Designing for Small Spaces
Nancy Mitchell from Los Angeles writes an interesting article over at Apartment Therapy on how as a child she always wanted to live in an RV. Recently, she discovered a unique caravan built by Caravanolic and decorated by Viceversa and she was inspired to write 5 tips about designing and living in a small space. Here they are:
- Stick to just one color palette
- Make your furniture multi-task
- Use vertical space as well as horizontal space
- Arrange more public uses closest to the door
- Don’t be afraid to have fun
To read the full article go over to Apartment Therapy and be inspired by all the great photographs.
Caravan Wa-Wa 180 Sport
by Maarten Bellaard
I have been reading your blog for a few months now and every new post inspires and surprises me. The whole idea of utilizing and experimenting with small spaces is really fascinating. Considering most of your blog posts have an American/Canadian touch to it, I believe that my story could be a fresh view on camping!
My girlfriend used to go camping with her parents in this beautiful classic caravan. Last summer we took it to Switzerland and France and this summer we took 4 weeks to completely restore this 50 year old caravan.
The caravan is a Wa-Wa 180 Sport. The original manufacturer doesn’t exist anymore, but they used to build a lot of wooden caravans and trailers. This Wa-Wa was created for recreational use on campsites but considering its weight of 300 kg’s even people with a small, not so powerful car could take this caravan and travel around with it. Besides the chassis and the rear window, the whole caravan is made of wood. Inside there is room for a small kitchen – with a refrigerator, sink and a gas cooker – and a large twin bed that can be removed and replaced by two small benches and a table. Originally the caravan was designed so it could fit 6 people! The caravan surface is only 2 x 3 meters so in practice nobody used it that way.
The Wa-Wa caravan is even more special because of its roof. The wooden roof is set up when you are camping in it and can be fold down so it is barely higher than a small car. This saves a lot of gas money and creates a stronger structure when you are driving with it.
On the pictures you can see the blue tent that was specially made for this caravan.
This caravan has a big history and is pretty unique; only a few of them are still alive these days.
Maarten Bellaard
The Netherlands
1972 Tradewind Guest House Defies its Age
It’s hard to believe this aging 1972 Airstream’s pushing 40. A midlife makeover has blessed this 27-foot Tradewind with an age-defying renovation. Compared to its thousands of other shiny riveted siblings criss-crossing the country it’s just a youngster. Airstream, still an all-American company, turns 80 next year.
Matthew Hofmann, a 28-year-old Central California Coast-based architect, is the master craftsman who’s turning back the clock. This is his second high-design Airstream project to be released this year. Hofmann Architecture (www. HofArc.com) is a a full-service Santa Barbara residential design and small space renovation firm.
Hofmann’s version 2.0 is truly better in several significant ways, offering more open space, a larger bathroom, and an office desk. There’s a lot that hasn’t changed inside and that’s good because so much of what he designed into the previous 25-foot 1978 Tradewind was quite simply solid design. Continue Reading »
Teardrops for MINIs
For those of us who want summer to go on for just a little bit longer, here are some tiny teardrop trailers that exemplify the ease of summer camping. MiniTears are beautifully designed and built by Kurt Bowden in Northern California for MINI Cooper enthusiasts and other small car owners. They are custom made for each MINI that tows it and feature a spacious sleeping compartment with handcrafted cabinetry and LED lighting and a full-size galley with a stainless steel sink, lighting, and a 12 volt battery pack. Each MiniTear only weighs about 876 pound and they start at about $7,995. Additional options like a 12 volt video screen, custom paint, a variety of cabinet options and 120 volt plugs are available.
Since 1985, Kurt has owned and operated Fine Line Design, a custom home design firm located north of Redding, California. The recent downturn in home construction allowed him the free time to get back to his woodshop where “MiniTears” began to take shape in 2008. Kurt’s background in home design and construction, along with the fabricating skills his father passed on to him, gave him everything he needs to build these beautiful Teardrop Trailers.
You can see a video of Kurt’s MiniTear here.
Photos courtesy of MiniTears
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]
Home Sweet Trailer Home
By Raymond John Anibas
’56 Spartan Executive Mansion
Trailer houses have made sense to me ever since living with my parents and two of my sisters in a ten-wide on Kodiak, in late ’64. Being the only boy, I had a 7′x5′ “room of my own” so the lack of privacy didn’t ruin the adventure…it was just “cosy” living.
Spartans had a special appeal, since I saw my first one in ’62 ( I salvaged that same trailer in ’98 when the owners of the tiny water front site decided they needed a bigger mobil, making it my first Spartan). I loved the Aircraft look and clean lines; the all aluminum structure and serious steel chassis made these houses very rehabitable.(don’t worry about the spelling, that’s a new word)
For Sale 1976 Airstream Tradewind
For Sale 1976 – 25′ Airstream Tradewind
“Sold” The airstream could use refurbishing and some cosmetic work. All systems operable. It is road worthy and can be taken on the road anywhere. The trailer is located 20 miles west of San Antonio, Texas in a small community of Boerne.
The owners are asking $8,000. If interested please contact me at tinyhouseblog(at)gmail.com and I will pass on your email and contact info to them.
