What might not come to mind is Lisa and Matt Hobbs’s black, ultra-modern 237-square-foot home, into which they brilliantly finessed a full-sized kitchen, bathroom, and a king-sized bed. Owners of the Tailored Tiny Company in Australia, the Hobbses say that the tiny house movement drew their attention as a way to reduce their environmental impact and live more sustainability. 

“The creativity expressed, as well as the challenge of creating a small functioning space, without losing the comforts of a large house, is what drew us to start designing and building our own tiny home,” according to their website. What they created is strikingly original. 

The home’s black metal exterior—with recycled hardwood timber trim—accentuates its height, while black “shade cloths” sheltering the deck give the structure a lift. Abundant windows and skylights bring in lots of natural light. A cat run at the back of the tiny home allows the kitties to play—and do their business—safely outside. 

Inside, high ceilings bring in a voluminous sense of space—which is accentuated by the skylights. A grid-like fixture hung with plants and downlights provides a biophilic feel in the living room. The kitchen sports every “indispensable” modern amenity and appliance. The couple slid the refrigerator and oven underneath the stairs leading to the loft. 

The loft runs the length of the structure. The home’s height ensures sufficient space for standing upright. A small walkway separates the master bedroom from the guest loft. Other creative storage ideas include wardrobes hidden behind large double mirrors. The double shower features beautiful tile work. We asked Lisa Hobbs more about the couple’s fascination with the tiny house movement and the home they designed. 

Tiny Footprint, Off-Grid Potential

Q: How did you get interested in the tiny home movement? 

A: I’ve been interested in tiny houses for about six years, with the goal of building or buying one at some stage. Matt was thinking of making a shipping-container house before we met. When I mentioned the tiny houses on our first date, it planted a seed and not long after we were in the process of designing and building.

Q: Tell us about your home. 

A: The house is 22 square meters (237 square feet) on the ground floor and 16 square meters (172 square feet) in the loft space. We both wanted to see how far we could push tiny house boundaries, so when we designed the house, we included as many full-sized appliances and regular things as we could. Going tiny doesn’t mean you need to miss out on things. In that, we managed to get a full-sized kitchen, bathroom, king-sized bed in the main loft, and a queen-sized bed in the second loft.

Q: What is your favorite part of your home?

A: The little design features. The tile-to-wood transition, the feature panel on the end, the levered window in the bathroom. The full-size butler’s sink is a winner for design, although not so much for practicality. Also, the twin showers are a favorite, as that’s where we debrief at the end of the day. Most major decisions are made in the shower.

Q: What are some of the home’s sustainable features? 

A: So far, we have just reduced our overall footprint. Stage two of the build, which will start in 2020, is going off-grid, and relying on renewable energy to supply our house.

Q: How do you plan to go off-grid? 

A: The off-grid system will include solar, tank water, and in the future biogas [a biofuel naturally produced as organic waste decomposes]. 

Q: How does the environmental impact of your tiny home compare to that of a “regular” home in Australia? 

A: Our house is so much smaller than the house we were in previously. The four-bedroom house we came from, even with solar and tank water, relied heavily on the mains supply. Just by reducing our square footage, we’ve cut our energy bills by a quarter, without dramatically changing our habits. Likewise, reducing our consumption of material products and waste has made a difference. The smaller space means you can’t accumulate things, making us question even the most trivial purchases.

Functionality and Finishes

Q: Describe the design of the interior. 

A: The design focuses on the necessities of a regular home. We broke our lifestyle into four main rooms: the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and lounge. We asked what we needed in a home. This was all we needed. The bedroom also had to be comfortable and accessible. The bathroom, being our substitute “office,” had to accommodate both of us at once. The kitchen needed to be completely functional, or it wouldn’t be used. The couch had to be big enough for both of us to lounge.