Dreamy Tiny Blends Rustic Charm With Modern Functionality

With a name like "The Blue," this tiny home couldn't have been anything else but colorful and vibrant. Although the exterior and interior colors are optional, the original design focuses on color as a key element. On the outside, The Blue flaunts vibrant blue inserts in contrast to the natural-toned cedar wood. This mixed metal and cedar siding has a strong visual impact, highlighted even more by the bright-white window frames. The Blue looks like a classic fairytale home that belongs in a magical forest, surrounded only by wild nature.

The dual-color theme continues inside as well, where it looks even more striking. We're not talking about a few pops of colors here and there – entire walls are painted in the same vibrant blue as the exterior. Some might think it's too much, especially since the Scandinavian-inspired minimalism with lots of white and neutral colors is so prevalent in tiny home design. However, there's a strange sense of peace and calmness exuding from this colorful interior. Perhaps the balancing natural-toned woodwork throughout prevents it from becoming too tiring for the eyes and maintains a healthy visual balance.

The Blue is adorably rustic. In the kitchen, you find your typical butcher block countertop made of premium materials and the usual cabinets. Instead, a wooden countertop crafted out of pine wood keeps its raw quality and natural color. The deep open shelves underneath, instead of classic cabinets, make it seem like a vintage piece of furniture or something that's made from reclaimed wood. There are no overhead cupboards either, just tiny metal shelves. At the same time, this is a well-equipped home that's meant for comfortable, permanent living. This means that modern appliances, such as a full-height fridge and a full-size oven cooktop, made their way easily into the kitchen space.

One thing that everyone is guaranteed to love about The Blue is the smart use of generous glazing. Despite its old-school structure that ignores the contemporary obsession for indoor/outdoor spaces, this rustic beauty is surprisingly luminous and airy.

Traditional windows on both sides of the kitchen rush in plenty of natural light. Additional transom windows across the entire wall length take things a step further, ramping up the brightness factor. They also look great from the outside, endowing this tiny with a sort of maritime-inspired charm (there's even a circular window on one side).

A rustic design also means that you won't find the type of modern, elegant staircase that so many dual-loft tiny homes boast. The kitchen pantry becomes an improvised staircase with very tiny steps that lead to one of the loft bedrooms. As far as comfort and convenience go, it's somewhere between basic ladders and classic stairways. The lofts display a similar blend of rustic woodwork and modern elements, primarily large windows on each side for optimal airflow, as well as modern air conditioning.

With a little more than 200 square feet (18.5 square meters) of floor space, this house on wheels can accommodate up to four people, although it would be ideally suited for two (in which case, the second loft could be used for storage or other activities). The built-in covered porch is really tiny, yet a welcomed addition. It's certainly an essential component of any rustic-style home design, and it's often used by the Great Lakes Tiny Homes team in their designs.

Folks who want the benefits of a house on wheels without giving up the familiar comfort of a traditional American home (porch included) will find The Blue to be an interesting choice. Size-wise, it's only 24-foot-long (6 meters), which translates to a minimal footprint and easy transport.

Inside, in addition to the well-equipped, rustic-style kitchen, there's a separate bathroom that also comes with all the basic equipment. In fact, the bathroom is surprisingly charming for such a small space. It reveals an elegant shower cabin with a large window, a toilet (which can be either conventional or eco-friendly), and a lovely vanity and sink in the same antique style. There's even room left for a washing machine, which is a great plus.

The Blue is not only compact and lightweight but also fully insulated and equipped with a mini-split air conditioning and cooling system. It's RVIA-certified and ready to hit the road in the best conditions. Despite the size limitations, its interior was designed to maximize volume and invite natural light through all those beautiful windows. The only downside might be the less comfortable loft access, which some could find to be too rustic. In this case, future owners are free to upgrade The Blue's features to fit their preferences.