The Tiny House project called 'verkas' can be seen as a life-size portfolio. During her graduation year, the designer saw and heard a lot about graduate students who got stuck in the housing market. Beyond her interest in Tiny Houses and custom living space, Paulien felt the urgency to get out of the current system before it was too late and depend on a full-time job to pay the rent.
The challenge within the project was to create a spatial atmosphere in the limited scale of a total of 48 square meters. This has been achieved by extending viewing lines and by applying shapes that are as open as possible.
Most of the materials have been reused, such as the windows, doors, the base of the kitchen, constructive beams and the steel used in the greenhouse. 'I have chosen new materials for the finish of my house to create tranquility. I also opted for natural colors in the interior based on this recognizable preference.
This calm appearance combined with a multitude of natural light ensures that I can relax in my home. Japandi would be the best way to describe my home. A combination of Japanese and Scandinavian style', says Paulien.
'I wanted to invest my time, creativity and energy to build the house I now live in, my dream home. For a relatively small amount of money I built the house with the help of family and friends and learned all kinds of technical skills at the same time.
In this way I hope to be able to design small homes and spaces in the future with an understanding of design, but also of the building process. This allows me to deal with materials more efficiently and sustainably, for example.'
One of the few things that didn't go as planned in making this house was the planning. Reusing and making materials workable took a lot of time. In addition, it was a great physical and mental strain to learn, make and plan everything yourself, which sometimes made it necessary to interrupt the construction and relax.
The greenhouse around the house is the icing on the cake. The aim of the designer is to live as self-sufficient and sustainable as possible. And the fact that she lives in the green as a result is certainly not a punishment.
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