Description:

“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey” (Franklin, 1967).

The Capsule Home is a mobile tiny home designed for recreational travel in pursuit of some of Aotearoa’s most breathtaking scenery and wildlife. The design draws from the classic airstream caravan, as a historical part of the origin of the tiny home movement. The bold interior encapsulates the airstream time period, featuring the iconic 1960’s colour palette, club-style seating, brightly coloured lacquered cabinetry and plywood panelled walls.

The Capsule Home is designed to emulate the beauty of Aotearoa’s rugged windswept western coastlines. The black aluminium joinery and curved exterior shell celebrate our enchanting black sand beaches and the glimmer of the iron sand in the summer solstice. The coral-coloured kitchen cabinetry reflects the inside colour of the Harakeke flax, while the yellow cabinetry symbolizes the native Toetoe, a common feature of Aotearoa’s west coast beaches. The expansive blue of early morning skies are a highlight of the space, recognised in the fabric of the club-style seating and feature wall dividing the kitchen and bathroom. The ‘sitting room’ sits lower than the rest of the room, creating a break from the rest of the space. This moment of interactivity adds to the feeling of playfulness within the space and gives evening entertainment a more intimate ambience.

This space works to balance the efficiency of small space living with the delights of life on the move, making the experience of travel more memorable. The Capsule Home features a built-in window seat situated beneath a large circular window, offering a view to the world outside. Two large skylight windows, one situated above the kitchen, the other above the sleeping loft, on those mild summer evenings beckoning you to fall asleep beneath the starry night sky.

Franklin, J. H. (1967). As cited in: Riley, D. W. (1993). My Soul Looks Back, Less I Forget. p. 412. Harper Collins Publishers. New York.