10 Radical Tiny Homes That Challenge What You Know About Micro Living

Architecture 17-12-2019 DWell 331

From converted grain silos to futuristic pods, these unconventional tiny homes embody big ideas.

Inspired by a picture of a lunar lander, naval architect Kurt Hughes designed and built a 250-square-foot tiny house that perches in the shrub-steppe landscape of Eastern Washington and serves as his weekend getaway on a remote plot next to the Columbia River. Constructed with plywood, foam and fiberglass (with the same strength as A36 steel), the compact dwelling is epoxy encapsulated (and therefore fire-proof). Hughes painted the exterior white to protect against UV damage. A galley kitchen, a bathroom, a breakfast nook, a lower-level bedroom (accessed via a ship ladder) and plenty of storage comprise the interior. Hughes also incorporated an outdoor deck and a clear geodesic dome that tops the structure and floods the interior with natural light.

Tiny doesn’t mean predictable. Far from it—the most imaginative tiny homes are both spectacular in concept and practically designed. Take a walk on the wild side of tiny living with the most radical tiny homes we could find—you might just find yourself dreaming about downsizing.

1. Converted Grain Silo by Kaiserworks

Christoph Kaiser, principal at Kaiserworks, reimagined a 1955 grain silo as a 340-square-foot home in Phoenix, Arizona. The corrugated, steel-clad house is 18 feet in diameter and features a 26-foot-high ceiling and a 17-foot operable slot window that fames views of the city. While the exterior displays a wonderfully industrial aesthetic, the interior is surprisingly cozy. "I wanted a warm interior, almost if you designed Wurlitzer to tend to all human needs and then slid it into one cylinder," says Kaiser, who employed built-in furniture, a spiral staircase, and a mezzanine bedroom with an in-wall projector for the ideal movie-watching experience.

2. Lost Whiskey Cabin by GreenSpur

Located on a 50-acre site along the Appalachian Trail in the tree-covered hills of Virginia’s Hunt and Wine Country, the Lost Whiskey Cabin is an off-the-grid, 160-square-foot dwelling that invites guests to unplug and reconnect with nature. Designed and built by GreenSpur, the cabin is part of a larger development called the Lost Whiskey Club, which includes a communal farmhouse, a mobile whiskey bar, and more rental cabins. Though the dwelling has much to offer, its mountaintop perch and cantilevered outdoor deck—which floats above the trees and showcases a fire-warmed hot tub and a built-in hammock for taking in the landscape—are arguably its best features.