Matthew Hofmann is a 34-year-old Architect who lives in Santa Barbara, CA. He’s spent the past eight years designing and renovating over 400 vintage Airstream trailers that are being enjoyed by people all over the world.
For the past 10 years, he and his wife Joanna have been living a mobile lifestyle. ”It’s a lifestyle for those who call mobile spaces Home Sweet Home,” said Matthew. “Folks like us are living in vans, trailers and boats not because we have to, but because we prefer it.”
After years of experiencing a mobile lifestyle first hand, they decided to create a family business that assisted others in living a re-defined American Dream. “It’s a dream of living well wherever your hearts take you.”
Hofmann’s company and product is Living Vehicle™. “We travel full-time and live in the same home we’ve designed and built for others like us,” added Joanna.
“Matthew is the lead designer and imaginer,” she said with a smile. “I’m in charge of making it feel like home.”
In early 2015, they set out on a series of extended road trips throughout the US and Europe to experiment living full-time in various types of mobile spaces — from high-end RVs, to vans and luxury motorhomes. What they discovered was that nothing permanent spoke to their desire to have both freedom and the feeling of home.
The term “sustainability” began to take on a new meaning for them and they began to dream up a space that would support a full-time mobile lifestyle in an enduring way. Upon returning to Santa Barbara, Matthew had an intentional message to deliver to his design/build firm: “We’re selling the Airstream renovation company to our construction manager and creating our own ground-up, sustainably built home called Living Vehicle.”
When Matthew says “sustainable,” he’s speaking about not only using low-impact materials and renewable energy sources, but also the ability to live in a nomadic space that has the capacity to support life on a continuous basis. “It’s a mobile space that will allow people to live 24/7/365 in a variety of climates and places, and be in a space that feels like home,” he added. “Living Vehicle is that space.”
Hofmann’s Living Vehicle answers the real-world question that their customers are asking in a reflective, intentional way. It’s the same question Matthew was asking in 2009 when he designed his first all-aluminum home: How do I find freedom – freedom to live my best life?
“I’m deeply passionate about sharing this dream with others and I’d love to share our passion with you, too,” adds Matthew.
Check them out at www.LivingVehicle.com