Bear Hugs This Cornellian Couple Is Living Large—In Their ‘Tiny House’ The two CALS grads have embraced a minimalist lifestyle in a 19th-century log cabin in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley “Bear Hugs” celebrates heartwarming stories of Cornellians on the Hill and around the world. Have an idea? Email us at cornellians@cornell.edu! By Joe Wilensky For the past seven years, one Cornellian couple has packed a lot of living into their tiny house, a 20-by-15-foot log cabin in rural Virginia. The kitchen’s diminutive dimensions allow for a compact dishwasher, an undersized fridge, a four-burner range, a mounted microwave, modest cabinet space, and a sliver of countertop. A small bathroom with a stall shower is tucked into a corner, and shelving for books and supplies is nestled into nooks throughout the home. The cabin’s bathroom and kitchen are both compact, with storage space at a premium. Upstairs, a half loft just fits a queen bed, with stashed storage underneath a custom-made frame and a small clothing rack serving as a closet. The living room feels almost spacious—filled with light and populated by a couch, a coffee table, a fireplace, and potted plants cascading leafy shoots off the mantle and alongside windows. It’s all tucked into a snug 450 square feet—and owners Michael Oak ’07, MPS ’09, and Jen Riley ’09, BS ’08, wouldn’t have it any other way. ProvidedA bird’s-eye view of the property. “We’re both a bit reserved and introverts by nature, and we have jobs where we’re speaking to and seeing people,” explains Oak. “So coming home recharges us; it lets us relax and not be surrounded by all the noise and bustle.” Coming home recharges us; it lets us relax and not be surrounded by all the noise and bustle. Michael Oak ’07, MPS ’09 Oak has delved into the history of the cabin—located in the Shenandoah Valley town of Berryville in the state’s northern tip, five miles from West Virginia—through online research, county historical records and surveys, and aerial photographs. Once part of a much larger homestead, in more recent decades it was used as an artist’s and writer’s retreat. “We think it was originally built in the mid-1800s,” Oak says, pointing out irregular vertical ridges on the interior logs. “These are all hand-hewn; nothing was machined.” The tiny home, which Oak and Riley purchased in 2019, has been renovated and modernized several times over the generations—though a six-by-six-foot laundry room, added by a prior owner, is the only alteration to the original footprint. ProvidedThe logs show evidence of being hand-hewn. The pair had met on the Hill as members of Alpha Zeta, the co-ed honorary fraternity for students in agriculture and the life sciences, and started dating after college. Riley, an animal science major, went on to Tufts for a DVM. Oak, who majored in statistics and biometry, now works in compensation consulting. Northern Virginia beckoned when Riley was hired as director and vet at a wildlife center, and the couple initially purchased a four-bedroom, three-bath home. ProvidedAs friends on campus in 2006. “As a house, it was fine,” Riley says. “But I’d get frustrated that I’d have to clean rooms that nobody had gone into in the past year. It just seemed so wasteful. I wanted less space.” Meanwhile, they’d begun watching “Tiny House, Big Living” on HGTV, and occasionally browsing Zillow. “And then this cabin came up for sale,” Oak recalls, “just a few miles down the road.” The upstairs comprises a half-loft … … which offers a view of the living room. Oak and Riley initially treated the house as a staycation destination, but found themselves spending more and more time there, ultimately deciding to downsize. “We had bought so much new stuff just to fill that larger house,” Riley says, “so there wasn’t an attachment to it.” A six-by-six-foot laundry room, added by a prior owner, is the only alteration to the cabin’s original footprint. They’ve since made some improvements, including adding mini-split heating and cooling units. A tiny shed, which they installed on the grounds and electrified, serves as both a separate office space and a guest bedroom. The cabin sits on a three-acre parcel, surrounded by woodland. “This forested area has so many types of birds,” Riley observes. “We have great crested flycatchers and yellow-billed cuckoo nests. We also see cottontails, opossums, and more. I love having that.” This forested area has so many types of birds. We have great crested flycatchers and yellow-billed cuckoo nests. We also see cottontails, opossums, and more. Jen Riley ’09, BS ’08 The couple has even enjoyed being immersed in nature when it follows them indoors. Soon after moving in, they found that several four- to six-foot-long rat snakes were drawn to their tiny utility closet in the colder months. providedRat snakes occasionally hang out in the utility closet. The reptiles would hang out along the pipes and cables and occasionally venture further into the house looking for snacks—offering natural rodent control. “In the spring, they start to come out and get more active,” Oak notes, “so we encourage them to go outside.” (All images by Joe Wilensky / Cornell University, unless otherwise indicated.) Published October 9, 2026 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. 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