| Yhteenveto: | The aim of this research is to introduce people living in tiny homes in Finland and their
consumption practices. Housing and household consumption are among the major contributors
of greenhouse gas emissions in Finland. Housing itself, energy consumption, furnishing,
household equipment, consumer goods and services contribute significantly to climate change
and environmental degradation. Tiny homes, on the other hand, can offer a more sustainable
solution to housing. Despite their recent popularity, the academic literature on the topic is
scarce and limited, especially on tiny homes in Finland. While some of the research shows how
energy use and construction materials decrease in smaller dwellings, there is limited research on
tiny home dwellers’ experiences and their consumption practices.
The thesis uses Bardhi and Eckhardt’s (2017) framework of liquid consumption to
understand dwellers’ relationship to possessions and their homes and why they choose to live in
tiny homes. The framework is often used to explain how and why modern consumption has
changed. For the study, six people from different households in Finland were interviewed and
the data was presented with the help of narrative analysis – a method of qualitative research. An
observation was conducted to support the primary data.
The analysis showed that despite some challenges faced, the tiny home dwellers narrated
their experiences as a positive housing solution. The tiny homes freed the interviewees from a
big loan and decreased their expenses; provided possibilities for mobility; allowed the dwellers
to be more creative; reduced the amount of material possessions and provided the dwellers with
feelings of safety and security. The results also showed that the dwellers’ relationship to
possessions and their homes were in the middle point between liquid and solid consumption,
and even though their attitude to their home was enduring and for some interviewees
ownership-based, tiny homes still provided them with a lifestyle they might not have been able
to access otherwise. Tiny homes can offer a more affordable way of living, which may be better
for people and the planet. More research on tiny homes could help in learning how to make tiny
spaces more attractive, more functional and more sustainable. Increased knowledge on the
carbon footprint of tiny homes and their dwellers would help to develop a more sustainable
approach to housing and household consumption.
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