Some want to reduce their impact on the environment. Others say they just want to save money or be more mobile. Whatever the reason, more and more people are embracing the idea of living in significantly smaller homes. But while “tiny houses” might be trendy nationwide, they’ve actually been a part of the south Louisiana landscape since the days of the shotgun house. And the latest local iterations offer both contemporary features and a nod to our region’s architectural heritage.

“It’s a lot easier to design a powerful project when it’s small,” says architect Stephen Atkinson of his 1999 creation, the “Zachary House.” As Ashley Nichols Guttoso writes in the article “Small homes, big dreams” in inRegister’s October 2015 issue, Atkinson earned major national acclaim for his unique 550-square-foot design set on his parents’ wooded property in Zachary. Now a growing number of local architects, designers and dreamers are following in Atkinson’s footsteps and hoping that other Baton Rougeans will catch on.

Read the full feature article here.