Working from home is one of the few good things to have come out of the terrible 2020. Unless you happen to share it with another spouse who's also into teleworking and a kid (or half a dozen), in which case working from home becomes a race for who finds the quietest spot in the house and can hold it the longest.
The developments of 2020, which we're not going to get into again, helped turn working from home into a widespread practice. They also helped push tiny living and, by extension, digital nomadism from the sidelines into the spotlight. When you work from home all the time, home can go wherever you want.
Browny, the latest project from tiny house builder Baluchon, is a tiny with hybrid functionality, which perhaps signals the emergence of a new type of mobile "home." It's a tiny house in every way it counts, but it's not designed to relocate too often or to be used as a permanent residence. That's because it is a mobile office, so it's not entirely self-sufficient.
Like most of us who work from home, Christophe had to share his space with every other member of his family, which meant he was relegated to the laundry room during his extended work hours. Christophe and his wife have six children together, and the washing machine and the dryer soon became "quite noisy colleagues on a daily basis," Baluchon explains.
Photo: Baluchon
The solution came in the form of a tiny house adapted to Christophe's professional needs. Browny is a mobile office that sits on a double-axle trailer with a total length of 6 meters (19.6 feet) and a living surface of 14.3 square meters (154 square meters).
It is a very compact space, and it would be a squeeze if used as a full-time home for a couple, but Browny is designed as an office and lounge. As such, it feels surprisingly spacious.
Baluchon opted for a single-loft layout for Browny, with the ground floor dedicated solely to the owner's workspace. There's a large desk with Christophe's computer and monitors and a coffee station right next to it, separated by a very artsy partition. Integrated into the storage unit is a fold-down table that can, if need be, sit three people for a meeting or double as a lunch table for takeaways.
Photo: Baluchon
At the end of the trailer, Christophe put in a treadmill, most likely to offset the adverse effects of spending eight to ten hours at his desk. Health should always be a priority.
The loft is right above the office, accessible by means of a storage-integrating staircase. Since this tiny isn't meant to be lived in except for rare occasions, the cubbies here hide Christophe's work stuff: printer, paper, what-have-you.
The loft holds a comfortable queen-size mattress, just perfect for naps and occasional sleepovers. Browny doesn't have a bathroom or any kind of bathroom facilities that we can see, so stays here of whatever duration are conditioned by this detail. The good news is that Browny is parked near Christophe's home, so using the facilities there isn't much trouble.
Photo: Baluchon
Browny has spruce framework, with red cedar exterior cladding, and natural insulation in the walls, floor, and ceiling. Baluchon takes pride in looking to Mother Nature for help in insulating their homes through a special combination of cotton, linen, and hemp. A 1000W dry inertia electric heater helps keep the space comfortable on colder days.
The interior is also spruce, white raw spruce, and planed natural spruce paneling, with oiled solid oak for the floors. The extensive use of wood with expansive glazing results in a very cozy, welcoming, and, we assume, work-inducive space.
But it's the styling that makes Browny stand out. Look closer, and you will notice that this mobile office is surprisingly playful, thanks to funny and funky finishing touches. There's Deadpool sitting on a lamp and a small camera shaped like a dog. The wooden headphones holder is shaped like a robot arm with fingers extended upward, and the tissue holder is a small black cat. No word if this is Christophe's touch or Baluchon's, but it does add a very special tone to what would have otherwise been a standard office.
Photo: Baluchon
Then again, Baluchon's designs are anything but "standard." The French builder also happens to be one of the best-known tiny companies on the European market, and the reputation is well-earned, as any of their turnkey projects can confirm.
Browny was delivered as a turnkey project, too, so there's no mention of pricing. As a reference, Baluchon does empty shells for prices starting at €25,000 (approximately $27,500 at the current exchange rate), while a turnkey project will cost between €85,000 and €100,000 ($93,400-$110,000), depending on layout, complexity, off-grid features, appliances, and adorable touches like those seen here.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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