When just a little is enough, housing options in the new decade combine smaller scales and clean style in clever ways. The small house revolution continues in snug quarters surrounded by don’t-fence-me-in landscapes. For happy wanderers, freewheeling pull-along homes redefine life on the road. We think these choices speak to the adventurer in all of us; unencumbered spirits who know less can be more when it comes to a life well-lived.
“AutoCamp focuses on attracting urban dwellers seeking unique getaways to its outdoor-focused lodging properties,” noted Neil Dipaola, AutoCamp’s Founder and CEO. Airstream’s partnership with AutoCamp designates them as the exclusive lodging partner moving forward, allowing them to compete with brands like Airbnb and VRBO.
Expectations:
- Custom-design
- Spacious bedrooms
- Expansive living and kitchen areas
- Outdoor living spaces featuring a designer fire pit and handmade outdoor lounge furniture
The KolKol Pod | Bot River, South Africa
Sometimes, small is beautiful. Owners Rudi and Karen Oosthuyse built a pod that is more than a vacation cabin. The pod hovers above the landscape yet is one with the slope of the mountainside. Its arresting part-linear, part-rounded shape provokes an immediate aesthetic thrill.
The pod has a unique aesthetic – part rough-hewn and natural, part linear and contemporary, part luxuriously comfortable – and it embodies the couple’s spirit of innovation, as well as their meticulous attention to every detail. The casting of the concrete that was to be left bare, for example, involved carefully preparing wooden casting panels from which the concrete picked up textures that add softening surface interest. All the wood was sourced locally, from old plantings of alien gum trees that were being removed by other farmers in the area. And many of the fixtures and furnishings – such as the beautiful solid wooden tables – were either created by local artisans or in situ, which was the case with many of the bathroom fixtures, including the unique basin and bath spouts.
Founded in 2017, Living Vehicle designs their trailers for extended and full-time off-grid use. Husband and wife founders Matthew and Joanna Hofmann have designed and lived in mobile spaces for the last decade. “I have a vision that this vehicle can fully sustain life and be fully self- sufficient,” Matthew Hofmann shares. “That one day we can all travel around not bound by any one site, in a very freedom-driven life, where we get to choose where we want to live without a resource drain on our world. Our goal is zero energy in, zero waste out.”
Attributes:
- Thrives in any climate
- Solar powered by a state-of-the-art battery system
- Chef-inspired kitchen
- Spa bath
- Home theater
EscapeSpace from ESCAPE
Bespoke models feature fine craftsmanship and distinctive architecture. “EscapeSpace is a 21st-century legal equivalent of a shed that can be placed anywhere and be used for almost anything, whether the definition of your EscapeSpace is a simple storage shed, a backyard writer’s studio or an oceanfront home office,” notes ESCAPE founder Dan Dobrowolski.
Optional:
- Electric, plumbing and solar power for off-grid use
- Cedar front deck
- Clerestory window walls
- High-efficiency insulation and climate control
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