Our home away from home: a tiny house in Flat Rock, North Carolina.
When you wait ’til the last minute to make hotel or B&B reservations wherever there’s a huge festival, you just may be out of luck. And we were. No rooms in Hendersonville, North Carolina, during Apple Festival 2016. Sold out. Nothing much on any of the tried-and-true websites we rely on for lodging.
Another tiny home in Village of Wildflowers — Flat Rock, NC
And that’s when we got creative. Somehow we stumbled upon the Village of Wildflowers in nearby Flat Rock. Nice website. Lovely photos. Tiny houses. That’s right — those adorable tiny houses that you see on HGTV’s Tiny House Hunters. We signed up and stayed in a tiny house called Lake View.
Fully-equipped kitchen in a rentable tiny house in Flat Rock.
Our 400-square-foot tiny home offered more than ample accommodations for three nights. Immediately, we loved the open living room with natural pine walls and all the amenities you’d want in a compact space: sofa, two chairs, bar with pull-up stools, fully-equipped kitchen, fireplace, and big flat-screen TV.
One corner of the living room with fireplace and TV — visible from kitchen.
The master bedroom was another study in usable space: queen bed with storage underneath, book shelves on either side of the bed, and a wardrobe with hanging space and deep drawers.
Plenty of storage in this comfortable, compact master bedroom.
No compromises on the bathroom either: full tub with shower and lots of lighted spaces.
Bathroom with granite counter tops, good lighting, and both tub and shower
Pocket doors kept everything private but stayed out of the way.
Pocket doors, ample storage in tiny house in Flat Rock
Loft space (accessible by ladder in the living room) held another queen bed in a spacious carpeted area. We didn’t venture up there except to peek in, but we knew at first glance that kids would love this space!
A screened-in porch with four chairs offered a view of the lake and a quiet place to read. But we also discovered something else hidden away behind closed doors on the porch: a compact washer and dryer. Handy, to say the least.
Screened-in porch holds 4 chairs. Hidden away behind doors is the washer and dryer.
The Village of Wildflowers has both permanent residents and rental homes in this tiny house subdivision where variety in design and building materials ensure that no two are alike.
Open for inspection was an even tinier house, suitable for toting behind a vehicle if the owners wanted to be on the move.
For us, staying in a tiny house has its advantages: We were in one place for three days of exploring western North Carolina, we “cooked in” a couple of nights, and we gave up nothing in terms of accommodations.
Living room and kitchen view of Lake View, a tiny house in Flat Rock
We’re convinced that there may be more of these tiny house communities on the way in America, and, as an alternative to our usual hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, our tiny house stay felt like an adventure, one worth trying.
What about you? Think you’d enjoy a tiny house vacation?
For more information:
Village of Wildflowers, 24 Empire Lane, Flat Rock, NC 28731; 828-707-0969. info@thevillageofwildflowers.com; http://thevillageofwildflowers.com/