Contemporary Short Bus Conversion Features Shower and Roof Deck

Living in a small space means having to make some well-considered decisions about what matters most—what to keep, what one's needs and goals are, and what kind of things make a place feel like "home." That sense of home feels and looks different for each person, and perhaps that's why it's endlessly fascinating to see the wide variety of thoughtfully designed small living spaces that are out there.

For photographer, designer, and contractor Stefaan, home is the Bibia Bus, an unassuming-looking short bus conversion. But despite its ordinary appearance (at least on the outside), on the inside, it's chock full of useful and deluxe features like a fully functional kitchen, a convertible dinette, and even a shower. We get to take a more detailed look in this sleek little bus via Tiny Home Tours:

As Stefaan recounts, he became interested in bus life during his last year of college, when he was planning a big outdoor adventure trip and was looking for a secondhand vehicle that he could convert quickly as a "weekend warrior rig" that he could take on trips with friends. But once he purchased this bus, and completed all the extensive repairs that had to be made, Stefaan realized this bus could be something much, much more. The Bibia Bus has since become a full-time home for Stefaan, one that is specifically tailored to his needs, personality, and tastes.

The blue-painted exterior of the bus includes some of the utilities like a propane tank and freshwater storage, a bike rack, as well as access to the 'garage' for larger equipment under the bed, and various hookups.

There is a small wooden deck and a bank of solar panels on the roof. One can climb up here via a metal ladder that Stefaan welded himself.

Stepping inside, we come into an interior that is really well done, thanks to Stefaan's decision to prioritize things like a big kitchen, as he loves to cook, and a comfortable dinette, which he uses for work and for meals. As he explains:

"As I was building this, one of my main goals was really to make this look and feel like it was a home, rather than some things in a vehicle. And so that came down to a lot of the little decisions, and aesthetically what things look like, from light switches, and outlets, to what kind of lighting sources and hardware to use. I wanted to step away from the visual of being in a car, and try to really make it feel like a house."

So to make it feel more like a regular home, Stefaan chose to minimize the appearance of things like monitoring panels and big switches and opting to install conventional fixtures for the kitchen sink, as well as using minimalist but elegant drawer hardware.

The wooden butcher block counter has a small hole cut into it to make way for a sink, which has a multifunctional pull-down faucet that also has a spout for filtered water. This sink can be covered with a cutting board to create more counter space. The Furrion combination 17-inch propane stove and oven makes cooking quite enjoyable.

In a brilliant move, Stefaan has integrated some electronic buttons into the edge of the counter for controlling things like the water pump, refrigerator drawer lock, and propane flow, making it look quite unobtrusive.

The kitchen is lined with light grey vinyl wall tiles, which wrap around into the shower as well, creating a unified look throughout the small space. The curtains are hand-sewn by Stefaan, who taught himself how to sew just for making all the textiles and cushions for the bus. These curtains are actually mounted on magnetic strips so they can be removed and washed.

The dinette area sits opposite the kitchen. Stefaan chose to have a dinette rather than an upholstered bench, as he finds it much more useful and comfortable. Nevertheless, the adjustable tabletop can swing down to become a bench for extra guest seating, and there is ample storage under the seats, as well as a vertical drawer behind the seat that slides out.

The back of the bus has a full-sized bed, in addition to clothes storage above, and a taller closet cabinet to the side.

Near the front of the bus, we have this tiny shower that uses a 24-inch shower pan, and regular house-sized shower fixtures and a towel rack in the back, and a space-saving, self-cleaning Nautilus shower door. It's small but suits Stefaan's needs perfectly.

So far, Stefaan has been enjoying living in the bus and has even been using it as a stationary home base as he works full-time at a small local business making custom electronics for guitars, as well as on other personal projects. He says living tiny has changed his life:

"I live in 112 square feet, and I have everything that I need. Living this experience is and will transform the way I live every experience for the rest of my life. I knew before living in here that I was really fascinated by living tiny -- I thought that was just a really cool thing to do. Now that I've experienced it, I believe that to another level. And the kind of personal freedom -- both with your time, money, and your thought process -- that you gain by not having so much extra around you is actually super liberating. And that's been one of added blessings of living in a tiny space."

To see more, visit the Bibia Bus on Instagram.