Inspired by Japanese design and driven by the need for additional space, Venezuela-born architect and designer Emma Pereira of Emmanuelle Design built a 400-square-foot guesthouse and studio in the backyard of her home in Miami’s Buena Vista neighborhood. Atelier Lumi, as it’s called, is a white stucco-clad refuge where sunlight, texture, and form create a voluminous sense of calm and understated beauty.

$5,000 Preliminary & Overheads	$30,000 Shell Structure	$5,500 Exterior Stucco
$7,500 Decoration	$10,700 Kitchen & Cabinets	$3,000 Appliances
$3,500 Bathroom	$12,000 Plumbing	$11,500 Electrical
$7,500 Mechanical	$8,500 Plaster Finish	$12,800 Windows & Doors
$2,000 Skylight	$8,500 Floor Install	$2,000 Lighting
$7,500 Flat Roof	$3,000 Miscellaneous
Grand Total: $140,500

When she was an architecture student completing her Master’s thesis in 2013, Emma had traveled to Tokyo to experience micro homes designed by Sou Fujimoto, SANAA, and other prominent Japanese architects. “I was enamored of their ingenious approach to micro design and the small house lifestyle,” she says. “The concept is to take our own life story and enhance the good parts, while adding elements that speak to who we want to be. The Japanese are innovators, using visual techniques to make tiny spaces appear roomier.”

Emma recalled this experience when she and her husband, Carlos, had their first child and needed more space for their growing family. A small guesthouse and studio would allow her to work and host visitors more comfortably—plus, they could earn additional income by listing the tiny house on Airbnb. “Buena Vista has a lot of emerging art and beautiful commercial architecture,” Emma says of the neighborhood. “There was a lack of design-rich short-term rentals, so I decided to build the small space of my dreams.”

Emma, who works at a construction company, is often able to salvage materials from demolitions, and the windows she repurposed from a project in Miami Beach kicked off the build. “They were the first thing I acquired, even before drawing up the design,” she says. “I went to the house, measured the windows that I wanted for my space, and began the design from there.”

The salvaged windows and a large skylight illuminate the double-height guesthouse. A soft white palette and rich textures reflect sunlight while creating a feeling of airiness. “I loved the idea of arranging all the living essentials into a small room,” she says. “Natural light and views of the outdoors come in from every direction and make the space feel bigger than it is.”

Expansive sliding glass doors open the one-room dwelling to the backyard, where Emma arranged outdoor string lights, a fire pit, and wood-and-rope lounge chairs.

A sleeping loft above the bathroom looks down to the open-plan kitchen, dining, and living areas. Emma outfitted Atelier Lumi with multifunctional nooks and furniture pieces, including a wide window nook in the living area with a built-in sofa and hidden wall storage. “The storage and the sofa become one, taking up fewer square feet,” she says.

She selected organic textures and light colors for the interior finishes: “I tried to use the rawest form of all materials. This makes the space feel light and minimal and inviting and warm at the same time.” The double-height wood ceiling with exposed beams, warm white concrete flooring, and plaster walls call to mind tones and textures found in nature.

In the end, Emma designed the tiny house of her dreams. “The goal was to contain all the necessary elements for living, creating enough space to feel comfortable, and still being drawn outdoors and feeling connected to nature,” she says. “Overall, essential needs are met by the architecture—so much so that the only free-standing furniture pieces in the space are the dining chairs.”

Atelier Lumi is available to rent via Airbnb.

More Budget Breakdown:

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Project Credits:

Architecture and Interior Design: Emma Pereira, Emmanuelle Design

Construction: MV Construction Group

Structural Engineer: JDC Architect

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Budget Breakdown: A Miami Designer Builds a 400-Square-Foot Backyard House for $140.5K