Stylish Container Home Uses Cargo Doors to Invite the Outdoors In

In a perfect world, anybody who wants to could have a beach home or a vacation home in general. The idea of turning industrial containers into livable spaces quickly became a real revolution, bringing this perfect vision closer than ever to reality. Many people find container homes even better than tiny homes for alternative, sustainable housing based on mobility.

Indeed, these ingenious dwellings offer a plethora of advantages. The most obvious ones have to do with their basic structure and function. Containers are boxes designed for cargo transportation across the ocean over long distances.

This means they must be tough and rugged enough to face harsh conditions like strong winds, sea spray, and challenging weather without deteriorating. At the same time, they're designed to move, which makes them durable and resilient enough for long-term transportation.

These are the main factors that turn containers into adequate frames for alternative housing, ones that are highly resistant and portable. They don't need to be built from scratch compared to tiny homes. This means you could have your new home ready in just of few weeks instead of months. It also helps considerably lower costs and makes things much less complicated regarding permits and legal requirements.

Speaking of legal constraints, containers also simplify matters because they don't need to comply with road-legal requirements in terms of size or placement. A container home can be as long or tall as you wish, and folks worldwide have done insanely creative things with that. At the same time, even though they don't have wheels, these alternative houses are also easily transportable, just like tiny homes.

One of the most exciting things about container homes is their sustainability. Just by choosing a container home, you're helping the environment through up-cycling. There’s a whole trend about turning old, rusty means of transportation (like train cars, trams, boats) into beautiful homes. The idea is to take something already available because it was thrown away or abandoned and give it a new life. Old shipping containers can be reused for the planet's sake and the community by providing affordable housing.

The Australian builder Nook Tiny Homes is turning containers into remarkably stylish and comfortable homes. The Hamptons 20 Coastal Luxe could be described as the perfect contemporary version of a beach house – minimalistic yet luxurious in terms of materials and appliances, affordable, and sustainable.

It's only 20 feet long (six meters), with a total surface of just 15 square meters (161.4 square feet), yet truly luxurious. This Hamptons-inspired abode is not meant for permanent living but would work great as a beach house or vacation rental. Everything is contained within an open-space layout except for the bathroom, which is a separate room with its own door.

High-quality materials turned this basic container into a lovely home. The Hamptons 20 Coastal Luxe is fully insulated with a moisture barrier, and the high ceiling panels (approximately 2.55 meters/8.3 feet) instantly increase the feeling of spaciousness. Hybrid laminate timber flooring is combined with luxury VJ walls (vertical-joint ready-made wall panels). Style is in the details, and this luxury container home makes good use of them, from Carrara marble-style sink tops to heritage fittings (like the sink and tap) and contrasting accents.

Minimalistic in style, this container home doesn't hold back when it comes to modern comfort. It's fully fitted with LED lighting, multiple power points, a safety switch, and reverse-cycle air conditioning units for heating and cooling (the AC isn't standard but can be supplied). It's equipped to simply connect to all local systems and function like a conventional home. However, the builder also offers off-grid options.

The bathroom looks elegant and comes with all the basics, including a conventional toilet and a full-size shower with a beautiful black-framed glass screen. The main area has an open-space configuration that creates a versatile bedroom/living room with a self-contained kitchen and laundry. The layout is very simple but offers enough space for a cozy bed, basic kitchen furniture, and a living room-type setup (it comes with TV points).

What makes the Hamptons 20 Coastal Luxe a wonderful vacation home is that it blurs the line between the indoors and the outdoors. The large sliding glass doors and well-placed windows keep the house flooded with light and open to beautiful views.

If that wasn't enough, this container home literally invites the outdoors in with the help of secondary cargo doors. These large, insulated cargo doors in the back open up wide, turning the interior into a versatile al-fresco space. Hang a hammock, set up a dinner table with a couple of chairs or some informal lounge furniture, and you can enjoy the outdoors in various ways while staying in the comfort of your own home at the same time.

A tiny home with these luxury materials and additions might add up to a hefty sum (not to mention the building time). In contrast, this Aussie beach house starts at just AUD 59,000 plus taxes ($39,140), can be ready in no time, and delivered anywhere. The perfect vacation home is no longer a distant dream.