With the caveat that perfection doesn't exist in real life, one tiny house builder claims to have crafted the "perfect tiny house escape." It's called Forest, and it's just about the teeniest-tiniest tiny you've seen.
Tiny houses have seen an incredible boom over the past several years, and particularly with the wanderlust frenzy set off by the 2020 international health crisis. Faced with travel and social restrictions, a looming housing and financial crisis, and increased levels of stress, a large number of people are shifting perspectives, switching lifestyles, and opting for alternative housing.
A tiny house is one such alternative housing solution. Since it's a trailer-based mobile home, a tiny house meets all the requirements of the day, from basic creature comforts to the ability to travel more without worrying about accommodation and the possibility of cutting down monthly costs. A tiny house is, for those who embrace this nomadic lifestyle, the all-in-one solution for their most pressing current problems.
With the rise in popularity of tiny houses came a wider array of options, from compact units to mansion-like units, DIY houses, and off-grid tinies. Vagabond Haven is a Sweden-based builder that puts the focus back on sustainability, which was one of the original goals of tiny living back in the early 2000s when this lifestyle started to become more popular.
Photo: Vagabond Haven
In order to keep up with demand and to live up to quality standards, Vagabond Haven only offers a handful of models and a range of customization options to choose from. The latest addition to the lineup, introduced at the end of August, is called Forest – and is described as "the perfect tiny house escape."
The Forest aims to blend a focus on sustainability with a very compact footprint yet still offer the comforts of a home so that it remains suitable as a permanent residence. It is minimalist but without compromising on modern comforts and versatile enough to suit a variety of purposes, including traveling or working from home, glamping, or full-time living.
If you compare it to most tinies we've covered over the years, the Forest is among the most compact units out there – and affordable, too. But more on that later on.
Photo: Vagabond Haven
The Forest is "a peaceful retreat" because its clean, minimalist, and natural interior will favor a re-connection with nature. It is the very essence of a downsized lifestyle: a compact, uncluttered space that offers the basics of modern living so you can focus more on other, more important stuff. Whatever that stuff might be.
The Forest sits on a 6-meter (19.6-foot) trailer and is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) wide, which means it's towable without a special permit. Weight is under 3.5 tons, and the available living space is just 13 square meters (140 square feet), all available on the ground floor.
Naturally, given the small footprint, compromises have had to be made. There is no living room to speak of, as the bedroom takes up the space that would have otherwise been dedicated to the lounge. The kitchen is a galley-style one, with small appliances and little room to move around.
For example, you get a small fridge and a two-burner induction cooktop, a small sink, and limited storage. Opposite the kitchen block is a modular unit that doubles as dining, with a low table that integrates storage.
Photo: Vagabond Haven
The bathroom is at the rear of the trailer and is perhaps the only space in the house that still feels residential. There's a glass walk-in shower in there, a small sink with a large vanity, and a flushing toilet in there.
Since the layout doesn't include a loft, storage is available only under the queen-size bed and in the cabinets inside the kitchen and the bathroom. Downsizing means getting rid of unnecessary stuff so you can live an uncluttered, more intentional life, and the Forest helps you do that – if only because it offers you little room to store that stuff in.
The Forest has an exterior done in all spruce with accent metal siding and an all-wood interior that is a perfect fit for its moniker. It comes with an RV-style hookup and relies on an air-to-air heat pump for heating. Ventilation in the kitchen, bathroom, and living room helps keep the interior dry and smell-free, which is essential for any home this size.
The Forest retails for €36,448 before taxes and shipping but with everything from the matching blinds to bathroom fixtures and kitchen appliances included. That's approximately $39,300 at the current exchange rate. Considering the kind of figures some builders command for their tinies, the Forest seems cheap by comparison. Then again, it's also much smaller than the standard unit on the U.S., Canadian, or Australian market, so that helps tip the scales in favor of a lower MRSP.
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. Full profile
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