GOOD TO KNOW
* Free Wi-Fi is available.* Bring a swimsuit. An outdoor hot tub is open to visitors.* Shampoo, conditioner and soap are provided, but bring your own toothpaste.
Morris’ Perfect Campfire S’more
What you need:* 1 jumbo marshmallow* 1 Reese’s cup (or, KitKats may be substituted)* 1 whole graham cracker cookieWhat you do:* Break the cracker into two pieces and place the Reese’s cup onto one of the pieces. Set the cracker with the Reese’s cup at the rim of the fire, allowing the chocolate to slowly melt.* Toast the marshmallow to your liking, then place it onto the chocolate. Top it off with the second piece of cracker.* Turn the s’more upside down so that the melted chocolate coats the marshmallow.* Place the s’more away from the fire for a minimum of 10 minutes. The chocolate will cool and harden over the marshmallow to create a chocolate-dipped-like effect.* Enjoy!
From the moment I first learned of tiny homes, I have proclaimed, "I could live in one of those."
Recently, I got the opportunity to test that theory thanks to Live a Little Chatt, a startup company located at the foot of Lookout Mountain which features a cul-de-sac of tiny homes, varying in size, available for reservation.
In order to get the full experience, I chose to stay the night in the tiniest home. Would I survive 16 hours in 126 square feet?
The Movement
The tiny house movement is a social trend that advocates simple living. The homes typically range between 80 and 500 square feet - about 1/10 the size of the average American home - and are often characterized by their mobility and smart use of space. Tables and countertops can be retractable. A carpeted storage box becomes an ottoman. A bookshelf doubles as a ladder to a bed loft.
Popularized by reality television shows such as FYI's Tiny House Nation and HGTV's Tiny House Builders, among others, tiny homes have charmed many Chattanoogans, too, giving rise to a number of local advocacy groups such as Tiny House Chatt, custom builders such as Wind River Tiny Homes, and most recently, an authentic taste of tiny-living at Live a Little Chatt.
The Experience
Opened in late September, Live a Little Chatt features four tiny homes, each with its own unique aesthetics and name. There is Bedrock Cave at 500 square feet, Old Blue Chair at 192 square feet, Shangri-Little, also at 192 square feet, and Wandering Gypsy at 126 square feet - which was mine for the night.
Any of the homes may be reserved through Airbnb, an online marketplace that lets members list or rent vacation homes. Check-in time is 4 p.m. EST or later. Check-out is 11 a.m.
I turned onto Live a Little's long, bumpy gravel drive about an hour before sunset. Located in Wildwood, Georgia, the property is a mere 20-minute drive from downtown Chattanooga, but when the treeline at last fell away, I felt as if I'd been transported to a remote, almost mystical land. To my left, Lookout Mountain loomed like a sleeping beast. Nestled to my right was a row of elf-like homes.
Brian Morris, who co-founded Live a Little with Joe Curro, pulled into the parking lot a minute later and offered me a tour of the homes. All were booked that night, but I was the first to arrive. When guests contact him for a reservation, Morris told me, he tries to assess their level of interest in tiny-living. For those truly considering a downsize, he saves plenty of time to meet them and answer all their questions. But regardless of a person's purpose for visiting Live a Little, he is always ready with a recommendation on where to dine:
"Canyon Grill on Lookout Mountain. Five-star dining, but you can wear jeans," Morris said as he led me to the Wandering Gypsy. Then, he excused himself, letting me begin to settle into my tiny digs for the night.
The Tiny Home
The Wandering Gypsy smells richly of cedar. It is made entirely out of recycled materials, Morris had told me. The rough-cut counter tops are made from a downed cedar tree. The curtains are made from scraps of burlap. The shower is a repurposed wine barrel.
The interior of the home is narrow like a hallway. Just beyond the front door, a set of steep steps climb into the A-frame sleeping loft where a full-sized mattress awaits. To the right of the door is a sitting nook lined with cushy pillows. Pushed flat against one wall is a collapsible table. On the opposite wall there is a built-in micro fridge and freezer and a convection oven. The kitchen counter runs half the length of the tiny home and is set with a two-burner electric stove, coffee pot, basket of utensils and a 10.5-gallon galvanized tub which serves as the only sink in the house. The bathroom, tucked beneath the loft, has space only for a toilet and that small shower.
I was struck most not by what the space lacked, but rather by what I found in abundance: personalized details - a complimentary bottle of merlot atop that collapsible table; a s'mores kit with graham crackers, marshmallows and Reese's cups; a handwritten note on a piece of scrap wood that read "Sunny! Enjoy your stay!"
Determined to get to those s'mores, I started dinner (grilled cheeses) - which was when I first became aware of my home's true tininess. I bounced from foot to foot, searching for open counter space for both my ingredients and my plate. A butter knife on the counter suddenly felt like too much clutter.
It was a big tiny-life lesson: Deal with your mess before it gets out of hand.
After dinner, I poured a glass of wine and climbed into the sitting nook. Lookout Mountain had disappeared into the black night sky. The land was quiet, save for the occasional crunching of gravel as more neighbors arrived. Sitting alone inside my tiny home, Live a Little's sense of community was palpable. I guessed that if I wanted company, I would need only to step outside and wait for another guest to emerge from his or her home.
A little while later, when I carried my glass of wine and s'mores kit onto the front porch, I found that to be true.
The Tiny Things
Of course, every visitor will have a difference experience at Live a Little. That is part of its magic.
For those looking to have a contemplative night alone, I'd recommend the Wandering Gypsy. For those looking to have a more festive time, I'd recommend bringing a buddy and booking one of the bigger homes.
In addition to the quiet hours I spent inside my home cooking, reading or strumming my ukulele, my experience also included a shared campfire with a few of my neighbors: a travel-blogger from Kentucky and a local hang-glider couple kicking off their trip to New Zealand. Morris even joined us, helping instruct us on how to make the perfect s'more.
"You've never had a s'more till you've had one with a Reese's cup," Morris told us. Overhead, the sky twinkled. Orion's Belt appeared over Lookout Mountain like a string of diamonds.
Just as with the homes themselves, it was quite literally the tiny things that made my trip truly one-of-a-kind.
Sometime before midnight, I said goodnight and headed inside. I brushed my teeth alongside my dirty wine glass and changed into my pajamas in the middle of the kitchen. And as I climbed into the bed loft, I thought, "I could live in one of these."