Bespoke Base: Redefining Integrated Living in Tiny Homes
Exploring the Integrated Lifestyle in Tiny Homes
After seven years of traveling and exploring the open roads of New Zealand in camper vans (RVs), an adventurous couple chose to settle down permanently. Instead of moving into a traditional home or even a typical tiny house, they opted for an innovative tiny home design that focuses on comfort and functional space.
Innovative Single-Level Design
This tiny home stretches over 12 meters (39 feet), making it one of the widest tiny homes currently available. Unlike many other tiny homes where residents have to navigate cramped spaces or use vertical ladders, this design relies on a full single level, enhancing the sense of openness and providing an experience akin to choosing a spacious apartment without compromising on comfort.
Blending Nature with Architecture
The exterior structure of the home is clad in Redwood wood, adding a natural warmth and reflecting thoughtful interior design. This choice strengthens the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, making it easy to incorporate elements of nature into daily life, a core element of the integrated living philosophy.
Advantages of a Single-Level Design
Choosing a single-level home design offers numerous practical benefits. It eliminates the need to climb stairs to reach upper bedrooms, avoids bending under low ceilings, and maintains the basic comfort that makes the home feel like a real house. For those who have spent years adapting to the constraints of living in camper vans, this ease of access is a key advantage. The spacious interior also creates a feel closer to that of a compact apartment, with enough room to breathe and a genuine space to settle in.
Integrating Architectural Expertise and Quality
Tiny homes benefit from designers’ expertise in combining sustainability with quality. While the tiny home sector is often dominated by DIY or standard architecture, working with specialized architects adds credibility to the project. Experience in coastal construction and high-wind areas ensures the homes can withstand harsh weather conditions, a crucial element for practical living in diverse environments.
Surpassing Traditional Compromises in Tiny Homes
This design exemplifies what happens when people refuse to accept the usual compromises of tiny living. Instead of cramming life into a predefined space, the design allows the home to expand to accommodate the way people actually want to live. This approach frames integrated living as a sustainable and comfortable choice, rather than just a temporary experiment.
Balancing Comfort and Style
Bespoke Base proves that living in a tiny home doesn’t require sacrificing comfort or style. Thoughtful design, high-quality construction, and efficient living spaces make the home both practical and comfortable. This approach provides enough space for generous living within a modest footprint, ensuring a balance between the principles of tiny homes and residents’ need for lasting comfort.
✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
Bespoke Base can be seen as a model reflecting some of the recent trends in integrated living, emphasizing interior openness and accessibility through a single-level design, an aspect that positively impacts the user experience and ease of movement within a limited space. However, from a broader architectural perspective, the project raises several points for consideration. Relying on an extended single-level layout may not always be the most efficient solution in terms of land and energy use, particularly in environments with space constraints or in areas requiring multifunctional building designs. Similarly, designing a tiny home of this size prompts questions about future flexibility for expansion or reconfiguration, and it may be limited for family needs or long-term use.
Moreover, the project highlights the importance of balancing aesthetic and functional design with economic and environmental considerations. High-quality materials and luxurious finishes can increase construction and maintenance costs, making this approach less replicable on a larger scale. From a professional standpoint, Bespoke Base can serve as a case study for exploring applications of integrated tiny home living, analyzing design elements that influence comfort, flexibility, and sustainability, rather than being regarded as an absolute ideal model.
