It was Stephen Proctor’s dream to swap his life in Nashville for something quieter in the Pacific Northwest. He sold his home, paid off his debts, and purchased a rural lot to park a tiny house along the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, Oregon.

structure features a contrasting facade of natural cedar and painted board-and-batten siding." layout="" credit="Photo by Jeremy Stanley" photoUserId=""/>

“As a visual artist and experience designer, having a home that reflects my own personal aesthetic was important,” says Stephen. “I collaborated with a local tiny house builder, Matt Impola of Handcrafted Movement, finding a nice balance between personal design requests and trusting his overall judgement to create a space that flowed well.”

Both the interior and exterior feature contrasting shades of black and natural wood tones, which Stephen first imagined after picking up a Theo coffee mug and teapot by the brand Stelton. The matte-black ceramic base and simple bamboo handle and lid eventually inspired him to mimic the combination throughout the tiny home.

Italian leather couch from Article along one wall, with a pair of stools by Poly & Bark along another. Cleverly, a pull-down shade across from the couch doubles as a projection surface for watching TV.
" layout="wide" credit="Photo by Jeremy Stanley" photoUserId=""/>

“I previously spent time with Japanese-American artist Makoto Fujimura as well as Keiko Yanaka, a Japanese tea master apprentice,” Stephen comments. “Between Makoto's ‘slow art’ and Keiko’s tea ceremonies, I’ve been on a journey of learning to be. I wanted my space to reflect this contemplative posture as a place of peace.”

After moving the tiny house to its current location in early 2020, the call from local permitting officials quickly unraveled Stephen’s plans. “I found myself in the middle of a perfect bureaucratic storm,” he says. “When it comes to tiny house regulations, every municipality is different, as is every county and state. In my area, rules require the home to be put down on blocks and secured. Although there is a way forward to get it properly permitted, at this point I would prefer to sell and start over from scratch.”

Stephen isn’t quite ready to give up on his Walden-esque dream, though. “The [long-term] idea was always to live in a modern cabin, and the tiny house was a step in that direction,” he says. “I plan to keep the land and rebuild something else—this time in sync with my local permitting requirements and following the same aesthetic.”

Stephen recently listed the tiny house with an asking price of $99,000 (fully furnished) or $89,000 (unfurnished), not including transportation costs. “I hope to find [a buyer] who has a deep longing for a creative space that serves as both an escape from this noisy, chaotic world and a place that awakens their imagination,” he adds.

by Tuft & Needle, along with a built-in chest of drawers along one side. " layout="wide" credit="Photo by Jeremy Stanley" photoUserId=""/>

a pair of moveable six-foot-square cedar decks also come with the sale and can be packed inside of the home for traveling. LED lights, various hookups, and an outdoor shower round out the exterior features." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Jeremy Stanley" photoUserId=""/>

For more information, see the listing website or @RivendellxPNW.

Also, follow @sproctor to check out Stephen’s future build.

Project Credits:

Tiny House Builder: Handcrafted Movement / @handcraftedmovement

Know of a home for sale or rent that should be featured on Dwell.com? Find out how to submit to Dwell.