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Building a tiny house for a family is a challenge when it comes to having enough room for food. Currently we have 2 fridge/freezer combinations in our main house, and a single side-by-side in the cottage. I don’t like side-by-sides because there is never enough room for large trays, we have a lot of company and buy in bulk since we have 4 kids. While I love the idea of the drawer fridge, I still wonder where we would put the milk, large juice containers, pitchers, etc.

The corner fridge by Norcool is ingenious for two reasons. The first is that it’s HUGE without taking up a lot of floor space. The inside is the size of 4 normal refrigerators, amazing. The second reason I love the Norcool is that it takes advantage of the dead corner design issue that occurs in kitchens all across America. No more lazy susans, cabinets at weird angles, or dead space that can’t be used at all. Now small kitchens can handle big appetites!

I love a little humor in design, so the name of this sofa sleeper caught my eye right after the design did.

One Night Stand, by Blu Dot, available at Design Public is a modern take on the traditional sleeper sofa that would work in any tiny house or even a studio as the one and only bed/couch combo. You simply move the back cushions and fold out the sleeper. Unlike most sleeper sofas it’s not bulky at all. The clean modern lines and fabric will work for a family or active single person/couple.

Planning to build a tiny house without a basement and probably no garage means I really don’t want to waste space for a water heater. Of course we also want to try to cut utility costs, while still making sure we have enough hot water for an entire family. While Europe has been using tankless water heaters for decades, the U.S. is just beginning to catch onto the idea.

The Stiebel Eltron DHC-E 30 Tankless Electric Water Heater comes with electronic water temperature control, uses less energy saving you up to 20% on your utility bill, takes up very little space, and is even seismic proof so there is no preventive construction needed for seismic codes. You can read more about this particular model after the jump:

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I’m hungry, so let’s talk kitchens! I’m not the cook in the family, but I definitely have final say on what is included in the kitchen since I clean it, it’s a rule. There are so many cool things I can’t wait to show you, but unfortunately you can’t include all of them in one kitchen, so I think it’s important to start with an overall kitchen design and then fit everything into it. (Or start with one way cool appliance and build your kitchen around that, but I digress.)

This compact kitchen from TM Italia (Warning, site plays pseudo porn music!) keeps the lines clean, has a lot of storage which is important when building a tiny house for a family, and I love that it has a built in breakfast bar, because I’ve been toying with the idea of not having a dining table at all, just a built in. I love the curves, especially the end cabinet, I think it could work even with a doorway right there. The open cubes would be great for displaying beautiful dishes or a glass bottle collection, or cookbooks if that’s your thing.

Lighting plays a bigger role in how we feel in our homes than we think. Just think about the last time you walked into a bathroom and wanted to scream, hmm, hopefully that’s not just me! Natural lighting, incandescent lighting, up lighting, down lighting, spotlights, the options are endless and the effects can be breathtaking.

The Beam Bed from Lago is inspired by the suns rays with a lighting system that illuminates the space between the boards. I love the lighting affect on the room, and wonder if a dimmer and remote is included. The way the boards are packaged also make it easy for installation in a tiny house with narrow stairways or loft access.