This Modern Tiny House Comes With a Dedicated Movie Loft

One of the most remarkable things about tiny houses is they can come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and configurations. Over the years, we've seen tiny houses specially customized for mountain climbers, bike enthusiasts, stargazers, bookworms, and more. Despite what may seem like limited space, the truth is that space constraints often fire up people's creativity when it comes to designing their own home, no matter how small, resulting in unlimited possibilities.

To add yet another example to that ever-growing list, we have this lovely self-built tiny house over in New Zealand, conceived by Erin and Jake, one young couple who love to watch films on a large television. The two decided to implement a rather intriguing loft design, which includes not only a separate sleeping area but also a dedicated movie-watching area.

We get a closer look at this clever two-lofts-in-one idea via host Bryce Langston of Living Big In A Tiny House:

Erin and Jake's tiny house is parked near the city of Wellington, on a small piece of rented land that they found through Landshare, a website that allows New Zealanders to find or rent out empty plots of land. The home was designed mostly by Erin, an architectural technician, with lots of creative input from Jake, who works in the film industry, over the course of a year.

Much of the construction work was done by Erin and her father, while Jake was working in another town and bankrolling the project, but also commuting back to help build on weekends. As Erin puts it:

"As an architectural technician, this was a really valuable experience for me. I was able to put myself in the client's shoes and think about what was important to us to have in a living space. I wrote out a whole brief on everything we wanted, and then brought together all my architectural and interior design knowledge and created the ultimate space for us."

Coming in at 22 feet long and 8 feet wide, the home's exterior is a modern-yet-rustic combination of wood and black corrugated metal siding. The sleek roofline features asymmetrical sloping, giving a bit more headspace on one side of the house, where the loft is located.

Past the double patio doors, we come into the living room, which includes a custom-built, compact sectional sofa.

Adjacent to the sofa is a built-in storage unit that also functions as a side table. In the corner, there is a small and efficient Wagener Sparky woodstove, perfect for heating up small spaces.

The design allows the living room to take full advantage of the high 13-foot-tall ceilings.

The kitchen is laid out in a galley-style configuration and includes basics like a sink, stove, oven, apartment-sized refrigerator, as well as convenient extras like a compact drawer dishwasher.

On the opposite side facing the sink, the kitchen layout has to accommodate the staircase, so that leaves some space to insert some built-in cubbies for pantry storage.

In addition, this zone under the stairs includes a small dining and work table that folds up and is hooked onto a wire cable hanging from the ceiling.

Just beyond the kitchen is a simple bathroom, which has a shower, composting toilet, a small sink, and some storage space.

Going up the stairs, we come onto a landing that stretches out to the rear of the house.

Due to its location under the roof's apex, and its comparatively lower profile, it's possible to stand up in this corridor-like space. The first zone we come to is the couple's sleeping space. It's separated from the other zone in the loft by a built-out storage wall that includes cabinets and a closet for hanging clothes.

Trotting out to the very back, we have a space that's dedicated to watching films on a big 55-inch television set. As the couple explains, because of Jake's work in the film industry, they tend to watch a ton of movies, and this cozy corner has been designed around that activity. To make it feel less small, a skylight has been added to make it brighter. When guests stay over, this space also doubles as a guest bedroom.

In total, Erin and Jake estimate they spent around $39,700 on materials, not including the manual and mental efforts they put into this labor of love. This warm and minimalist tiny home is yet another example of what is possible when people invest in their own creativity and skills to create something that they can proudly call their own.

To see more, visit Living Big In A Tiny House and on YouTube.