Don’t Miss IKEA’s Chic, Sustainable Tiny Home—Now Open for Virtual Tours
IKEA is no stranger to clever design for small spaces—but the furniture giant recently took on a tiny living challenge unlike any other it’s faced with The IKEA Tiny Home Project, a design/build exercise that fits outsize style into a 187-square-foot, off-grid home on wheels.
Guided by the company’s People & Planet Positive sustainability strategy, the Tiny Home Project prioritizes low-impact design. IKEA tapped Vox Creative for the partnership, who contracted RV and tiny home builder ESCAPE for a custom build of the company’s Vista Boho XL model that’s fitted out with solar panels, a composting toilet, and an on-demand RV water heater for off-grid capability.
Set on a custom ESCAPE trailer that can be easily hooked up to a vehicle, the IKEA tiny home is clad in shou sugi ban–type exterior siding and fitted with low-E thermopane windows.
"It was a natural pairing," says ESCAPE founder Dan Dobrowolski, who completed the build in less than 60 days. "We feature many IKEA products in our various tiny home designs around the country as they mirror the renewable, reusable, and recycled materials we incorporate into the actual structures."
The tiny home’s metal roof is topped with solar panels that power all the 12-volt fixtures, from the energy-efficient RYET LED bulbs to the solar fridge.
IKEA senior interior design leader Abbey Stark turned the interior into a showcase of IKEA’s sustainable, multifunctional, and energy-efficient products.
"How I started was really listing out all the needs for the space," says Stark in an Explainer Studio video. "Like, how do you design around a wheel well and the mechanics of the home? I wanted to source renewable, reusable, and recycled materials when possible to make the space functional as well as beautiful."
The interior is lined with sustainably grown pine painted white to help the home feel more spacious. The first product Stark chose for the home were the black KUNGSBACKA kitchen fronts, which are made from recycled bottles and give the space a sleek and modern look.
"Thinking multifunctional in the space is essential," continues Stark, who placed a NORDEN gateleg table at the heart of the home, where it functions as a workspace and dining table with built-in storage; it can also be folded down when not in use.
"I wanted to create a space that was rooted in Scandinavian design with a neutral color palette of white and black and a lot of blonde woods," says Stark. Pictured is the NORDEN table in front of the MALM Storage bed.
The kitchen features a TILLREDA portable induction cooktop that can be easily stored away when not in use. The solid wood and veneer SKOGSÅ countertop is made with the whole tree—including the branches and twigs—for minimal waste.
The bathroom, which is located next to the kitchen, is furnished with a VILTO towel stand made from 100% renewable materials, a low-flow HAMNSKÄR faucet, and NORDRANA hanging storage crocheted by artisans in Vietnam under fair-trade conditions. On the other side of the photo is a walk-in shower with a water-saving BROGRUND thermostatic shower head.
The design and build process for the Tiny House Project began in late 2019 and was completed in April 2020. IKEA initially intended to take the tiny home on a nationwide tour across the U.S., but plans were cancelled due to the pandemic. Vox Creative has instead helped pivot the project into a fully digital campaign with a virtual walkthrough of the tiny home.
ESCAPE is currently accepting orders for BOHO XL models that start at $47,550, with additional options available.
Floor plan of a standard ESCAPE BOHO XL model
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