Small but Smart: Design Solutions for Mini Homes

Product Description Enthralling room concepts and convincing spatial solutions for the efficient use of limited space The aim to live in a mini house can have various reasons: for many it stands for a better, more livable existence on the basis of what is necessary, possible and desired, mak-ing one’s life easier, more economical and more sustain-able. The limitation of the floor space promotes concentra-tion on the essentials in order to integrate what one needs for life. With well thought-out planning, cleverly organized floor plans and intelligent, compact concepts, a lot of space can be created in a small area. By now, in addition to do-it-yourself protagonists, estab-lished architects and hip design studios have taken on the interesting task of developing sophisticated solutions for small homes and tiny houses. This volume presents very different projects in terms of architectural style, construc-tion method and interior design. From the Back Cover By living in a large ceramic tub, Ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes was one of the first people to promote a simple lifestyle as a protest against a corrupt society - one could call him an unwitting pioneer of the current tiny-house movement. However, today small living is not necessarily connected to an alternative or even anarchic lifestyle - it simply makes things easier, more economic and eco-friendly to focus on what is really needed in life without compromising quality. This volume presents a large variety of sophisticated solutions for mini houses in terms of architectural style, construction method and interior design. Whether portable or prefabricated, newly built or reused, rural or urban, they all meet the highest technological and sustainable standards to literally reduce their owners' ecological footprint. About the Author Core topic for Chris van Uffelen is the transfer of knowledge about design in all its manifestations. For more than twenty years the Dutch-German art historian has been publishing books as well as countless essays and articels on art, architecture, interior design and urban planning from antiquity to the present. He is particular interested in the effects of architecture on public spaces. In his editorial office he provides a wide range of services for the publishing industry. He also runs his own small publishing house.