Houzz Tours
Tiny Houzz: Design Fundamentals Make Small-Scale Living Generous
Two graduate architects are loving life in a stylish and sub-tropical tiny house, complete with retractable bed and nifty storage solutions
Affordability, increasing floor areas, and environmental impact were the key factors of graduate architects Lara Nobel and Andrew Carter decision to build a contemporary tiny house on wheels.
Without compromising on modern comforts, the couple teamed up with builder Greg Thornton, to bring their incredible design to life. Having moved into their home just one month ago, the pair hope to introduce the tiny house movement to more Australians that are budget conscious and dream of owning their own home, or simply want the option of living off-grid.
Without compromising on modern comforts, the couple teamed up with builder Greg Thornton, to bring their incredible design to life. Having moved into their home just one month ago, the pair hope to introduce the tiny house movement to more Australians that are budget conscious and dream of owning their own home, or simply want the option of living off-grid.
Confining to 7.5 x 2.4 metres, with a narrow space and a small floor area, it was important that the tiny house felt spacious and generous. So the duo had to think of clever storage and layout.
A nifty feature the couple added to save on space is the retractable bed, designed and built with the help of the couple’s friend, Nathan Nostaw. The bed is an expensive optional extra, but certainly adds to the modern comforts of day-to-day living in a tiny house. By night, the remote-controlled hoist and track system that’s built into a full-height storage wall lowers the bed down to rest, turning the lounge room into a bedroom.
Lara stands in the kitchen, manning the retractable bed via remote
Lara stands in the kitchen, manning the retractable bed via remote
When the bed is hoisted up the couple can access their storage wall, which is where they keep their clothes and shoes. They keep it up here throughout the day for extra space. Its design and outer appearance also fits in with the clean white lines and grid-like aesthetic of the home.
On the opposite side of the house, close to the ceiling, is a cosy loft space just big enough to fit a bed for two. Accessed by a sturdy removable ladder, the back wall was painted in dark grey to make the space feel more intimate, yet the tiny louvre window allows natural light and fresh air into the area.
Walls painted in ‘Monument‘: Colorbond
Walls painted in ‘Monument‘: Colorbond
Lara says they’ve toyed with the idea of putting up a railing along the loft entrance to make it safe, and an optional extra room for children to use.
Andrew keeps his treasured record collection in the loft and enjoys spending time in here listening to music with his headphones on.
With almost everything visible from the one living area, it was important to the young architects that clear patterns and aesthetic rhythms were carried throughout their design. They help to organise the space, make it feel ordered and the views tend to feel bigger. “Clear sight lines and long views, good cross-flow of air, high raking ceilings and a strategy of organising the space using the structural grid were important ideas in creating that feel,” says Lara.
Environmental considerations were also at the forefront of the designers’ minds. Recycled Australian hardwoods were chosen to help bring warmth and history to the new, transportable tiny house.
“[The timbers] have lived a life before this house, as bearers and joists in old Queensland cottages,” says Lara. “Old nail holes tell their story.” The hardwood is also featured on the doors and windows, the decking boards, kitchen benchtop and shelves, all of which contrast nicely with the white interior.
“[The timbers] have lived a life before this house, as bearers and joists in old Queensland cottages,” says Lara. “Old nail holes tell their story.” The hardwood is also featured on the doors and windows, the decking boards, kitchen benchtop and shelves, all of which contrast nicely with the white interior.
Lara’s mother, Annie Nobel, often stops by for a cup of tea. The duo entertain a fair bit in the tiny house as there is more than enough room. This living room setup at the main side entrance to the home can comfortably fit guests and visitors. Lara says the most guests they’ve had at their home at the one time (with the deck and garden area as well) was thirty!
Framed artwork: Lara Nobel
Framed artwork: Lara Nobel
A clever space-saving solution in the living room is this modular storage unit that trebles as an indoor coffee table and also extra lounge seating if required.
The kitchen has everything a good home requires, including a refrigerator, oven, stovetop and sink. Using a large mirror for the splashback cleverly provides the illusion of more space. A compact laundry is opposite the kitchen.
For meal times, a fold-away table is suspended from the large window that faces out to the deck.
If you happen to need an extra bowl or spoon once you’ve already sat down to eat, all you need do is reach over to one of the cutlery drawers in the kitchen.
When the table is not in use, these dining chairs can sit outside on the deck, but they are actually borrowed from a friend of Lara’s while the pair continue to research the best option for their space.
When the table is not in use, these dining chairs can sit outside on the deck, but they are actually borrowed from a friend of Lara’s while the pair continue to research the best option for their space.
The inclusion of the wood shelving that lines the wall above the kitchen and leads all the way up to the ceiling provides the owners with not only a great place for extra storage, but a place on which they can display their favourite decor. Lara had to wait until the home had settled in its current location before they were able to dress the shelves up with their earthy collections of functional handmade ceramics and glassware.
The design of the home lends itself to off-grid living, as it processes all its own grey water for use in the garden, has a composting toilet, and is wired for solar power (although it is currently running on mains power). Solar panels are next on the couple’s wish-list. The grey water runs off through a hose towards the lush green garden at the back of the home.
Behind the sliding door in the laundry and kitchen is the bathroom and toilet. The same dark grey, used on the rear wall in the loft, is featured on the bathroom wall. It creates more atmosphere, without making the space feel any smaller. The tall louvres run almost floor to ceiling, and provide great cross-flow of air to the space while also letting in natural light.
The shower is a good size and the glass screen opens inwards or outwards to keep the space more functional. The tiled wall in the shower uses the same design as the black tiles seen beneath the windows in the kitchen. A second window in the bathroom is located in the shower – an ideal spot to keep a house plant alive.
The toilet being a composting system, creates nutrient-rich soil and requires no water to operate. “Now that we have the Nature Loo toilet set up we are big fans, it works great and there is no issue at all with smell,” says Lara.
The toilet being a composting system, creates nutrient-rich soil and requires no water to operate. “Now that we have the Nature Loo toilet set up we are big fans, it works great and there is no issue at all with smell,” says Lara.
Lara and Andrew admit that there were many design challenges along the way of designing their tiny house: “Fitting a fully functioning house within the confines of a 7.5 x 2.4 metre area is difficult enough. Add to the mix the complications and competing interests of weight distribution, transport, off-grid systems, and Australia’s appetite for huge homes and you start to get an idea of just how challenging it was,” explains Andrew.
Being both the designers and builders of their tiny house, Lara says it was an interesting process and they each juggled many roles. “We were acting as client, architect, builder, project manager, and apprentice carpenters,” she says. “Sometimes these roles were at cross purposes and the internal – and external – arguments that resulted were an interesting part of the project.” Reconciling these competing interests among the three of them – Lara, Andrew and builder, Greg – gave them all some understanding about how to consider one problem from multiple angles.
The modular deck off the side of the house was a key element to help expand the space, and is one of the couple’s favourite features. If the couple want to change their destination, it takes about two hours to pack up this deck and it’s an additional component of the house that is transported in a separate trailer.
The house and deck are all organised around a 90-centimetre grid, which dictates the placement of exposed LVL frames, kitchen cabinets, doors and windows.
The house and deck are all organised around a 90-centimetre grid, which dictates the placement of exposed LVL frames, kitchen cabinets, doors and windows.
Having the deck as an additional living space added onto their home, has made the tiny house lifestyle even more enjoyable for the pair.
The couch pictured here fits perfectly over the exposed tyres of the house’s trailer. Andrew is planning to add a breakfast bar to this external side of the window, to provide an optional external dining space.
The couch pictured here fits perfectly over the exposed tyres of the house’s trailer. Andrew is planning to add a breakfast bar to this external side of the window, to provide an optional external dining space.
When the couch is moved, the tyres are visible. The house is classified as a caravan, which removes some of the hurdles of living off-grid – for example paying for town services that you may not use, which a caravan isn’t required to do – and also gives the homeowners the flexibility to move the house within or between properties.
Lara says there are already many fun stories about life in their first tiny house. One of her favourite was the time they spent living in it at the Woodford Folk Festival. “While everyone else was camping in muddy tents we were set up in pretty luxurious conditions with a shower, cooking facilities, comfy bedding and all the while in the heart of the action,” she says.
Lara’s mother, Annie, and father also came along to stay during the festival, with three other guests. “There were seven of us sleeping in the house, two in the loft, two on the bed and three on mattresses along the floor. It really is amazing just how much you can fit into this space,” says Annie.
“The first time we took it for a drive was also a momentous event and luckily it handled the trip well. We were all so nervous!” says Lara.
Lara’s mother, Annie, and father also came along to stay during the festival, with three other guests. “There were seven of us sleeping in the house, two in the loft, two on the bed and three on mattresses along the floor. It really is amazing just how much you can fit into this space,” says Annie.
“The first time we took it for a drive was also a momentous event and luckily it handled the trip well. We were all so nervous!” says Lara.
Lara says that a home small enough to fit on a trailer bed will always have a relatively low environmental footprint, especially if it uses recycled local timbers and off-grid systems. Andrew has begun to plant a lush sub-tropical garden around the house, which most likely means they will set their roots in this spot for a while before moving on again.
The couple are proud of what they achieved with their tiny house and hope to inspire others. “The goal was to build something that’s small but still beautiful – big enough and well-equipped enough to make it a legitimate long-term housing option, not just a short-term gimmick,” says Andrew.
TELL US
Would you live in a tiny house? Let us know in the Comments section.
The couple are proud of what they achieved with their tiny house and hope to inspire others. “The goal was to build something that’s small but still beautiful – big enough and well-equipped enough to make it a legitimate long-term housing option, not just a short-term gimmick,” says Andrew.
TELL US
Would you live in a tiny house? Let us know in the Comments section.
Who lives here: Lara Nobel and Andrew Carter (designers and builders of the house)
Location: Brisbane, Queensland
Size: 18 square metres, plus deck
Budget: AU$100,000
That’s interesting: Thirteen of these tiny houses could fit in the average Australian home. It takes up the area of two car parking spaces end to end, and you could drive this house through a car wash.
Lara and Andrew met at university while both studying architecture, and the two graduates have since side-stepped into carpentry apprenticeships. They teamed up with Thornton to form The Tiny House Company, a small business that specialises in the design and construction of compact dwellings.
Beginning with a research trip to Portland, in the US (where the tiny house movement is well established) this house is not only the couple’s brand new home, but it is also the company’s prototype. It has made nine trips in the six months since its completion, having been displayed at various events including the Woodford Folk Festival.
It’s now residing on leased land in Brisbane, so Andrew has had a chance to start establishing a sub-tropical garden around the unique home.