Photo: @jrcarranca_photography (Composition)
Tiny houses are brilliant examples of creativity in design. Because where else can you push the boundaries and come up with new solutions than in a mobile home with the most compact footprint and so many demands?
Whether the little ones you’re thinking of live as mini-homes on wheels or the most basic of shelters, they’re undoubtedly excellent studies in creative design. Most of these tiny homes need to be suitable for long-term or even permanent living, so they need to include all the basic amenities for comfortable living, from kitchen appliances to showers and toilets and plenty of storage space.
The units that are meant to house entire families for extended periods of time are the most impressive from this perspective. When you’re planning a house for children – or anything else for that matter – there are challenges. However, a house that wants to make the most of the smallest space is also excellent, and that’s where the Terra m3_Tiny House on Wheel comes in.
As the name suggests, this is the third Terra model in a series of units designed and built by Portuguese woodworking firm Madeiguincho.
Photo: @jrcarranca_photography
It is also the last part of the series, joining the other two in the Alentejo region of the country, where it will cater to tourists who want to get away from the proverbial maddening crowd by cutting back and going minimalist. It is downsizing in its purest – and most extreme – form, and as such it marks a return to the roots of the tiny house movement in a very surprising way.
Like its predecessors, Terra m3 is also inspired by the surrounding landscape and the country’s history as the world’s largest supplier of cork. This means it blends in with its surroundings using all-natural materials, it opens up to the same environment and offers outdoor living, and it is encased in cork.
The house sits on a double-axle trailer that is only 5 metres (16.4 feet) long, making it downright small compared to the popular park models in the US, Canada or New Zealand, where an 8.5 metre (28 ft) trailer has become the norm.
Photo: @jrcarranca_photography
Despite its ultra-compact dimensions, the Terra m3 still has a large number of basic functions, reminiscent of those you would find in a normal house. And all of this in three different floors.
It would be an exaggeration to say that the house has three floors, but it wouldn’t be a complete lie. To compensate for the compact footprint, Madeiguincho’s designers added double lofts at different heights and a large roof terrace that’s walkable and could perhaps even accommodate a coffee table or some sort of lounge chair.
On the ground floor are the kitchen and bathroom, both of which are the definition of “basic.” The kitchen is good for throwing together easy meals, as it only has a sink and storage space. Granted, you could fit a portable hotplate or a sandwich maker in there, but you couldn’t fit a fridge in there, so you’ll probably end up with a salad-based meal anyway.
Photo: @jrcarranca_photography
The bathroom is a wet room with a shower, toilet and sink, but it opens to the outside deck, giving it a mudroom function. The second door that opens to this deck is the kitchen door. The deck itself is large enough to serve as an outdoor living space, with room to spare for a few guests.
The inner living area is located opposite the kitchen on a platform that hides storage shelves. The removable ladder that you use to reach this lounge also serves as access to the roof terrace, which you climb directly from this area. You use the same ladder to go to the main sleeping area, which is located above the kitchen and bathroom.
In all of these spaces, furniture is minimal: soft chairs placed directly on the floor, a mattress, pillows, and the occasional potted plant.
Photo: @jrcarranca_photography
Both lofts are typical of compact tiny houses, as they offer no headroom and are bare spaces with limited functionality. In this particular unit, they are not exactly spartan, thanks to the all-wood construction and the extensive glazing that floods the space with natural light.
But make no mistake. While the Terra m3 is not spartan in the most negative sense of the word, it is absolutely minimalist.
This is a small home that offers basic functionality with precisely zero frills, bells or whistles of modern living, that stands proud, but can do it while retaining personality and a distinct appeal. It is shockingly minimalist, even if you do not fully realize its stated purpose of offering “seclusion for a season or just a few days”, and it stands out because it is so daring to go that far.
