITION F, which stands up for women and their friends. What are you most proud of?
Over the last few years, my co-founder Susann, our team and I have managed to bring feminist issues into the mainstream. We've brought thousands of people together and built a company that now keeps running and finding new paths even without our day-to-day involvement.
Describe what tiny living means to you in three words.
Cosy, close to nature, unburdened.
When did you know: we're deliberately building a tiny house?
For years we'd been looking for a garden – an escape from the big city, close to the water. Berlin in Germany is crowded, loud and full of options. I love that. But I felt more and more clearly that I wanted this place in nature. Now we have the best of both. Garden houses are rarely any bigger, so it was clear anyway that there was no other way. But I'm fascinated by how much is possible in 30 square metres.
How "tiny" is your house exactly? Which is the smallest room?
We have about 30 square metres, divided into a bedroom, a living room with kitchen, a hallway and a mini bathroom. The bathroom is definitely the smallest. It has room for nothing more than a mini shower, a washbasin and a toilet. But that's absolutely enough, and in summer I prefer to shower outside anyway.
What do you love about tiny living?
The great thing is paring things back to the essentials. Even though we have much less in the tiny house than at home, I don't miss anything.
Do you think tiny living has a future? Will more people choose it in the years to come?
Absolutely. Housing in cities is becoming ever scarcer and more expensive, so many people are drawn to the countryside or to smaller flats. With the right furniture and planning, the space is often much bigger than you first think.
Were you interested in tiny living before you had your own house, or only now?
We'd often rented tiny houses on holiday, and each one had its own charm. I've always found the idea exciting, but it's harder to make work with older children – and my bonus daughter is 17. So it's ideal for us to have the tiny life at the weekend and our three-room flat in Berlin during the week.
What are the challenges of tiny living?
If you commit to tiny living completely, you have to cut down a lot, give things away and sell them. Personally, I try to declutter often anyway and find it very liberating. For me, the most important thing for feeling at ease in a small house is storage. It has to be carefully planned and well thought-out, otherwise things end up lying around everywhere.
How have you furnished your tiny house?
We used local wood throughout the interior, and it was important to us to work with simple colours and small accents. It's a mix of lots of furniture we designed ourselves, beautiful designer pieces and additions from home.
How do you furnish a tiny house so that it doesn't feel too full and chaotic?
We drew and designed the storage furniture for the hallway and bedroom ourselves and had it made to measure. My partner runs his own experiential architecture agency and knows the field, which of course made it easier. That way we use every corner of the space. We designed the bed ourselves too and fitted it with large drawers. At the moment the cupboards are still half empty.
A small home often has little space. Do you have "quiet zones" in your house where everyone can retreat when they need to?
Outside we have a large garden and lots of nature, which of course helps a lot. Inside, too, we deliberately created a separate bedroom so there's somewhere to retreat to.
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Nora, thank you so much for the fascinating insight into your little paradise!
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