The reason we leave home in the first place is to simplify. We escape routine to focus on our surroundings, our hobbies, our hopes, our desires, and our sanity. Yet while tent camping provides you with your needs and resort life blesses you with your wants, tiny living offers the true balance. It’s cozy comfort that’s as simple as it is stylish, and your Getaway House of choice awaits you in a secret forest location outside New York and Boston.
Tiny Home Away From Home
This week’s #BirthdayBucketList is the embodiment of the “less is more” philosophy. Getaway House enables you to feel what it's like to move away from materialism without altogether abandoning it. Such a lifestyle would mean financial security, self-sufficiency, being friendlier to the environment, and, of course, lots of adventure.
Photos by BearWalk
Little Cabins, All the Amenities
Although smaller in size, each of the six getaways have a heater, a queen bed, a shower, an electric toilet, a full-size sink, kitchen utensils, pots and pans, and a two-burner stove. You’ll also find a small refrigerator in the New York cabins and a classic Coleman cooler in the Boston ones. Have all the comfort of home with all the simplicity.
The Feel-Good Getaway of the Year
By escaping to a Getaway House, you ease up on your carbon footprint. Tiny houses use less lumber to build and therefore creates less waste. Plus, less space to heat and cool results in reduced electricity and fuel use.
Escape to New York
In the serene woods of New York, where thin trees weave a lush green canopy with sunlight breaking through, sits three tiny getaways that are as retro as they are futuristic; each with contemporary wooden interiors, each with total solace, each with a different purpose.
For couples and artistic duos, The Eleanor (aka The Artist’s Escape) sleeps two and inspires the creative soul as an excuse to unplug with surrounding walks through the forest.
For family vacations and friendly outings, The Maisie (aka The Wooded Refuge) is a whimsical hangout that sleeps three and gets its guests back to basics with tiny dance parties and midnight campfires.
Photos by BearWalk
For group getaways, The Isidore (aka The Pine Lodge) sleeps four and puts your crew on the track for lazy mornings and silly evenings. Plus, it’s easily accessible for casual comings and goings.
The Great Woodland Spirits of Boston
As if the tranquility of the rural northeast wasn’t enough, the three tiny cabins outside of Boston are each tenderly named for beloved grandmothers. Their warm, generous energies are hopefully and gleefully relived in the cabins, each of which sit beneath open sky, surrounded by trees.
Named for "the most authentic person we ever knew,” The Clara (aka The Full-Time Hangout) sleeps four and carries the spirit of a naturalist at heart. This was a woman who taught her children the names of trees and flowers that surrounded them in the great outdoors.
Named for “a fiercely independent woman,” The Lorraine (aka The Writer’s Retreat) sleeps two and honors the class-act who never let a bad day get to her. Constantly composed and always kind, the one of a kind woman had a sly sense of humor you had to pay attention to catch.
Named for "the grandmother of any kid's dreams," The Ovida (aka The Bunkhouse Break) sleeps four and pays tribute to a woman who loved without limit, played solitaire, and taught the youngins how to cross-stitch. She also cooked up the meanest lefse in the Midwest.
Our Guide to the Good Life
As we at the Venue Report, along with the rest of the country, remain fascinated with downsizing from the pervasive "more is more" attitude, we had to track down Getaway House CEO Jon Staff and ask him about the cozy, peaceful life of "living tiny."
Words by Jon Staff, CEO of Getaway House, Photos by BearWalk
Give us some background on “Living Tiny” and Getaway House.
We fell in love with tiny houses because of the simplicity and freedom inherent to a smaller, mobile structure that is thoughtfully designed and built. We live in the city now, but love the country—where I grew up—and thought tiny houses had the ability to create low-impact easy escapes from the daily grind. We really built the company around something we wanted for ourselves—a quick, affordable way to escape to nature easily and do really nothing at all besides clear our minds.
Tell us a bit about how it started.
I have lived in a bunch of small spaces—on a boat, in an Airstream trailer, in the basement of a yogurt shop, and illegally in my college library, so tiny living connected with me as a way to shape life around experiences rather than things. Beyond connecting with it personally, Pete and I thought we could create a business around getting more folks into tiny houses and into nature, so we started the company.
What about the design? Any particularly beautiful design features that stand out?
The great thing about building tiny is that, because the footprint is so small, the ultimate cost is low, allowing investment in really high-quality materials. That said, we always err towards the simple and rustic. There is no plastic, sheetrock, or composites in our houses; just rough-cut shiplap pine, beautiful windows that bring nature in and the bare necessities.
What in particular do you think makes Getaway House ideal as a bucket list milestone birthday adventure?
Our lives are so fast and so busy, which is very exciting in many ways, but sometimes we just need to slow down and do nothing at all. What better time to stop and take a breath than on your birthday? A Getaway is especially good with a partner. There is something about being in nature with your cell phone locked up that allows conversation to flow more easily without the distractions of daily life.
Any fun stories to share as Getaway House came to life?
We've already had at least two engagements at Getaway (and maybe a couple of conceptions?). :)
Are there any insider tips for something that cannot be missed at Getaway House?
The main insider tip is simple: Don't plan. Try to embrace the adventure and spontaneity and see what happens when you have no plans.
Is there anything else you think our audience would want to know about Living Tiny or Getaway House?
Being in nature makes us more productive, creative, and happier. Going on a Getaway or away to nature in general isn't just a fun experience; it’s really important to our well-being. It’s so important that many doctors in Japan prescribe "forest bathing"—literally going to walk in a forest to cure ailments.
Americans waste 577 million vacation days a year—about a week per person!
So next time the digital grind wears on you, as you heave a sigh and stare out the window of a lonely office building or a car in traffic, find cheer in remembering there are tiny paradises hidden away from the world in the deepest of forests; each one a place you can be your best self. These are the tokens of knowledge that you cash in when your home, your job, and your life becomes too much and you need a Getaway, which makes it oh so very #birthdaybucketlist worthy.
Credits
Venue: Getaway House | Photos by BearWalk & Getaway House
