Rustic DIY Tiny Is Impossibly Small but Lacks for Nothing, Is a $20K Affair

Geoffrey Celart is a young man living in Drome, France, in a tiny house he built with his own hands (and some help from friends) after living in Colombia for a while. During that stay abroad, Geoffrey discovered that life isn't all about fancy furniture or oversize rooms to fill with your material possessions, reaching the conclusion that the bigger the house, the more stuff you accumulate. And more doesn't mean happier.

His story might sound like a cliché or, at the very least, like something we've heard or even thought ourselves a few times already. But where Geoffrey is different is that he decided to use what he'd learned and actively make a change, starting with the space he referred to as "home."

So, he built what he calls today La Cabane Mini-Habitat, a name that hardly needs translating to the English language. The Cabin gets its name from the rustic styling, which was achieved mostly through the use of reclaimed materials and from the cozy vibe inside. It's not a cabin, though, but a proper home with all the comforts of one – even if you might have trouble telling from a first glance.

That's because the Cabin features perhaps the most ingenious layout we've seen recently. Starting from a standard single-loft layout, this compact space adds a platform under the living room and thus is able to create a multi-functional space that hides all its features from the eye, coming out only when they're needed.

It's an impressive feat, as you can see in the video available below.

The Cabin is very small, sitting on a dual-axle trailer that measures just 6 meters in length, with the standard 2.5 meters in width and 4.3 meters in height (20 feet by 8 feet by 14 feet). Still, despite the constricting space, it packs a full kitchen with all the appliances and plenty of storage, a proper bathroom, a living room that can be anything from a home office to a lounge and a guest bedroom, and the main bedroom.

As Geoffrey explains, the trick is in using every centimeter of space. He's hidden storage compartments in the walls wherever he could, whether for bulkier items, like in the wall by his bed upstairs or for smaller items, like in the small cupboard for used plastic bags or the keyholder shelf by the bathroom.

Then, there's the platform in the living room, which allows him to include storage and multi-functional furniture masquerading as trap doors. During the day, this is an open and empty space, with just a few pillows thrown around. But it has two large tables under the floor, a slide-out desk with adjustable height, and can easily turn into a most comfy lounge for movie or game nights.

This space gets even better during warm weather when you swing open the two large windows and thus delete the barrier between the outdoors and the interior.

Geoffrey studied architectural design, so we're assuming he knows a thing or two (or a gazillion) about making the most of every bit of space, so no wonder his Cabin came out like a magical home on wheels. And the magic continues upstairs, where he put a tap for drinking water by his bed and an oversize skylight that helps him feel as if he's sleeping under the stars, with no walls closing him in.

In the kitchen, Geoffrey has again hidden storage everywhere he could, from the ceiling to the side walls and the floor. A condiment rack is over the cooktop, always within reach but never obstructing the view or movement, while his second "cooler," where he keeps his veggies, is accessible through the trapdoor in the floor.

Wrapped in Paulownia wood, which is famous for being very lightweight and highly durable, the Cabin runs on electricity and water from the grid but has a composting toilet – which, again, is hiding in plain sight thanks to a design that makes it look like a simple wooden bench.

Arguably, the most impressive part about the Cabin is that Geoffrey designed and built it as an open-source project. He documented the entire process in a book called Construisez votre tiny house, et changez de vie !: Adaptable, économique et éco-responsable (Build Your Own Tiny House and Change Your Life! Adaptable, Affordable and Eco-Friendly) and is running a website offering tips and support to others who might decide to make the transition like he did.

He admits that his own progress was difficult, made even more so by the fact that he was living out of a van at the time, with no running water or heating, so that probably plays a part in his wanting to help others. As for the cost, the Cabin came in cheap even for a DIY project: Geoffrey puts the final tally at €19,000, which is just a hair over $20,000 at the current exchange rate.

A magical project in every sense of the word.

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