Collection by Diana Budds
Tiny Houses We Love
We've dedicated the pages in our November 2012 issue to living large in small spaces, whether they're 235, 900, or 2,000 square feet. But there's more! The Dwell archive features scores of small space projects, and 10 of the tiniest are corralled in this gallery of images, ranging from a bite-sized Bratislava apartment to a bright and airy renovation in Belgium.
When the Zimmerman family settled in Seattle, Washington, in the late 1990s they bought a 1,100-square-foot Craftsman built in the 1920s. Fast-forward to today. Not wanting to leave their beloved neighborhood, but hurting for space, they enlisted the help of local design-build firm Ninebark to create a separate living area. Working from sketches that the residents had from their uncle, Gary Schoemaker, an architect in New York, Ninebark realized a refined structure that serves as a playroom, office, and guesthouse for visitors, complete with a kitchenette and full bathroom.
An adjustable dining-room table is relatively common in Europe, according to the couple, who ordered their hydraulic legs from Switzerland. They allow for up to four presets, so the Garneaus have one for dining, one for working, and two for cooking, depending on who’s the chef. The table itself was designed by Robert’s firm, Studio Garneau, and has five drawers in it, some big enough to store Robert’s oversize flat artwork. skf.com
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The kitchen is a mix of custom and off-the-shelf items. "Because of the budgetary restraints, we planned the kitchen around Ikea's options, with the exception of the big table/work top, which we designed, sourced the laminate for, and then had our contractor build on site. We would have loved natural stone or concrete, but the budget just wouldn't allow for that," says Rios. "All in, we were able to get the multi-purpose table—prep surface, cooktop, dining table—created for 1,000 euros, exactly how we wanted it. Using an Ikea surface—with which we wouldn’t have been able to achieve the same degree of customization—would have cost double."
Here's Defauw in his living room. He and the rest of the renovation team patched and refinished the original fir floors. The walls are inexpensive pine siding sprayed with white oil paint. The shelves above are 1/4-inch plywood perched on makeshift rods made from 1/2-inch conduit stuck into the studs. "It's all very low-tech and kind of hilarious," says Azevedo. "We were kind of winging it because there wasn't a client per se." Photo by Susanne Friedrich.
Megan Lea built a backyard retreat with reclaimed materials figuring prominently into the design. What resulted is a polychrome of salvaged 100-year-old barnwood by West Salem-based Barnwood Naturals that makes the facade of this Bernard Maybeck-inspired design as unique as it is environmentally friendly.