Minimaliste tiny houses are minimal on space but maximize beauty and functionality. The tiny house we want to share with you now is the Noyer. Minimaliste worked closely with the client in California who commissioned the home to customize it to his needs.
The house measures 30’ x 10.5’ for a total of 331 square feet of space. The builder writes, “This house is quite different from our previous projects on many levels, including the roof slope and the bedroom layout. This unit, just like all of our houses, is meant to perform as well in a Californian climate as in a northern climate such as Quebec.”
Some of the differences in design are visible from the exterior, which stands out as unique among Minimaliste’s facades. Rather than the usual combination of vertical and horizontal eastern cedar cladding in different colors which you see on the builder’s other homes, all of the cedar cladding on this house appears to be horizontal. Around the top are vertical charcoal-colored steel siding panels.
It was the client who suggested the different approach to the exterior design, including the more “dynamic” roof slope. To me it looks like that roof should do a nice job shedding precipitation.
Perhaps this is why it has formed such neat icicles here.
The builder describes the tiny house’s interior as feeling like “being in a small apartment. Indeed, the layout of the different areas creates a different feeling than in our previous models. Even without separations, the disposition of the elements creates the effect of distinct living areas, looking like a small open-plan dwelling. The general appearance is very warm, due to the different colors used for wood and other materials. As you can see in the pictures, the wood is clearly in the spotlight in this house!”
The living room is on a raised platform above the level of the kitchen, which creates the impression of “distinct living areas.” A couch is situated across from a TV screen which is at a perfect viewing height.
Above are some lovely custom shelves which complement the wood throughout the home.
From the living room, this is the view looking out into the kitchen and beyond toward the loft and the bathroom below it. You can see how the kitchen feels like a different space than the living room even though they are connected because of the difference in height. Also, notice how the angling of the ceiling makes the room seemed to open up in the center. Overhead lights are installed along the length of the ceiling on both sides to ensure that the space is evenly lit.
In the kitchen, there is a dishwasher drawer, a propane cooktop, and an apartment-size fridge. Also, there is a spot where the owner of the home can set up a toaster oven. A large farmhouse sink makes a stylish statement, contrasting as it does with the elegant cabinets. Although they appear black in the photos, the builder says they actually are a dark shade of blue. The handles are copper. Both the shelves and the butcher block counter are made of walnut.
The builder writes, “The backsplash is unique, especially for the portion between the shelves; the pattern was generated from a photo of an antique vase that was bequeathed to our client by her grandmother. This particular touch makes this creation truly unique.”
What an amazing way for the client to honor his grandmother and her gift to him. His love of his family and his heritage literally is part of the walls of his home.
Across from the kitchen cabinets is a long window seat. Here we are looking back toward the living room so you can see how it fits in next to the kitchen.
The step up from the floor in the kitchen to the living room floor is a bit of a jump, so there is a removable step which can be placed on the floor to make it easy to walk up to the living room. The reason it is removable is so that the storage spaces underneath the living room floor are accessible from the kitchen.
This is a really cool design because staggering the heights of the kitchen and the living room fulfills two functions simultaneously. It differentiates the spaces while also hiding a ton of storage.
This first photo of the bathroom is shot from a somewhat unusual angle. We are looking through the glass of the shower stall on the left through to the vessel sink and toilet.
What is really cool is that the entire wall beside the toilet is cabinets and shelves, but there is also a combined washer and dryer machine. There truly is an astonishing amount of storage space in this little room.
Taking a couple of steps backward out of the bathroom door, you see how all that storage space was managed. It actually is combined into the storage steps that lead to the loft. It is kind of surprising that I have never seen this done before. Then again, I didn’t think of it either. Very clever!
The shower with its glass door measures 32 inches x 48 inches. I am not sure whether the walls are tiled or whether those are actually panels.
The composting toilet is manufactured by Separett. An exhaust fan is built into the room, and the cedar ceiling is stained and varnished, a good option for the humid environment.
Notice how the head of the bed in the loft is positioned right where the ceiling reaches its high point. That way the space feels nice and open above the bed, and offers you plenty of clearance for sitting upright if you like.
The bed itself is queen-size and has a table on either side built right into the loft wall. It is an interesting distinction in configuration, putting the head of the bed in this orientation. Usually, you see just the opposite, with the head of the bed facing the living room, not away from it.
The builder writes, “However, what makes this room so special is undoubtedly the platform next to the loft, offering the opportunity to change while standing in front of the wardrobe. Indeed, this feature greatly improves the functionality of the bedroom.”
It would be cool to be able to check out this feature, but it does not seem to be in any of the photos. It sounds like a big quality of life boost over what you see in many tiny houses.
If you like the Noyer, you can find out more about it by visiting its page on the Minimaliste website. On the site, you also can check out the rest of the builder’s portfolio or get in touch about buying your own tiny house. Please mention that itinyhouses.com referred you.