The small-house craze is still going strong, and even its petite new friend the shed is seeing an uptick in popularity. Several titles show that small structures can be big on style.
Sterling’s Lark Crafts imprint has just published Shed Décor, by Sally Coulthard, which originated with U.K.-based publisher Jacqui Small. The book highlights a range of styles in plentiful photographs, addressing sheds used for just about every purpose one can imagine. “We felt the book would have a particular resonance in cities like New York, where space is at a premium,” says Jennifer Williams, senior editor at Sterling, adding that the trend is also in line with a postrecession move toward housing on a more human scale.
Storey surveys a variety of small structures with Microshelters, by Derek “Deek” Diedricksen (Sept.), who hosts the Tiny Yellow House series on Make magazine’s YouTube channel and is also the author of Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts (Lyons, 2012). For the new book, Diedricksen traveled around the U.S. documenting some of his favorite microshelters—among them guest houses, tree houses, and backyard studios. In addition to photos of existing homes, the book includes plans to get people started on their own shelters, and Diedricksen’s out-there ideas for small structures that don’t yet exist, such as the whimsically named Stilted Sleeper, Micro Dogtrop Cabin, and Permatent.
“The voluntary simplicity movement has been happening for awhile now, and that’s about paring down to the essentials,” says Storey publisher Deborah Balmuth. One of the reasons Microshelters appealed to the publisher so strongly was the surprise success of its Compact Cabins, by Gerald Rowan, which published in 2010 and, according to Balmuth, currently has 140,000 copies in print. In April, Storey will publish the memoir Cabin Lessons, by Spike Carlsen, former executive editor of the Family Handyman magazine.
Taunton Press’s lead house and home title this fall will be The New Small House, by architect Katie Hutchison (Oct.), in which she describes the factors to take into account when building a small house, and showcases 25 finished projects.
And to downsize from even the tiniest of small houses, consider a teardrop trailer for the family cat or dog. This stylish pet abode—which looks like a small camper—can be found in The Tinkering Woodworker, by Paula and Mike Cheung (Spring House, June) of the woodworking design company Tinkering Monkey, along with plans for more conventional projects.
