The Tale of Big Tiny: Realising an Expansive Vision through Compact Designs

The Big Tiny story started in 2016, during Adrian’s family trip along Australia’s iconic Great Ocean Road. As his family journeyed through the coastal vistas and rural retreats, an idea began to take shape: What if this sense of calmness could be made accessible to others, anywhere in the world through sustainable and mobile living?

Upon returning to Singapore, Adrian shared his idea with two long-time friends and soon-to-be co-founders at Big Tiny, Dave Ng and Jeff Yeo, both former Singapore Army and Navy scholars respectively. Together, they envisioned crafting tiny houses on wheels that would bring this same restorative clarity to others while simultaneously empowering communities.

A Product Designed for Shared Success

Big Tiny was officially launched in 2017. Its product derives from a simple concept which made perfect sense—travel and leave a positive impact on a place and its people.

The founders believe that the modern life-style, for all its conveniences, often distracts people from the basics—nature, simplicity and meaningful moments. With that, its brand mandate is centred around helping people to reconnect with themselves and nature.

The company and its products are defined by three robust core values:

These values are woven into the very fabric of a Big Tiny experience, from the layout of a tiny house to the way it partners with landowners and communities. Ultimately, the brand doesn’t just offer accommodation—it’s a chance to pause, reflect and return to what’s essential.

As a proud pioneer in this niche eco-tourism space, Big Tiny designs, builds and manages eco-conscious tiny houses on underutilised lands—transforming idle plots into revenue-generating destinations. These tiny homes are then placed within its Tiny Away web platform (tinyaway.com) for bookings, alongside 11 other online travel sites.

But the company doesn’t do it alone, of course, as it involves strategic partners along the process. Its ecosystem brings together landowners, tiny house buyers and travellers on a single beneficial model for all parties.

“Basically, there are three external core parties involved in the equation with us being the linchpin that pulls together everyone. Let’s say you own a piece of land which you don’t have any plans for but is the perfect spot for our tiny houses. So, hosting a tiny house on your land naturally unlocks a revenue stream for you while guests can have access to a unique, nature-immersive stay. The landowners are not the only income earners; a tiny house buyer too can earn passive income through our tiny house sale and management programme,” explained Adrian.

As for Big Tiny, it holds critical roles for its end-to-end capability—from land activation to architectural design to operations—the company’s full-stack solution gives it greater control over quality, scalability and sustainability. Big Tiny’s position as a curator of experiences evokes emotional resonance for guests, backed by operational efficiency and proven returns. This is what truly sets Big Tiny’s unique selling proposition.

Apart from being positioned as an accommodation, tiny houses too can function as:

Tiny Houses Everywhere! 

Since its first in Australia, Big Tiny is gradually taking over the globe, despite its business being disrupted during the pandemic. Today, the brand operates in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, China and Europe, building a thriving ecosystem and establishing itself as a key player in the alternative accommodation space. In many ways, Big Tiny has exceeded its initial expectations for brand traction, buyer interest and global reach.

Scattered across 19 countries, each market presents its own unique landscape and audience for the tiny home experience:

Additionally for this year, its footprint continues to expand with profound milestones achieved during the first half of 2025. Big Tiny has entered the China market beginning with Guangzhou, on top of enhancing its portfolio in Australia, raising its profile in Taiwan and Singapore’s Mandarin-speaking communities. Each presence and initiative are a bold move reaffirming the borderless resonance of sustainable, experiential-led travel.

Its official presence in China as one of Asia’s most dynamic tourism markets has generated strong traction through its tiny house owner-ship programme, and the brand is preparing for Shenzhen next.

Juggling Dream and Reality 

Establishing Big Tiny came with its fair share of obstacles. While the concept made perfect sense, it was anyhow, one that was still nascent.

Adrian reveals its biggest road-block, “Convincing both ends of the spectrum—landowners and travellers—to embrace a new way of experiencing nature through compact homes on wheels against the backdrop of remote landscapes. As an unconventional and almost un-heard-of concept, it demanded persistence, thoughtful education and clear articulation of our vision to gain trust and build traction”.

It also stretched logistical capabilities as Big Tiny needed to source sustainable materials and design both on- and off-grid systems, all while ensuring regulatory compliance across different countries was met.

“With a problem-solving mindset, we undertook the strategy of engaging partnerships. Supported by the right parties, we were able to scale our vision—from securing scenic plots, refining operations, increasing footprints and delivering nature-based stays that integrate and balance eco-conscious values with comfort and accessibility,” said Adrian.

More importantly, Big Tiny resiliently kept to its belief that it wasn’t just building tiny houses, instead it is essentially reshaping human-nature interaction, one stay at a time. Naturally, this belief continues to drive the brand forward today.

The Next Big Tiny Stride

The future is promising, as the company believes that eco-conscious travel will shift from doing less harm to actively giving back.

“Our guests will continue seeking regenerative experiences that will positively impact local ecosystems and communities, and this movement is likely to grow amongst the travel community,” explained Adrian.

Big Tiny foresees travellers expecting:

With its projection, Big Tiny is adopting a ‘living lab’ model to stay at the forefront of its game. This model is propelled by piloting various environmental technology solutions, circular material construction and AI-powered guest experience platforms.

Additionally, it continues to forge strategic alliances with conservation groups and smart-tech startups to co-create the next generation of tiny house modules that are not just low in impact but ultimately net positive.

At the end of the day, by continuously iterating on de-sign, embedding real-time sustainability and amplifying local community benefits, Big Tiny is positive that the brand will lead the transformation from eco-friendly stays to re-generative travel destinations.

For more information on Big Tiny, visit www.bigtiny.com.my.

This article is featured as the Cover Story for The SmartInvestor’s September/October 2025 issue.