When Lee Loewen and Payam Shalchian started Instead, an Ontario, Canada–based tiny home design/build company, they sought to enable people to live more closely connected to the land without being pushed beyond financial means. “We were tired of disposable consumerism and having to design for it, and we wanted to pare down our own possessions to only the things we use,” Loewen says. “More recently, our disillusionment with the runaway cost of housing and senseless property values pushed us to create something different.”

Instead’s inaugural design, named Project 01, is a 262-square-foot off-grid-capable micro cabin that Loewen and his wife and son lived in before finalizing the plans. “I strongly believe in testing and validating a design firsthand,” he says. “I wanted to really understand how people use small spaces—what becomes the most important function, what never really gets used, what appliances and utilities work as expected, and what needs to change.”

The tiny home’s exterior is wrapped in black-stained marine-grade plywood topped with vertical and horizontal solid pine battens that provide texture and visual interest. “It blends in and merges with its surroundings,” Shalchian says. “The guiding principle for the design—and everything we do at Instead—was to reduce visual impact on the land and blur the barrier between the indoors and the outdoors.”

Shalchian believes that people’s connection to the great outdoors is becoming weaker, which has led to nature deficit disorders and less environmental consciousness. “Reestablishing connection with the land is of utmost importance,” he says.

The interior of Project 01 features high ceilings, a massive picture window, and eight-foot-wide sliding glass doors. “A high ceiling allows for things like bunk beds, or even an office space with a bed above it,” Loewen says. “The goal here was flexibility, so the rooms can change as needs change.”

Lee Loewen and Payam Shalchian outfitted the kitchen with recycled plastic-covered Kungsbacka doors and drawer faces from Ikea. “They match the black hardware throughout the house and to help ground the kitchen counters, making the open upper shelving and the lower ceiling feel more spacious,” Loewen says." layout="" credit="Brooke Stephenson, Found My Thrill" photoUserId=""/>

The cabin’s walls, ceiling, and flooring are also finished with pine plywood, linking the interior with the exterior. “We tried to reduce visual noise by using as few materials as possible,” Loewen says. “And we love honest materials, so natural, unstained wood was our first choice.”

Sunlight pours in through the living room’s picture window, illuminating the wood-grained walls, ceiling, and floors. A built-in sofa and bench help to maintain floor space give the room a feeling of airiness.

The kitchen is open to the living area, and it features stainless-steel cabinetry, counters, and appliances, which offset the warmth and texture of the pine with a sleek, industrial note. A second loft-style bedroom above the kitchen features a skylight that brings in additional sunlight.

Loewen and Shalchian set a base price of just over $118,000 for Project 01. “It’s a more affordable option, especially when the down payment for an average house could pay off the purchase of a tiny home,” says Loewen.

He also believes that tiny homes can help reduce consumption. “They encourage people to invest in fewer products that last longer, because there’s no room for things you never use,” he says. “And the amount of water, waste, electricity, and fuel that are used in a tiny home—all of it is entirely trackable. We’re hopeful that Project 01 can act as proof that living in a tiny home is a viable option.”

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Project Credits:

Design & Construction: Instead / @instead.works

Structural Engineer: SBSG

Photography & Interior Styling: Brooke Stephenson, Found My Thrill / @foundmythrill

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