No matter their shape or size, there tends to be something wonderfully romantic about tiny homes. Cute and cosy, they have the power to transport us to another world, all with the use of minimal floor space. From a mushroom-like hideaway inspired by an Iron Age Roundhouse to a miniature chateau that Rapunzel would be proud of, click or scroll on to see these whimsical dwellings that appear to have been plucked straight from the pages of your favourite fairytales...
The Castle Folly might be small, but it has serious character and history. Located in the medieval town of Warwick, England, the ancient castle is 200 years old and is just big enough for two people.
The beautiful bolthole lies inside a manicured garden and a miniature armoured Knight guards the entrance – in fact, he literally holds the keys to the front door. Once over the threshold, you'll find a cosy interior with a compact but modern kitchen and a wood-panelled bedroom, which lies at the top of a spiral staircase, lined with gothic-style windows.
According to the Airbnb listing, the fairytale castle was once a boiler house, "heating water that ran along pipes in the walls, enabling pineapples to grow against them in lean-to greenhouses." Not just cute, historic and gorgeously decorated, the tiny home also boasts green credentials as its electricity is generated by solar panels.
Described by Airbnb as a "mini-house", this unusual pad is reminiscent of a mushroom, growing straight from the ground where it stands. Positioned on a wooded lot in Pownal, Vermont, the organic-shaped property is known as Owl Hill House and was built by a group of sculptors in the early 1980s.
Despite the building’s age, it’s fresh and modern inside thanks to a recent renovation by one of its original creators. Spanning just 570 square feet, the inside has just enough space for a teeny kitchen, a bathroom and a seating area. We can just imagine Fred and Wilma Flintstone piling around the breakfast bar, tucking into their dinner of dino eggs and Brontosaurus ribs.
There's also a bed tucked into a small nook. Akin to a bubble home, the interior is defined by its sculptural, hand-plastered walls, custom-built furniture and unique, free-form columns and alcoves.
Is this riverfront cabin in Virginia, USA, a real-life holiday home, or the fictional residence of a Disney character? It's certainly hard to tell! Voted the “Coolest Airbnb in Virginia” by Condé Nast, the gorgeous wooden cabin is nestled inside a lush woodland at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Originally built in the 1800s, the cosy cabin was moved to its current location in the 1970s. Despite its age, the interior offers modern comforts, as well as plenty of traditional charm, from pretty sash windows to brick fireplaces, rustic timber floors and vintage-inspired furnishings. It's also surprisingly spacious!
As for rooms, there's an inviting lounge, a kitchen, one bedroom and one bathroom, so it's the ultimate getaway for two people. Plus, with 50 private acres on your doorstep, you wouldn't need to worry about the Big Bad Wolf or the Wicked Witch seeking you out.
This adorable tiny home has an even more adorable name. Humble Bee lies in the dreamy Devonshire countryside and is shaped, quite realistically, like a beehive. In fact, Canopy & Stars describes the place as a "human-sized beehive". Let's step inside and see what the buzz is about...
The ultimate micro home, the property is just big enough for a teeny kitchenette, a dining space and a bathroom. A curving staircase leads upstairs to a lofted mezzanine, where the bedroom can be found.
To allow plenty of light to flood the interior, the roof of the tiny home is semi-transparent. Other key design details include a honeycomb feature wall, corrugated accents and furnishings and partitions formed from reclaimed crates and barrels.
Another suitably named tiny home, The Gingerbread Cottage is positioned in Kings Beach, California, and has all the hallmarks of a storybook retreat. From its quirky façade to its cosy interior, this would be the perfect place to take refuge if you were a fairytale character on a harrowing journey.
The octagonal cabin sleeps up to four adults and one child with one private bedroom and two full bathrooms. But you wouldn’t think it, because the interior is so snug and cosy! The ground floor provides a lounge and kitchen, while upstairs you’ll find the bedrooms.
From its freestanding stove to its rustic, exposed beams and 20-foot teepee ceiling in the main bedroom, every single space is bursting with fairytale character. Adding to the magic, the property is just minutes from the shoreline of Lake Tahoe.
You'd be forgiven for thinking this ultra-cute, turf-topped cabin lies in Hobbiton, New Zealand, but it can actually be found in Talkeetna, Alaska. Nestled next to a lake, the log cabin is both rustic and romantic, with plenty of whimsical charm.
While the exterior is defined by its grass roof, pretty native flower arrangements and quaint front porch, the interior is all about rustic cosiness. There’s just enough room for a double bed, a snug sitting area, a dressing table and kitchenette, which has a coffee station and refrigerator. There's also a comfortable but compact bathroom.
As for design, the interior celebrates natural materials, with its exposed log walls, ceiling and floor. Plaid elements and fishing memorabilia add to the country vibe of this characterful little house.
Nicknamed Châteaux dans les Arbres, or the chateaux in the trees, this enchanting tiny home was modelled on a traditional French castle and can actually be found situated on the site of a former moat. Located in the country's renowned Dordogne region, halfway between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees mountains, this idyllic hideaway is elevated off the ground on timber stilts, making it perfect for the likes of Rapunzel. Luckily, though, you don't need to climb her hair in order to get inside...
The teeny castle comes equipped with two dominant turrets for maximum fairytale effect. Growing alongside the trees that enclose the property, the towers perfectly blend in with the neighbouring chestnuts and oaks. An attractive exterior balcony offers sweeping views across the surrounding landscape, while an outdoor hot tub allows for plenty of moments of princess-inspired self-indulgence.
The property's owner, Remi, has eight years of experience creating treehouses across France and poured his heart and soul into the project, in order to create the ultimate mystical hideaway. Despite its petite size, the home's interior feels spacious, thanks to an elegant vaulted ceiling and beautiful stained glass windows. Cosy and compact, it features a double bed, a reading nook and a bathroom. Colourful rustic timber planks make for a stunning floor, while antique furnishings add to the cabin's romance.
Straight out of Little Red Riding Hood, this chocolate box cabin on wheels can be found on Swallowtail Hill Farm in East Sussex, UK. Known as the Woodcutter's Cottage, the property is clad in natural timber, allowing it to seamlessly blend in with its surroundings. Custom-made from locally sourced materials, the hut sits on a secluded spot in Dean Wood, an eight-acre oasis filled with towering chestnuts.
Inside, the cottage is snug and contemporary, with beautiful raw elements taking centre stage. Striking wooden beams decorate its vaulted ceiling, while petite windows allow for idyllic woodland views. Suitable for up to four people, the home comes with a double bed and two seating areas that can be converted into single beds at night. There's also a dining area, a kitchenette and a log burner for those chilly evenings.
As well as being fairly rustic and stripped back, the tiny woodland retreat also comes equipped with all the modern conveniences needed for everyday living. As well as hot and cold running water, the cottage also offers electric lighting, a mini fridge and a USB charging station, so any visitor can stay connected while getting better acquainted with nature. Perfectly situated for enjoying the wildlife of the area, the Woodcutter's Cottage places the fairytale lifestyle within easy reach.
This adorable earth house in British Columbia, Canada, appears plucked directly from the script of a Disney movie. The perfect pad for Snow White, or the witch from Hansel and Gretel, the petite tiny home was hand-sculpted from locally sourced and sustainable natural materials, including mud and timber.
Known as Cob Cottage, the property can be found nestled on Maine Island, making it the perfect base for exploring the beautiful surrounding landscape. While the exterior of the home offers a chocolate box aesthetic, the interior is cosy and pared back, with beautiful raw materials on display. The front door opens into a sweet living area, complete with a handcrafted fireplace and a snug window seat for quiet moments of relaxation.
There's a lounge, a kitchenette and a full bathroom, while a bedroom is located on a small loft level, which can be accessed via a cantilevered slab staircase decorated with tree branches. There's even a small exterior balcony where the wicked witch could keep a lookout for approaching children, as well as a spacious garden with a fire pit, outdoor seating and a seasonal hammock. In fact, all this cottage is missing is shortbread walls!
Perfectly proportioned for pixies, elves or fairies, this pint-sized pad has the ability to melt even the most jaded of hearts. The copper-roofed roundhouse was painstakingly constructed by Nic and Lucy, a conservation officer and an artistic horticulturalist respectively. Located in Cornwall, UK, the tiny home appears to have grown up from the forest floor and resembles a squat mushroom thanks to its quirky shape.
Located inside a beautiful woodland on the edge of a huge wildflower meadow, Love in the Round is the perfect place to reconnect with nature and disconnect from the digital world. Inside, the custom-made cabin features plenty of woodland touches, including a spectacular four-poster bed formed from tree branches and a stunning vaulted ceiling adorned with exposed beams.
Throughout the tiny circular house, there are plenty of spaces for getting snugly, including window seats, rustic stone fireplaces and squashy armchairs. Available to rent, this unique hideaway comes complete with everything you might need for a fairytale night away, including a fridge built into a woodland stream and an outdoor bathroom for magical moonlit showers.
The Silo Studio is enchanting and intriguing in equal measure. The perfect place for Rumpelstiltskin to keep his magical spinning wheel, the unusual tiny home resembles the twisted trunk of an ancient tree, allowing it to merge in with its woodland setting. Located in the depths of the four-acre Santarella Estate in western Massachusetts, USA, the petite pad was once the summer studio of the famous sculptor, Henry Hudson Kitson.
Inside, the property is pretty and pared back, with plenty of idyllic spots for reading or curling up with a blanket. There's a living room with an envy-inducing window seat, as well as a small kitchenette and a bathroom. Outside, you'll also find a dining area, for enjoying alfresco meals and evening drinks under a canopy of stars.
The cottage is tall and narrow and extends up over two floors. The top level is home to an enchanting master suite with a four-poster bed and a 35-foot conical ceiling. The room boasts beautiful decorative timber panelling, while its multi-paned mill windows allow for spectacular views across the surrounding scenery. The only place we'd want to spend our 100 years in a deep, ageless sleep, the Silo Studio is as enticing as it is fantastical.
Fans of Middle Earth will fall head over heels for this beautiful and whimsical Hobbit House. Situated in the bottom of Amanda and Dave's garden in Northamptonshire, UK, the quaint little retreat appears to be growing straight from the ground, thanks to its grass-covered roof, its wonky log walls and its mushroom-like shape.
The couple wanted to create something special at the bottom of their garden and initially thought about building a bench or a summerhouse. None of these ideas sparked their imagination, so Amanda asked a carpenter friend to help her create something extraordinary out of reclaimed tree trunks. Local farmers heard of the project and would visit the site to donate turf for the roof. Gradually, the couple's real-life Hobbit home began to take shape.
While the exterior is rustic and charming, the interior is warm and inviting, with plenty of colourful furnishings beautifully complementing the natural oak of the walls. Rugs cover the rough stone floor, while bright Indian patterns decorate the sofa beds. Fairy lights, lanterns and a wood-burning stove add to the cosy nature of the cabin, while the outdoor pizza oven may make you want to stay forever. Available for rent via Canopy & Stars, this magical retreat is almost too good to be true.
Aptly named, The Roundhouse is genuinely unique. Inspired by a traditional Iron Age Roundhouse, the petite, mushroom-like property lies on Bodrifty Farm in the Cornish countryside – the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of modern life and capture the spirit of a bygone era.
Compact and characterful, the pad has a natural thatch roof, which has been left exposed inside, resulting in a romantic and cosy setting for a weekend away. There's a four-poster bed, too, as well as ambient lighting that adds to the home's charm.
Since the rotund property is so small, there's not enough space for a kitchen, but luckily there's one located close by in the Treehouse. Constructed around a living tree, it has a kitchen, sitting room and bathroom complete with a walk-in rainforest shower.
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