Ala Köl Tiny House Is How You Do Chic in a Very Cramped Space

There’s a saying about how only the French can do chic right and with seemingly no conscious effort on their part, and it seems to be confirmed with a 2020 tiny house by builder Baluchon. It’s called Ala Köl and not only does it put the “tiny” in “tiny house,” but it also shows that big spaces aren’t necessary to lead a comfortable, content life.

Ala Köl is owned by Nina and Guillame, who chose the name after a lake they visited together in Kyrgyzstan. The couple are seasoned travelers, and they have included a very special detail in the tiny home to remind them of their very special trips: a wooden map of the globe that takes up most of the wall in the dining slash living room.

Since reception of the Ala Köl, the couple have made it their permanent residence and are using it to travel wherever they want. Because this was the goal from the start, this meant the build had to be small, in order to be towed legally. So the house sits on a trailer with a total length of 6 meters (19.6 feet), which makes space inside particularly cramped.

Baluchon solved the issue of cramped space by removing all unnecessary decorations and furnishes, so the resulting home offers the bare essentials, while still being very elegant, with rustic touches here and there. You enter through the living room, and immediately find yourself next to a small couch and an extendable table that serves for family meals or work space, depending on the case. Fold it out and you could probably squeeze four people at it, but it was clearly designed with only two in mind.

Right next to this space is the kitchen, which includes two countertops, plenty of storage space, a large refrigerator, sink and cooktop with oven. From the kitchen, you transition to the bathroom through a sliding door that incorporates a mirror (what’s a house without a full-size mirror!?). The bathroom is equally chic, with separate walk-in shower, a dry closet, a washing machine and more storage. It doesn’t have a sink, though, which is perhaps the strangest part here.

The bedroom is upstairs, accessible through a storage-integrated staircase. Designing vertically is a common space-saver with tiny homes, but here too, the Ala Köl stands out. The bedroom includes a queen size bed and more storage, and it’s all decked in soothing, stylish wood with windows that runs the entire side to create the impression of more space.

In fact, that’s the second thing that makes this tiny house seem less cramped, after eliminating all possible clutter: expansive glazing. Baluchon incorporated large windows on all sides, which stop short at being floor-to-ceiling but are just as practical and efficient in terms of letting in natural light and creating the impression of a bigger space.

The Ala Köl has wood flooring throughout (heat-treated Landes pine and tinted solid spruce), which gives it a rustic, cabin-like feel. There’s cotton, linen and hemp insulation in the floors and walls, with wood fiber in the ceiling. Power comes from a standard RV-style hookup, and the exterior is made of cedar and aluminum, on a spruce frame.

That said, Baluchon makes made-to-order tiny houses, so if you have the budget, you can get your next tiny home with solar panels for more autonomy. This also means that your budget is the only limit to how far you’d like to customize an existing model, or even build your own based on your specific needs and desires.

This probably explains why the maker doesn’t offer a price for the Ala Köl, but you should know they have options that go as high as €20,000 ($23,736) if you assemble it yourself and up to €85,000 ($100,880) ready to move in, depending on size and configuration.