“Small is beautiful

Abstract

The aim of this research is to introduce people living in tiny homes in Finland and their consumption practices. Housing and household consumption are among the major contributors of greenhouse gas emissions in Finland. Housing itself, energy consumption, furnishing, household equipment, consumer goods and services contribute significantly to climate change and environmental degradation. Tiny homes, on the other hand, can offer a more sustainable solution to housing. Despite their recent popularity, the academic literature on the topic is scarce and limited, especially on tiny homes in Finland. While some of the research shows how energy use and construction materials decrease in smaller dwellings, there is limited research on tiny home dwellers’ experiences and their consumption practices. The thesis uses Bardhi and Eckhardt’s (2017) framework of liquid consumption to understand dwellers’ relationship to possessions and their homes and why they choose to live in tiny homes. The framework is often used to explain how and why modern consumption has changed. For the study, six people from different households in Finland were interviewed and the data was presented with the help of narrative analysis – a method of qualitative research. An observation was conducted to support the primary data. The analysis showed that despite some challenges faced, the tiny home dwellers narrated their experiences as a positive housing solution. The tiny homes freed the interviewees from a big loan and decreased their expenses; provided possibilities for mobility; allowed the dwellers to be more creative; reduced the amount of material possessions and provided the dwellers with feelings of safety and security. The results also showed that the dwellers’ relationship to possessions and their homes were in the middle point between liquid and solid consumption, and even though their attitude to their home was enduring and for some interviewees ownership-based, tiny homes still provided them with a lifestyle they might not have been able to access otherwise. Tiny homes can offer a more affordable way of living, which may be better for people and the planet. More research on tiny homes could help in learning how to make tiny spaces more attractive, more functional and more sustainable. Increased knowledge on the carbon footprint of tiny homes and their dwellers would help to develop a more sustainable approach to housing and household consumption.