Adorable Tiny With Artful Workmanship Adds a Colorful Touch to Sustainable Living

Despite a variety of possibilities and interpretations, living in a tiny house is about harmony with nature and a frugal lifestyle at its core. This can be reflected in a compact surface, a functional configuration, and the use of natural materials and building techniques. Pollux, one of the tiniest models designed by Tiny Wunder House, incorporates all of this, adding its own bright and colorful style.

Built on a two-axe trailer, Pollux is only five-meter (16.4 feet) long. It's easy to maneuver and move from place to place and more versatile compared to larger models. Although perfectly equipped to become a cozy home for two, it can function as a mobile office or workshop just as easily. Its 15 square meters (161.4 square feet) are enough to include a tiny loft bedroom in addition to an open-plan configuration.

Unlike other tiny homes with many tricks up their sleeve when it comes to smart design, the Pollux Tiny sticks to a classic layout. However, it stands out in terms of craftsmanship. This apparently-modest house is built with high-quality materials, boasting a steel frame, cedar siding, and large, double-pane windows.

The rustic charm, based on an abundance of wood, gives Pollux a unique look. Instead of modern glass doors that blur the line between the indoors and the outdoors, it features a classic double-opening wooden door.

Looking at its beautiful exterior, connoisseurs will recognize the Shou Sugi Ban trademark. This ancient Japanese technique, also known as Yakisugi, is a way of making wood more durable by charring it. The Japanese were using it in the 18th century to make cedarwood weatherproof. The resulting dark color gives it its instantly recognizable appearance. Thanks to the current focus on sustainability, this old tradition was revived all over the world, and it's particularly compatible with tiny wooden homes.

Thanks to the Shou Sugi Ban, Pollux can live forever. According to its builder, as long as the wood siding is carefully treated with linseed oil just once per year, this tiny house can promise a lifetime warranty. A so-called intelligent barrier foil, with a regulating effect because it allows diffusion, ensures high-performance insulation in different types of climates.

In addition to the traditional craftsmanship and smart insulation, Pollux also displays sustainable features. Instead of a conventional toilet, it's fitted with the eco-friendly option of a composting toilet. For heating, it uses both a modern solution and a sustainable choice by combining floor heating with a digital thermostat and a rustic wood stove. Like most tiny houses these days, it also comes with solar panels, although it's not entirely off-grid.

Colorful accents, particularly the window frames, perfectly complement the tiny home's wooden structure, brightening up the place. The windows are generous for a dwelling this size, bringing in lots of natural light. The simplicity of the furniture is highlighted by the unobtrusive LED lighting throughout. Even the loft area comes with a tiny skylight for more luminosity.

Thanks to the minimalistic yet versatile layout, future owners can either turn the loft space into a bedroom and use the downstairs area as a living room or sleep downstairs and leave the loft space for storage. The loft can fit in a queen-size bed, and a decent-size sofa with storage underneath can sit in the main-floor lounge area. A basic wooden ladder connects these two areas.

Although compact, the kitchen integrates a practical folding table with two chairs, perfect for enjoying meals together. It's also packed with all the basics of a modern kitchen, including a two-burner gas cooker and a fridge. Those who appreciate wood craftsmanship will surely admire Pollux's beautiful countertop, the custom soft-close drawers, and rustic overhead shelves.

The bathroom reminds us of a traditional sauna. Made entirely of wood, it features a full-size shower and a composting toilet.

The Pollux is definitely a practical choice when it comes to housing. It's easy to tow and set up and easy to maintain. With minimal care, it can last for generations. At the same time, despite its rustic appearance, Pollux offers all the advantages of modern comfort, including multiple outlets around the house, efficient LED lighting, heating, an electric boiler, and water tanks for an off-grid alternative.

The only bad news is that Pollux can't travel to the US. Tiny Wunder House is a small builder based in Romania that only delivers in Europe. Although it doesn't boast a huge production capacity, this was one of the first companies to offer tiny houses to folks in Europe nearly a decade ago. Each of its designs, including the charming Pollux, can be highly customized and share remarkable handiwork.