As we’ve published a couple of tiny architecture and interior projects this week, here are all our stories about micro homes. See more micro homes »
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micro homes appeared first on Dezeen.
A jumble of wooden boxes provide a compact storage solution in this São Paulo micro apartment by Brazilian architect Alan Chu (+ slideshow).
In an attempt to save space, Alan Chu confined all the storage to a single wall, with an entertainment system in crate-like boxes at one end and kitchen cupboards that swing or slide open at the other.
“The idea is to use a single element to organise the space of the small apartment with an area of 36-square-metres, distributed over two floors,” he told Dezeen.
Red surfaces inside the pinewood units match the scarlet fridge and rug, the only colour in the otherwise monochrome and wood interior.
“The apartment is the temporary residence of a recently divorced young businessman and the decor plays with the transience of the moment: a time of changes, improvisation and reorganisation,” Chu said.
White tiles laid in a brickwork pattern cover three walls of the lower floor while the fourth is taken up by floor-to-ceiling windows.
A large sofa bed beneath the double-height portion of the apartment takes up the majority of the floor space, though there is also room for a small table and chairs.
A black metal staircase spirals up to the mezzanine through another wooden box that sits opposite the bathroom, tucked in one corner and surrounded by dark walls.
Black is also used for the wall behind the bed, the only item of furniture on the glass-edged balcony apart from a chair and a wall-mounted lamp.
Dark wood covering the ceiling below is also laid on the mezzanine floor and glass panels form balustrades that help retain an open feeling.
Last year we posted a secret tea shop hidden behind rolling, swinging and sliding walls that Chu also designed.
This isn’t the smallest home we’ve written about. Previously we featured Renzo Piano’s tiny wooden cabin at the Vitra Campus for one inhabitant and a mini prefabricated guest house that gets delivered by helicopter.
Photos are by Djan Chu.
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Alan Chu appeared first on Dezeen.
This micro house in Beijing by Chinese architect Liu Lubin comprises three cross-shaped modules that can be flipped around to turn a living room into an office or bathroom (+ slideshow).
Designed as both architecture and furniture, the modules are constructed to a minimum size with just enough room for sitting, sleeping or preparing food.
The cross-shaped profile creates worktops along two edges of the space, while square windows hinge open at either end and double up as entrances.
Studio Liu Lubin used a fibre-reinforced foam composite for the structure of the modules, making them light enough to lift. This allows residents to rotate the rooms if they need to swap simple shelves for a desk or sink.
The three modules of this house contain a bedroom, a bathroom and a small office. Lubin explains that more could be grouped together to make larger dwellings, or even neighbourhoods.
The modules are designed to fit neatly into shipping containers and can transported to different locations. Their minute size also allows them to bypass current restrictions governing private homes in China.
Lubin developed the concept as part of a research project at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Other small modular homes featured on Dezeen include a one-person cabin by Renzo Piano and a tiny floating house. See more micro homes.
Here’s a project description from Liu Lubin:
Micro House in Tsinghua
The Micro House is based on the minimum space people need for basic indoor movement, such as sitting, laying and standing. The form of the Micro House is designed to act as a combination of furniture and architecture elements.
When being rotated, the unit of the Micro House will shift its space which contains all kinds of housing activities, such as resting, working, washing and cooking, etc.
The Micro House units can not only be used as single-function rooms, but also can be grouped together as a housing suite, or even residential cluster.
The main material of the Micro House is the fibre-reinforced foam composite structure, which is light but strong. In this case, the Micro House unit can be easily lift and assembled by hand. For the convenience of transportation and replacement, the size of the unit is designed as the size of containers.
The Micro House makes it possible for people to have private housing product under current Chinese land policy.
Project: Micro House in Tsinghua
Location: Beijing
Designer: Studio Liu Lubin
Project Team: Liu Lubin, Wang Lin, Weng Jia, Wang Xiaofeng, Wan Li, Liang YIfan, Zhao Ye
Constructor: Architectural Design & Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO.LTD, Nanjing University Of Technology Advanced Engineering Composites Research Centre
Structure Type: fibre-reinforced foam composite structure
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by Studio Liu Lubin appeared first on Dezeen.
Microhomes and creatively built small spaces are becoming more popular in recent times, particularly in places like Japan, Germany, British Columbia, and Poland. Some are as large as 300 square feet, but others are considerably smaller, as tiny as 46 square feet.
Remember the story NPR ran about the Keret House, a very cozy home (by American standards) wedged between two other buildings? The project has been completed (and was built off site as the space was too narrow for construction):
Image credit: Yahoo Homes
Extremely small homes along with compact work spaces seem to be cropping up in New York City, as well. Interior designer, Kittie Lonsdale, not only lives in tiny home, but also specializes in designing them for others. Here, she is in her kitchen, which comes equipped with a slide-out hot plate and refrigerator that’s 19 inches wide:
Image credit: New York Post
You might think that microhomes wouldn’t be as popular as they are because choices for storing things inside them are so significantly limited. However, small spaces may appeal to one’s creative sensibilities and a desire to simplify. Though the majority of us don’t live in tiny homes, we can use some of the small-home concepts to maximize the spaces where we do live.
You don’t have to live in a microhome to creatively store and easily access your most prized (or used) items. You probably wouldn’t have to use every available spot for storage, but you can be more purposeful about keeping your belongings to a reasonable number. Leaving things hanging about (like laundry or paper files) could quickly get out of control in a tiny home or office, so you’re more likely to put things away as a regular practice. Why not keep that same mindset in a larger space?
I suspect that living in a tiny home would make it a bit trickier to entertain, too. On the flip side, not having a large living space would also mean having less stuff (glassware, party supplies) to store and maintain. How many cocktail napkins and special silverware do you really need? And, while a glide out stove may not be necessary, glide out shelves in your kitchen, bathroom, or closet can help you easily reach the things you need when you need them. You can take the DIY route and install them yourself (check out the roll-out cabinet drawers at the Container Store) or have them professionally put in by a company like Shelf Genie.
Image credit: Container Store
While living in a microhome is not for everyone (myself included), the practice of keeping and using what you need and have room for may help you maintain your home more efficiently so you can spend time doing the things you love.
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