What I Learned from Renting Another Tiny House

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to take a vacation. Where did I go? One hour away to the Tiny Digs Hotel in Portland, Oregon, to stay in another Tiny House! Here’s what I learned.

A little background on the Tiny Digs Hotel

Located in the Kerns district of Portland, the Tiny Digs Hotel consists of six tiny homes parked in a semi-circle. Each tiny has its own name, personality, and architectural style. The hotel opened for business in the fall of 2016 and is one of three Tiny House Hotels in the area, including Caravan and Mt. Hood Tiny House Village.

The tiny house I stayed in was named “the Barn,” and you can easily see why. The structure was decorated with farmhouse-themed photos, paintings, and trinkets, and it even resembled a barn with its gambrel roof line.

I packed a small suitcase, loaded my pup, Salies, into the car, and moved into “the Barn” for two nights.

Of the six tinies available for rent, the Barn is one of two that is dog-friendly.

As I opened the front door – a dutch door  – I was amazed at how spacious the interior felt. All of the tinies at Tiny Digs Hotel are 16 feet long. That small, even for tiny house standards! The owners explained that they purposely built each tiny with a different roof line. This architectural choice allows for uniqueness. Some of the tiny houses appear larger than others, simply because of their shape.

I’ve always loved rustic interior design, and the Barn was just my style. A pitch fork was cleverly repurposed for a towel rack, an antique farm tool is acting as a handrail, and revolving, iron bar stools were being used for the dining table! Speaking of…

The most innovative piece of design in the Barn was the hidden, folding dining table. See it in action in this video tour!

Spending the night in another tiny house made me think about what works, and what doesn’t, in my own tiny home.

I have a folding table in my tiny house, but I prefer how the Barn’s table uses magnets to the hold the legs in place. My table is stabilized with brackets and chains, which is cumbersome.

After using the kitchenette in the Barn, I was tempted to get a toaster oven for my own tiny. I’ve always been hesitant to do this because I don’t want to take away from my counter space. But, maybe it’s worth it. I’ll need to think more about this.

Another idea I really liked in the Barn was the wine barrel bathroom sink. The only downside is that I dropped my toothbrush and it got in and area that was impossible to reach! If I was going to do something like this in a tiny house, I would place a shelf around the barrel so that nothing would get lost behind the sink.

The main reason the Barn feels so spacious is that they gained a few extra inches of width by building out over the wheel wells. That being said, I like the eaves on the outside of my house. I’m willing to sacrifice a few inches of interior space for that aesthetic.

My Review of the Tiny Digs Hotel

Whether you like tiny homes or not, you will be in awe of the creativity and thought put into the Tiny Digs Hotel.

Although there are a few things I would change about the Barn, I really enjoyed trying another tiny house on for size. The experience inspired me to make some improvements to my own tiny home. It also confirmed that I did something right, because I prefer my tiny above all others, and that’s the way it should be.

I recommend staying at the Tiny Digs Hotel the next time you visit Portland. It will cost you equal to (or less) than a regular hotel room, and the experience will be enlightening.

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Full Disclosure: In exchange for a review, I was given two free night stays at the Tiny Digs Hotel. Regardless, these opinions are my own.