You already know that I am a big fan of minimalist design, especially in tiny houses. The two go together like bread and butter; each makes the best use of what the other has to offer. Minimalism maximizes space, and tiny houses utilize the best elements of minimalist to their fullest. Nothing is wasted.
One tiny house by Atelierworkshop which makes great use of those design principles is the “Port-a-Bach.” This tiny house is made out of an up-cycled container—and it looks like a total dream to live in.
Even though this house is very small, it has room for two adults and two children to live and sleep comfortably. It can be folded up in a steel shell for transport, and unfolded at a vacation site. When it is unfolded, the shell forms a deck, which provides more space. The deck can be screened off using an exterior canvas system.
One wall is comprised largely of glass doors. Some of the other walls can be opened up as well to flood the home with fresh air and light. In this shot, you can see some of the storage compartments. Note also the brilliant idea of expanding the living space with outdoor seating. I’d love to know exactly how that fits together and how it folds up when the wall is pulled back up. But it looks very cool in any case.
This looks like such a cozy place to read a book surrounded by the beauty of nature! If you ever wished there were a way to be both indoors and outdoors at the same time, this is as close to that as I think probably exists.
The house contains all the amenities you need for comfortable living, including a stainless steel kitchen and a bathroom complete with a composting toilet, sink and shower. Fabric screens can be used indoors to divide up the space if needed for privacy.
The unit features six concrete footings. These can be set up to create a foundation for the house. This helps to reduce environmental impact while keeping the house stable.
The Port-A-Bach is actually a prototype, not a finished product. In fact, this particular house resides now in the Puke Ariki Museum in New Plymouth, where it is on permanent exhibit.
If you do love this house and want to order one like it, the company is willing to accept commissions for similar structures. Learn more about Port-A-Batch on Atelierworkshop. If you look under “Residential” on the menu on the left, you will also see an entire category of small houses. All are well worth checking out, so enjoy!
