The English Garden Project: Redefining Living in Small Spaces

Challenging Assumptions About Living in Small Homes

Moving into a small home often requires individuals to accept certain limitations. Accessing the bed may involve climbing a ladder daily, the kitchen might be restricted to a compact area for the stove and refrigerator, and storage often relies on utilizing the spaces beneath furniture. These constraints are considered normal in most small homes, as the space is typically designed to prioritize functionality over spaciousness.

Designs That Go Beyond Traditional Constraints

However, there are architectural models that aim to overcome these limitations by rethinking how every square meter is utilized. Some modern small homes, for instance, offer solutions that make living in a limited space feel freer and more comfortable, challenging the traditional assumption that “sacrificing space is necessary for practical living.”

Integrating Heritage and Environment

Small home design can also benefit from incorporating traditional elements with the surrounding environment. For example, combining natural materials such as wood with metal roofs reflects the style of traditional cottages while maintaining a design suited to the local context, such as coastal or rural areas. This approach demonstrates that small spaces do not necessarily mean sacrificing aesthetics or comfort; instead, they can provide a fully integrated living experience, even within limited dimensions.

Open-plan tiny house interior showing a sage green kitchen, wooden breakfast bar, and natural light from a scenic window. — An open-plan layout eliminates the need for ladders, creating a seamless flow and extended sightlines. (Image © Yanko Design).

Wide shot of a functional tiny house kitchen with sage green cabinetry and a large wooden island serving as a dining area. — Creative storage solutions and large work surfaces challenge the typical limitations of tiny house kitchens. (Image © Yanko Design).

Interior Design and Comfort in Small Spaces

Upon entering a carefully designed small home, one immediately notices the difference in the living experience. All spaces can exist on a single level, without upper rooms or steep stairs that consume floor space. This approach allows for smooth movement between different areas of the home and creates extended sightlines and visual openness, which are often difficult to achieve in traditional small homes.

Harnessing Natural Light and Materials

Natural light plays a central role in enhancing the sense of spaciousness, with sunlight carefully streaming through windows, adding warmth to wooden surfaces and highlighting the quality of the materials used. The openness throughout the home makes the interior feel more like a fully integrated apartment, altering common perceptions of “living in a small home.”

A Practical and Functional Kitchen

Kitchens in these homes can be more than a symbolic addition; they provide real space for cooking and daily use. A well-thought-out design includes designated dining areas and sufficient storage, with cabinet layouts that allow groceries to be stored for extended periods without compromising essential functions. Such designs demonstrate that small spaces can support a full, independent lifestyle, rather than merely serving as a place to heat ready-made meals.

Tiny house bedroom featuring floral bedding, a mustard yellow accent wall, and a direct view into the ensuite bathroom. — The bedroom serves as a private suite, providing a true separation from the common living areas. (Image © Yanko Design).

Modern bathroom vanity with a white sink, large backlit mirror, and custom wooden cabinets for integrated storage. — High-quality fixtures and integrated storage ensure daily routines remain comfortable in a compact footprint. (Image © Yanko Design).

Bedroom and Bathroom Design in Small Homes

In some carefully designed small homes, the bedroom can provide genuine separation from shared living areas. Bathroom access may be limited to the bedroom only, creating a private suite reminiscent of what you’d find in luxury apartments or hotels. The bathroom includes full amenities such as a fully enclosed glass shower, a vanity with integrated storage, and standard plumbing systems, delivering an experience similar to traditional homes without sacrificing comfort or relying on cramped, multi-purpose solutions.

Design Philosophy in Compact Spaces

What distinguishes this type of small home is not just its size, but the design philosophy behind it. Many traditional small homes treat constraints as part of the living experience, requiring residents to adjust their daily routines according to the limited space. In contrast, modern design views compact dimensions as a creative challenge, using them to develop smart solutions that fulfill all necessary functions without compromising comfort or daily routines. In this way, even the smallest spaces can offer a complete living experience, providing residents with a sense of openness and functionality without the pressure associated with limited square footage.

Compact bathroom interior with a glass-enclosed shower, wall-mounted toilet, and neutral-toned wall panels. — The inclusion of a full glass shower enclosure brings the comfort of traditional homes to the tiny house movement. (Image © Yanko Design).

Built-in white wardrobe system in a tiny house bedroom with organized shelves, drawers, and hanging space. — Strategic use of vertical space allows for ample clothing storage, supporting a long-term lifestyle. (Image © Yanko Design).

Detail of a cozy bedroom area with a wooden ladder towel rack and natural light from a high-placed window. — Natural light plays a central role in enhancing the warmth of wood surfaces and the feeling of spaciousness. (Image © Yanko Design).

Close-up of a modern gas stove and marble-effect countertop with professional culinary tools in a tiny house. — Professional-grade kitchen fittings support a full lifestyle rather than just reheating ready-made meals. (Image © Yanko Design).

Pull-out pantry storage drawers next to a stainless steel refrigerator in a wooden cabinet unit. — Clever cabinetry arrangements allow for longer-term grocery storage, supporting a fully independent lifestyle. (Image © Yanko Design).

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The English Garden project can be viewed as a model illustrating the possibilities of design in small spaces, highlighting the emphasis on interior openness and the use of natural light as positive aspects that enhance the living experience within a limited area. However, from a broader architectural perspective, several reservations emerge regarding the applicability of this model to different contexts.

First, relying on a private bathroom suite and separate bedrooms may not be practical in all environments or for families with varying needs, which limits flexibility and adaptability for different occupants. Second, the focus on a fixed, site-specific design reduces mobility, a feature often associated with small homes, which may constrain the implementation of this concept in densely populated urban areas or on temporary plots of land.

Balancing functionality and aesthetics can also be challenging in even smaller spaces than those presented in the project, as incorporating traditional design elements or natural materials may increase costs or construction complexity. On the other hand, the project provides a valuable opportunity to understand how spatial constraints can be addressed intelligently, offering lessons in space organization, natural light utilization, and the integration of heritage elements with modern living requirements, without necessarily serving as a universally replicable model.