Tales of a Not So Tiny House

Visually lush, this is the story of the lavish custom steampunk caravan in the wilds of New England that became a dark cottagecore TikTok sensation.

If you take a fortuitous wrong turn in the primeval mountains of New Hampshire, you'll stumble across this 300-square-foot handmade home. A bewitching mix of fairy tale cottage, steamer trunk, and pirate ship, it is built by Chloe and Brandon almost entirely from their recycled film sets, thrift, flea market, and junkyard finds. Originally featured on HGTV’s Tiny House, Big Living, it went on to garner international attention in print and online, going viral multiple times.

The book takes readers on a journey through Chloe and Brandon’s story of building and decorating their home, which they have completely redesigned in the last few years. Like the house, every inch of this richly ornate book is packed with innovative ideas for small space living, including foldable sections of the house used as “his and hers” wings with custom-built wardrobes, desks, chairs, and vanity; a bathroom with a composting toilet and folding sink; even a guest bed. Chloe and Brandon share the joys of day-to-day small-space living: creating storage in every nook and cranny, baking pies in the tiny kitchen from fruit they’ve gathered; climbing into the dramatically curtained bed loft by candlelight.

Sumptuously designed and illustrated, this book is a wildly original take on small-space living.

Partners in life and in business, Chloe Barcelou and Brandon Batchelder design and build props and sets for short and feature films, along with commercial and editorial photography as well as residential and commercial interior design. Chloe is also the fashion editor of New Hampshire Magazine. Mary Randolph Carter is an author, photographer, avid collector of junk, and longtime creative director for Ralph Lauren.