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Woman Gives Tour Of Her Tiny Victorian Home
I have never heard of a piano bed before, this is quite the interesting tour.
Jessica
08.11.20

Shorty Robbins loves participating in historical reenactments – and she’s been doing them since 1994.

Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube
Source:
Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube

In fact, it was one Civil War reenactment that led her to create and move into her very unique tiny home.

“We were at Olustee and it was raining and I was tired of having a wet tent. So my daughter showed me a tiny house on wheels that could be brought to the reenactments. I thought it was a great idea and I built my tiny house myself after attending workshops and viewing YouTube videos,” she told Florida NewsLine.

What started as a glorified tent turned into a full-time residence once Robbins realized how much she loved the cozy 125-square foot home.

In fact, in 2017, she decided to sell her large home and live in the tiny house permanently with her 2 dogs and 3 cats!

Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube
Source:
Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube

Now, housework takes her a mere 15 minutes!

Robbins named the home Mawaka, after the summer camp she attended as a child where she learned self-sufficiency.

Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube
Source:
Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube

At first, it was just the outside of the house that was going to look like a period piece, but as she began doing more research, she decided to make a go of it inside as well.

From her dutch door to her piano bed (yes, you heard that right!), this is one unique off-the-grid house.

Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube
Source:
Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube

The piano is playable and sleepable – and piano beds were genuinely a thing back in the Victorian period.

They even pre-date the Murphy bed!

Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube
Source:
Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube

After tracing out what she wanted on a sheet of graph paper years ago, Robbins ordered a kit from a tiny home maker and put it together with the help of about 30 people in her community.

Then she set about designing the inside, which includes wonderful little details like an authentic church window and wood floors of the correct historical width.

Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube
Source:
Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube

While a kitchen wouldn’t have been nestled inside a home this way in the Victorian period and Robbins does much of her cooking outside, a small cooking area was a must.

With just an icebox, hot plate, and convection over, she makes do and seems pretty happy with the setup. A little hidden sink and a pasta maker are also more modern luxuries.

Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube
Source:
Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube

And while an outhouse would have been more historically accurate, that’s just not practical when you’re on the move. So Robbins has a tiny RV wet bath that has a toilet and shower.

It’s not glamorous, but neither were the 1860s!

While a creatively repurposed dresser from her grandparents acts as both storage AND the stairs up to her loft, Robbins doesn’t sleep up there. That’s for visiting grandkids, guests, and pets.

Robbins’ amazing attention to detail is what makes her tiny house unique. And she wouldn’t trade her downsized lifestyle for anything.

While she had a mobile home to fall back on and stash her extra stuff for many years, Robbins transitioned to full-time tiny house living in 2018, getting rid of all of her excess belongings.

Now she’s basking in her clutter-free lifestyle.

Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube
Source:
Screenshot via Tiny House Giant Journey/YouTube

“So, the journey to tiny that started with a wet tent in February 2012, followed by a workshop with Jay Shafer in January 2013, a building party in June 2014, 3 years of construction, a ton of festivals, workshops and tiny talks that brought 200,000 visitors thru the door… got my head in the right place and has culminated in a month of true “going tiny”. November 2018. Done!”

Enjoy the tour of her tiny Victorian house tour below!

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