Tiny houses

Universal design and affordability were uppermost in the minds of TJ Hill and Jay Heiserman when they asked Jared Levy and Gordon Stott of Connect Homes to replace their cramped bungalow with a modern prefab. Since the firm’s modules are eight feet wide, the house could only be 16 feet wide, but the architects used the remaining space for a large deck, creating a flexible and seamless first-floor plan.

Also at Daniel Crouch was the second best thing I saw at the fair. When Nixon launched his war on drugs, a group of stoners in Berkeley responded by making a board game called Scam— an incredible artifact of our recent past that plots out a path from dropout to kingpin, by way of Afghanistan, Mexico, or South America. The goal of the game is to make a million dollars by selling the drug of your choice, without getting caught.

From the outside, the Van de Velde sisters’ apartments in Ghent appear seamless, contained within a new mixed-use building inspired by the work of Robert Mallet-Stevens and designed by Lien Van de Velde’s partner, Jeremy Godenir. But inside, it’s a different story: Each apartment reflects the style of its residents. “The true visionary was my mother, who bought the industrial building” that was on the site before, Lien explains. Though her mother wasn’t a designer, she could tell the property was ripe for reinvention. “The only one who was interested was me, the crazy architect,” says Jeremy, who based his studio on the ground floor. When he and Barbara’s partner, Karel, mentioned to their in-laws that the site would be a lovely place to live, the wheels started to turn.

A standard project that meets permitting guidelines can be up in six weeks or less.

In the dining room, the original steel window mullions were painted Farrow and Ball's Radicchio red, along with the railings and stairs below. The dining table is vintage David Naylor, and the chairs are vintage Danish modern with custom upholstery in Ghanaian textiles.

The curved roof, a play off the hull of a ship, was inspired by a previous Atelier SAD home project in the Czech town of Liberec. Jerry Koza, along with engineer Tomas Kalhous and architect Adam Jirkal, spent years finding the right location and obtaining permissions. After the rigid approval process, they’re finally able to showcase the flexibility of the concept, which can range from a one-person dwelling to a family-sized float with a 1,076-square-foot floor plan and a 538-square-foot terrace.

This tiny not-home home is a floating sauna built by lighting designer Brendan Ravenhill. Most of the year, Brendan is in Los Angeles, but when he returns to his family’s homestead on Little Cranberry Island, a short boat ride southeast of Acadia National Park, he tends to personal projects like this little floating sauna -

Cedar slats mark the facade of the Worple's lakefront vacation home in Ontario.

Floor Plan of Seneca Floating Home by Michelle Chan

The kitchen and kitchen lighting were planned and organized by Jane Ariyoshi of Kozo Designs, Tiburon. The cabinetry was crafted by Herb Zacks Woodwork, Petaluma. The live-edge shelves are by Karl Stark of Peroba Reclaimed Wood, Richmond.

A structure built in a Polish ROD cannot be permanent, nor can it exceed 375 square feet.

Ren and Karvelius designed and installed a custom storage piece that doesn’t disturb the original fixtures, like the trim and radiator.

Studio Becker Xu streamlined the kitchen by building all of the appliances into the millwork. The budget-friendly countertops are a Formica solid surface.

Best Practice Architecture transformed a former garage in the Oak Park neighborhood of Dallas into a light-filled casita filled with art by local makers and vintage finds.

Apart from cabins, saunas, and outdoor showers, Iglucraft has also used their hallmark structure to make offices, bars, and detached bathrooms. If none of these quite fit your needs, Iglucraft invites inquiries about bespoke projects.