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Project01 Tiny Home Is a Small, Efficient and Very Elegant Proposition for Downsizing

If you’re to downsize and live intentionally, you might as well do it in style. A tiny home is not always synonymous with fancy living, mostly because of its compact dimensions, but this is where Project01 comes in to – hopefully – change your mind.
Project01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant one 17 photos
Photo: Brooke Stephenson for Instead.Works
Project01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant oneProject01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant one
Tiny houses are a dime a dozen these days and, while pricing remains prohibitive for most of these mobile abodes, they do seem to enjoy an increasingly wide adoption. It’s wide enough to make different products from different companies almost blend into just one image.

What we’re saying is that, of the many tinies produced and delivered over whatever span of time, only a handful are capable of standing out. Project01, the just-introduced flagship tiny from Canadian maker Instead (Instead.Works, by the official name), is one of those that do.

Instead is comprised of two designers, Lee Loewen and Payam Shalchian, who aren’t exactly new to this whole downsizing and living intentionally scene. In fact, prior to getting started on a tiny, they designed, built and ran The Edward, a B&B in Ontario, Canada, that featured the Skyward Cabin, an 80-square-foot (7.4-square-meter) cabin made of glass and wood that allowed for full immersion into the natural landscape. A renewed bond with Mother Nature is a predilect topic with the duo, as well as the driving motivation behind Project01.

Project01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant one
Photo: Brooke Stephenson for Instead.Works
Project01 is fueled by Instead’s credo of “less, but better” and designer Dieter Rams’ motto of “good design is as little design as possible.” It’s true, many tinies do employ outstanding, smart design layouts in order to compensate for the compact footprint, but with this one, it’s even more impressive.

Project01 provides 262 square feet (24 square meters) of living space and accommodation for four people. In this sense, it’s very small yet very comfortable, allowing for elegant living “on land, and off-grid.” The tiny also boasts of being very efficient, all-season-ready and capable of full off-grid living, in addition to being able to allow residents to (re)connect with nature.

Sitting on a triple-axle trailer, the tiny is clad in black-stained pine that helps it blend with the environment and makes for the most striking, elegant visual from afar. The interior is also wood, pine plywood, with a layer of insulation to help those inside withstand the cold Canadian winters in comfort (underfloor heating helps, too).

As with most tinies, you get “areas” instead of actual “rooms,” but the emphasis is strongly on minimalist styling and quality materials, as well as on cutting down all unnecessary stuff. The space is “honest, clean, yet functional,” because it’s meant to encourage downsizing and living intentionally, which, in turn, should help you get back to what is important (and Mother Nature) and minimize your impact on the environment.

Project01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant one
Photo: Brooke Stephenson for Instead.Works
All these considerations aside, Project01 is stunning, both inside and outside. You walk straight into a living room slash dining room, with a comfortable couch, panoramic windows, and plenty of room to move about without dreading knocking over stuff. The kitchen is situated centrally, and features almost life-size appliances, like a deep sink, an oven and dual burner on top, plenty of storage and cabinetry, and more than enough cooking surface to throw together a meal for four.

The bathroom marks the buffer zone between kitchen and bedroom, and includes a dry toilet, sink with vanity, and a proper shower. The bedroom sleeps two in a queen-size bed, with a secondary berth on the left, which is located right above the kitchen and accessible by ladder.

The basic Project01 comes with RV-style hookup for water and electricity, but each unit can be fitted for off-grid stays of variable duration, depending on the owner – and at an extra charge, of course. The first unit was built on commission, but Instead says that they’re open to ideas and customization suggestions, because every tiny must be unique, personalized.

Project01 is the first tiny home from Canadian maker Instead, and a most elegant one
Photo: Brooke Stephenson for Instead.Works
The designers note that another motivation behind this tiny was the realization – and the “fatigue” brought about by it – that housing was becoming painfully expensive. As such, Project01 is meant as a more affordable alternative. That’s an admirable goal, though at a $CAD150,000 starting point (approximately $US118,000 at the current exchange rate), not including off-grid capabilities or interior customization, Project01 falls short of it for most folks.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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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.
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