Not all tiny homes are created equal, as these incredible award-winners prove. From a sustainable eco-lodge in the wilderness of Tasmania to America's first 3D-printed home in Texas, these petite properties have all been recognised for their beauty, innovation and design. Let's take a look at the amazing small spaces making waves in the world of architecture...

Cool, contemporary and just a little bit edgy, this woodland hideaway offers bags of wow-factor. It's no wonder then that the idyllic rural retreat has been acknowledged with several awards. Known as A45, the A-frame house was designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group and won a 2019 Small Project Award from The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and was also named Small Scale Architecture Building of the Year 2019 by ArchDaily.

A prototype holiday home, the A-frame cabin can be found in the heart of the Catskills Mountains in New York state. Completely sustainable, the off-grid building was constructed from 100% recyclable materials. Entirely customisable for each individual owner, the getaway pad is suitable for almost any location and can be built in as little as four months.

The interior follows the Danish principles of Hygge – a concept that blends comfort with coziness. Helping city dwellers to reconnect with a simpler way of life, A45 offers 13-foot ceilings and extensive glazing that brings the outdoors in. With 180 square feet of interior space, the house is decked out with Douglas fir flooring, eco insulation and natural cork walls. A wood-burning fire keeps the space nice and toasty, while hand-crafted furniture makes it entirely unique.

KODA is a multi-award-winning project, designed to be easily assembled, multi-functional and moveable. A winner at the 2017 Architizer A+ Awards, a small project prize finalist at the World Architecture Festival 2016 and a silver medalist at the 2016 American Architecture Prize, the building was described as "one of the most innovative homes of 2016” by Business Insider and also claimed four titles at the 2017 AAP Architecture Prize! Not bad...

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Developed in Tallinn, Estonia, KODA by Kodasema is a flexible design that can be customised for small living, business use or hotel accommodation, and the units can even be placed together to create a community. The KODA for Living model comes complete with an open living room, a sleeping loft, small bathroom, terrace and kitchenette. Simplistic yet stylish, the interior of every property offers chic Scandinavian vibes and plenty of natural materials.

Offering 282 square feet of interior space, KODA was also the winner of the 2017 WAN Urban Challenge competition and could well provide a solution to the housing crisis in overcrowded cities around the world. Each cabin is formed from concrete, wood, glass and metal and comes complete with ventilation and air-conditioning. Transportable via trailer, the tiny home can be delivered and installation in less than 24 hours. How clever is that?

Winner of the NZIA 2019 Southern Architecture Award and the Bronze Award at the DINZ Best Awards 2019, this compact dwelling was designed by Condon Scott Architects and lies in the town of Wanaka, New Zealand. Built in 2018, the property offers just 323 square feet of interior space and is characterized by its striking glazed gable and black rainscreen cladding.

Packed with insulation, the Kirimoko Tiny House meets Passivhaus standards, meaning no additional energy source is needed to keep the home cosy all year round – some feat considering Wanaka's notoriously unforgiving climate. In addition to its clever design, the interior of the home is clean and modern with ample glazing, white-washed walls and light timber accents.

With one bedroom, the property makes the most of every inch of space, offering clever storage solutions and multi-functional furnishings throughout, including staircase tread drawers and cupboards concealed underneath the kitchen cabinets. Light, bright and beautiful, this property proves that tiny homes don't have to feel cramped.

This stunning cantilevered cabin has claimed not one but three awards. Winner of a 2017 AIA Honor Award from Boston Society of Architects, a Gold Award from the A' Design Award & Competition, and a Small Living Concept prize at the 2018 Architizer A+ Awards, this rural retreat is a real crowd-pleaser – and when you consider its sleek exterior, stunning layout and spectacular views, it isn't hard to see why...

Designed by I-Kanda Architects, Cabin on a Rock lies in the American town of Lincoln, New Hampshire, and benefits from a sublime position overlooking the peaks and troughs of the White Mountains. Nestled close to Franconia Notch State Park, the timber retreat was constructed in 2017 and balances on a granite outcropping, allowing for unobstructed views from the home's floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

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Resting on nine hand-poured concrete plinths, the property was constructed from prefabricated timber panels, which made it incredibly quick to assemble, despite the awkward plot. Designed as a weekend hideaway for a family of four, the petite pad is ultra-chic with a contemporary open-plan layout and minimalist furnishings. The cool cabin also benefits from substantially high ceilings, which further emphasizes the feeling of space.

Created by ASGK Design, Zilvar can be found in a small village in Eastern Bohemia, Czech Republic. Built in 2013, the energy-efficient retreat received an honorable mention at the Architecture Grand Prix in 2014 and gained an Architizer A+ Award in 2016. Enclosed by meadows and woodlands, the property is the ideal place to kick back and relax in the midst of nature.

The building covers a single living space, with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors offering a seamless link to the garden. The contemporary living zone features a staggered roof height that provides plenty of space for the two bedroom lofts that sit upstairs at opposite ends of the house. There's also an open-plan lounge, kitchen and dining area downstairs, which lead out onto the sheltered outdoor terrace.

During the planning phase, ASGK Design took into account the area's microclimate, which sees frequent rain, strong winds and periods of intense sunshine. Seven-inch thick wool insulation, radiant infrapanels and a wood-burning stove keep the interior cosy all year round, making this pad both beautiful and highly eco-friendly.

The Kasita micro home was invented by Jeff Wilson, a Harvard researcher and former dean of Huston-Tillotson University. Jeff lived in a converted steel dumpster for two years and the experience inspired him to launch a tiny home startup to help others live more intentionally. Jeff's innovative concept was named a Popular Winner in the Architecture + Small Living category at the 2018 A+ Awards.

Kasita can be placed in a garden, on a rooftop or even on top of other units to form an apartment complex. The pre-fabricated home is assembled off-site and delivered in as little as two weeks, making it an extremely speedy housing solution. Costing £108,000 ($139k) per unit, the micro dwelling has a bright and simple interior, with white-washed walls, multi-functional furnishings and smart storage. In fact, the main living space also doubles as a bedroom.

Extensive windows flood the interior with natural light, but in order to aid with glare and privacy, this tiny pad is also fitted out with an innovative piece of tech. The glass cleverly adjusts its transparency depending on the amount of sunlight it's exposed to. There's also a compact kitchenette, bathroom and an exterior patio, making it ideal for a couple or a young family.

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Celebrated for its innovative design suited to tricky terrains, The Alpine Hut received a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence in 2016. Created by the Backcountry Hut Company, which was founded by Wilson Edgar and Michael Leckie, the modular retreat is fully customisable and can be constructed in almost any location around the world in less than 24 hours.

Natural timber and charcoal fixtures give the inside a cosy and contemporary feel, while numerous picture windows allow lots of light to spill inside. The extensive glazing also means the occupier can enjoy beautiful external views all year round.

While the factory-made base model of the modular cabin measures 206 square feet, the layout is highly flexible and can be customised to each buyer's needs, with extra space added if necessary. Here, a floor-to-ceiling glass wall draws the rugged landscape in, adding an indoor-outdoor feel to the snug property.

The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) hired Maddison Architects to create an inspiring tiny home that would showcase the elements that make a home comfortable and affordable to run. The RACV tiny home fits onto the back of a truck and can be transported to almost any location. Meeting Passivhaus design principles, the project's beauty and innovation helped it achieve a commendation for Sustainable Architecture at the AIA Victorian Architecture Awards in 2019. 

Highly eco-friendly, the compact home features plenty of renewable tech, including integrated solar panels and battery storage. Cleverly designed, the property offers a pitched roof for a light and airy interior, as well as a series of movable screens that fold out to extend the living area. These panels also provide a secure entrance to the home and can be opened to create an external deck – perfect for soaking up the Australian sunshine.

Internally, the petite pad is made up of a single room, which comprises a kitchen, living space and cosy sleeping zones, plus a private bathroom compartment. The home's strategically placed windows serve multiple purposes, drawing natural light inside, as well as increasing air circulation to keep the building at a comfortable temperature all year round, even in the scorching summer heat.

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Enclosed by the breathtaking Lofoten mountain range, Fleinvær Refugium finds itself on the very edge of the sea in Fleinvær, Norway. Positioned in the heart of the Arctic Circle, the landscape presented plenty of challenges for the designers, Rintala Eggertsson Architects and TYIN tegnestue Architects. Their innovative design helped the project win at the Architizer A+ Awards in 2018 and we can certainly see why...

Made up of four tiny cabins, the remote retreat needed to be able to cope with the harsh environment, including brutal winds and extreme temperatures. To deal with these challenges, the buildings were raised off the ground using steel columns, which also minimises the impact on the local landscape. Their cladding of silver tropical wood helps the structures blend into their surroundings in the snowy winter months.

The project was designed for a jazz musician who wanted a workspace where artists could meet, escape and be inspired by nature. Inside, the tiny cabins offer pared-back Scandinavian design and plenty of exposed organic materials, including timber and cork. Made up of four private sleeping cabins, there are also five social spaces, including a canteen, sauna and concert room.

Positioned in the township of Alonnah on Bruny Island, Tasmania, this stunning cabin was inspired by traditional Japanese houses. In 2018, the tiny home won in two categories at the Australian Institute of Architects National Awards: Residential Architecture and Sustainable Architecture. Clever, contemporary and compact, the dwelling is a tiny home lover's dream.

Standing at 301 square feet, the cabin was designed by Maguire and Devine Architects and functions entirely off-grid. Green and sustainable, the house offers simplistic pine floors and walls, as well as natural timber furnishings. Extensive glazing allows for endless rural vistas, while a wood-burning stove keeps the interior nice and toasty in the colder months. With one large bedroom and one bathroom, the space is ideal for two guests.

Surrounded by 99 acres of land, the pocket-sized property is the perfect place for stargazing and bird watching – there's even a chance of spotting the northern lights! Outside lies the cabin's pièce de résistance: a spectacular outdoor sunken bathtub. We can't imagine anything better than kicking back in this idyllic spot and soaking up the tranquil views.

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Known as Chicon House, this innovative property in Austin, Texas, is the first 3D-printed home to be built in the United States – so not only is it award-winning, but it's also ground-breaking! Taking just 24 hours to print, the dwelling was created in association with ICON, Bandd Design and New Story, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to provide affordable housing solutions for displaced people around the world.

Inspired by the colours of the desert, Chicon House won a 2018 Build Architecture Award and was named one of the best inventions of 2018 by TIME magazine. Covering 350 square feet, the compact property is made from a concrete composite known as lavacrete, which can withstand extreme weather conditions and natural disasters.

Quick to assemble, affordable and resilient, it's hoped that the 3D-printed home will offer a solution to homelessness. Six properties will break ground in the coming months, and for the first time ever, three will be printed at the very same time in South America. Costing just £7,770 ($10k) to construct, this revolutionary tiny home could change residential construction as we know it!

Located in the Steigen Archipelago off the coast of Northern Norway, Manshausen 2.0 was named a Platinum Winner at the 2019 Muse Design Awards, as well as being crowned a Popular Winner at the 2019 Architizer A+ Awards. Positioned on 55 acres of land in the middle of the Grøtøya strait, the contemporary sea cabins make for a dramatic sight set against the wild and rugged landscape.

Built in 2018, the three tiny holiday homes were inspired by their unique location, situated between the mountains and the Barents Sea. To make the most of the views, the cabins feature floor-to-ceiling windows and a cantilevered design which sees them hang dramatically over the water. Designed by architect Snorre Stinessen, each island hideaway benefits from two separate bedrooms and a specially designed bathroom and kitchen.

Built to leave a minimal impact on the environment without compromising on design, the Manshausen 2.0 cabins were constructed from renewable wood. A stunning example of innovative tiny home design, there's also a communal breakfast room, a saltwater dam for swimming, a sauna and an outdoor hot tub overlooking the spectacular scenery. Imagine waking up to these breathtaking views!

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