Tales of a Not So Tiny House

by Chloe Barcelou, Brandon Batchelder, Mary Randolph Carter (foreword)

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 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.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published March 25, 2025

Reviews

[Lori]

Tales of a Not so Tiny House is great fun to while away dreaming and turning pages. it showcases the amazing vision of Chloe and Brandon for their 100 sq.ft.gypsy wagon style home. they have everything they need,kitchen,bathroom, ample clever closets for him and her,a vanity desk and guy desk, a bedroom and a guest room! it's theatrical,beautiful,cozy and inspiring. and they built it all from scratch,blueprint sketches to wiring,plumbing,painting to upholstering.very pioneer



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[Julianna Zale]

What an amazing whimsical book! Every page is a work of art and I honestly felt like a kid reading a magical tiny home bedtime story. The design of not only the home but the book itself is incredibly detailed and I loved the little anecdotes throughout. As a fellow thrifting lover I also appreciated the list of stores Chloe and Brandon sourced their decor/materials at the books end. 5/5

[Jeanette Michalets]

I love this beautiful keepsake book about a very creative and innovative young couple who created a fantastic, sort of steam punk, tiny house on wheels. The book outlines their construction process with loads of photos, then shows their draw-dropping final product, although the little house is always a work in progress. The inside is organized, but stuffed to the gills with repurposed furniture, lighting, fabric, etc.

Chloe is a photographer who stages photo shoots with vintage and created costumes who has also worked in the movie industry. Brendan is a talented artist, writer and carpenter, who has worked on movie sets. I just purchased the magazine 'In Her Studio" with a lovely feature article on Chloe. This book is a tad expensive, but makes a great gift and is worth every penny,

[Roxane Llanque]

A marvel of a book. Produced with as much love as the tiny house itself. I really enjoyed both learning about a lot of interesting craft and building ideas as well as Brandon and Chloe's personal story. Just lovely.

[Lisa]

An absolutely beautiful book! I highly recommend it! Can I give it 10 stars out of 5? I found this at the library but now I need to go buy a copy because I will want to visit this again and again!

[Spudpuppy]

Mr. Nose is a fantastic name for a bunny

[Laura]

An absolutely beautiful book, inside and out, and so inspiring. I loved it.