When your house is only 350 square feet everything you bring inside—from the toaster to the sofa—makes a big impact on the design. Taylor, Meghan, their 5th grade daughter Quinn, and dog Phoebe discovered this when they moved into their “tiny home on wheels” that sits in a Southwest Portland backyard. The family’s new home was built for them by Tru Form Tiny, a building company from Eugene, which allowed Taylor and Meghan to customize nearly every element of their small space.

When you walk into the home a brightly colored custom Sterling sofa from Perch Furniture is the center of the living space. The family collectively decided on the beautiful turquoise color. “Luckily it works for all three of us, but Quinn was the one who drove it the most. The sofa was a family decision, but she got to weigh in more on the color,” explains Taylor.

The family couldn’t buy any old sofa from a regular shop because their couch needs to sit on top of the trailer’s wheel-well to save space. So, they chose to work with local custom furniture store, Perch Furniture, to design a sofa that perfectly fits in its allotted spot. Extra-tall front legs and adjusted dimensions allow the full-size sofa to provide plenty of seating while maximizing space. “We didn’t want to put it in front of the wheel-well because we’d lose too much space,” Taylor explains. With a kid, a dog, and a small space, choosing a durable and stain resistant fabric was also key. Perch helped guide Taylor and Meghan towards a fabric that met those requirements and added a great pop of color to their bright, light space.

The Perch sofa is at the heart of the tiny home, in the main living space that also includes a full kitchen and a collapsible multi-purpose table. Quinn has her own private bedroom at the top of the staircase, while pocket doors can be closed to separate the main floor bedroom from the living area. “It’s really fun when you’re inside and the doors are shut because it feels really cozy,” says Taylor. Lots of natural light and little bedside shelves that the couple added make the main floor bedroom an enjoyable, usable space for the entire family.

Climb a ladder to the “bonus loft” and look back down at the living area from a sweet vantage point. “It’s our relaxation space. We have all of our books up there, and a beanbag and a hammock.

We asked Taylor and Meghan to fill us in on what it’s like living in a small space:

Describe your home in three words.

Tiny, functional and comfortable.

When I'm on my sofa, I'm usually _____.

Snuggling, watching TV, and being comfortable!

What's the element of your home that you love most?

Being able to make sure we only have what we need; being minimalistic. If it doesn’t have a place, then it can’t come in the house.

How have you incorporated your favorite color into your space?

If you took a cross section of all three of us, turquoise is the one color we all agree on! But in general, blues and bluish-greens are our favorites. When we decided to keep everything else in the house white, our compromise was to get a really fun color for the sofa.

What is next on your home's wish list?

It would be amazing to get something made for under the sofa that would be multi-use and work as a coffee table.

Why did you choose Perch?

We were pretty burnt after our first foray into finding someone to make a custom couch (with another local vendor), but our experience in the show room with Quinn acting crazy and Amelia being so patient was great. It worked out really well—we were really impressed with the customer service at Perch and their willingness to guide us.

Perch Furniture is located in The Pearl and they love helping people design their dream sofas! Schedule a free virtual design consultation or chat with one of their designers by visiting them online.