The Elevate Tiny Home Features a Lift Bed and Gorgeous Spa-Like Bathroom

The Elevate tiny house, one of the most recent custom models from Canadian builder Acorn Tiny Homes, is a brilliant example in this sense. At its core, it's a student dormitory, but in a real-life scenario, it can be anything from a comfortable mobile home for a couple of young travelers to a unique rental that makes the most of the surrounding environment. It's also a highly-creative spin on Scandinavian design that aims to recreate the feeling of a luxury condo but on a budget.

On an already crowded market, this builder has established a reputation for the ability to create custom designs that fit a multitude of purposes and budgets. Whether used as homes for an entire family, with all the creature comforts of a brick-and-mortar home, or for seasonal use, Acorn Tiny Homes units show the kind of creativity that has turned tiny living into such a phenomenon. Why settle for a traditional house when you could have it in a more compact footprint and with wheels at the bottom so you can move around?

The Elevate is just that: a dorm with wheels, but the kind of dorm you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. The model was designed on request for a Canadian student who missed out on the chance to travel abroad to study because of the 2020 international health crisis. Since her classes moved online and she didn't consider her parents' home a suitable study environment, she reached out to D'Arcy McNaughton, the founder of Acorn Tiny Homes, for a custom tiny.

The Elevate started from the idea of a student dorm and evolved into a fresh take on modern Scandinavian design. It sits on a 24-foot (7.3-meter) double-axle trailer and offers high ceilings and expansive glazing to make up for the compact space within the four walls. The layout is standard, with just one level, which means extra attention had to go to where to place the bedroom while still leaving enough space for an office area.

The solution was a lift bed, which comes down at night, and goes up again, tucking into the ceiling during the day at the press of a button. The bed is on a pulley system with an electric winch motor, and the curtain to the picture window by the bed is attached to it. This way, when the bed goes down at night, so does the curtain, offering privacy to the people inside no matter where they're parked.

When the bed is out of sight, the space doubles as a work area, with a small desk with a shelving unit to the side, basked in light from all sides thanks to the large windows. Off to the side is a small kitchen, which is exactly the kind of size you'd expect to find in a student room, and which will hardly see much use. It could if the owner wanted: it has an electric stovetop and a microwave, a fridge and freezer, a large sink, and plenty of storage.

Opposite the kitchen block is a large mirrored wardrobe that serves for storage and reflects the light coming in through the large windows, thus creating the impression of a much larger space. Tiny houses are famed for the way they integrate items with multi-functionality, but Elevate shows how they also combine functionality with a striking aesthetic. When you're working with constricted spaces, you have to think outside of the proverbial box to make them feel less so, and this is one such case.

At the other end of the trailer sits the large bathroom, which, unlike what you'll find in other tiny homes, occupies 30% of the total floorspace. That's a lot, in case you're wondering. When designing tiny houses, most builders will sacrifice bathroom or living space to make room for the kitchen or extra storage.

The Elevate turns this on its head and features an almost spa-like bathroom, with a large shower room done in all-white and golden hardware for contrast, a toilet, and large sink with vanity. In addition to two side windows, the bathroom also has a large skylight, so this space is bathed in natural light.

Keeping with the Scandinavian theme, the Elevate features Ikea cabinetry, which helps with the minimalist design and keeps total costs down. Speaking of costs, the Elevate model starts at CAD 120,000 (approximately US$89,100 at the current exchange rate) and is future-proofed in the sense that it can double as a rental once the student or the temporary resident moves out. With some adjustments, it could serve as a mobile home for a couple of travelers. You can almost imagine the kind of drool-worthy IG content it could be used for.