- Nikky de Graaf, 30, moved to the countryside to live in a cottage on her parents’ land.
- She tried to live in the city during university but felt it was too expensive and stressful.
- She spent $3,000 to set up the tiny home and doesn’t feel like she is missing out on big-city life.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nikky de Graaf, a 30-year-old photographer and YouTube content creator living in the Netherlands. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I’ve lived in the countryside for most of my life. I was born in a very small town, with a population of around 1,500 people. The school I went to only had 90 students across eight grades.
I was always curious about what living in the city would be like. When I was 20, I finally had the chance to move to Utrecht — a city that’s just a 25-minute train ride from Amsterdam — for university.
There, about 45 minutes away from my hometown, I lived in an old apartment building on a busy street. My room was around 160 square feet, and I shared the kitchen and bathroom with other people on the same floor.
The rent was 450 euros every month, and that was almost 10 years ago. I’m sure prices have gone up like crazy since then. Most of the other tenants in the building were students like me, but there were some working professionals too.
I only lasted a couple of months before I moved out
I couldn’t really afford my rent, and I really disliked the stress of the city. It was always busy and full of people and sounds — I couldn’t relax.
My parents had divorced just before I went to university, and once I moved out of that tiny room, I ended up living with my dad for a few years, about 20 minutes outside Utrecht.
My mother had remarried, and around the time I graduated in 2020 with a degree in photography and communications, she and my stepdad were looking to move to a larger property in the countryside.
They wanted enough space so that my grandmother could live with them. They asked my brother and me if we wanted to move in, too, and we both accepted the offer.
But I still wanted to retain some of my independence
My brother and I chose to live in our own cottages on their land.
I searched for a cheap, moveable cottage online, and found one for sale a few hours away from where we live. I paid 1,500 euros, or $1,660, for it. It wasn’t in the best state and needed a lot of work, but I didn’t have much money, so the cheaper, the better.
I spent another €1,250 to get it moved onto the land by a professional company that moves tiny houses.
I started living in it right away, when I had no water or electricity, with just a mattress and nothing else. But it was an amazing experience.
It took me a few months to get the place into shape. Now, it has everything I need: a toilet, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and living room. The whole cottage measures about 355 square feet and is made from wood.
With help from my dad and brother, I built a deck out front so I could have more outdoor living space.
My cottage is at the far end of the property, nestled under tall trees beside a pond. It has a beautiful view of the surrounding fields, and I really love it.
We have a very small farmers’ town and some smaller cities nearby. Depending on the traffic, the larger cities are about 40 minutes to an hour away.
My routine varies from day to day
Most of my income comes from doing advertising photography for companies, along with stock photography and videography.
Since I started my YouTube channel, my daily routine has been a bit more focused on farm work since I film those projects for my channel.
I’m trying to grow my YouTube channel. Maybe one day it will be big enough to be my main source of income, but for now, that’s not the case.
My mornings typically start with waking up and taking care of the animals. We have chickens, horses, pigs, dogs, and cats.
I take on projects to help maintain the property, such as gathering firewood for winter, or building and fixing animal enclosures. I love working with my hands.
I see my mom almost every day; sometimes, I just walk over to her house to say hi. I also spend time with my grandmother; she is getting older, and I’d like to be around if she needs my help.
There is enough distance between my cottage and the house that we don’t see each other if we don’t want to, but of course, it’s nice to interact regularly.
I don’t feel like I’m missing out on big-city life
We have an amazing relationship with our closest neighbors. When the power goes out, everybody gathers around to see if anyone needs help. I think that’s amazing.
I can go out to eat, and I love to do that with friends, we just have to travel a bit further. And maybe we don’t have as many options as you might find in the city, but that doesn’t really matter.
I catch up with friends from university around two to three times a year when I go to Amsterdam since that’s where they live now.
I have some childhood friends who live in the countryside near me, and I see them about twice a month.
I love this life, and I don’t really miss out on any of the city activities, because living in the countryside gives me so many other things to enjoy.
In hindsight, I don’t think I ever really saw myself living in the city anyway, since I’ve always wanted to be close to nature.
I love where I live now, but I would like to see more of the world. I think it might be possible for me to move to another country one day and live in the countryside there. I don’t think I will settle in another city.
