Rentable Minimalist Tiny House in Austria Is for Nature-Lovers

Despite its humble, somewhat radical beginnings over two decades ago, the tiny house movement has expanded beyond North America, now taking root across the globe in places like Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, and many other locales. It seems that people are warming up to the not-so-radical idea that living with less can translate to living a fuller, happier life – in other words, not being trapped in the rat race just to pay off a mortgage, or paying off debts for "stuff" that one doesn't need.

In Austria, architects Anna Busch and Monika Binkowska didn't only design the tiny house of their dreams, it was also built over the course of several months by Busch and her boyfriend and co-owner Jakob, along with family and friends. The house is currently stationed near Packer Lake in Austria, but there are plans to open it up to people who are interested in testing out the tiny house lifestyle. This contemporary tiny house is also known as Projekt Datscha, and includes a simple but effective space-saving layout.

The exterior of this 193-square-foot (18-square-meter) tiny home features pale-colored, locally sourced wooden siding, in order to keep its look streamlined and minimalist. The house has been designed to meet the local size and weight limitations that would apply to a truck trailer, and its structural frame uses spruce wood and metal supports, which gives the house required structural integrity to withstand the strong winds that are often encountered while it's being towed on the road. To keep the tiny house as lightweight as possible, the designers selected lighter materials for the build-out, using items like aluminum windows, PIR insulation or balsa plywood. The tiny home is heated by an electrically powered smart infrared heating system.

In regards to the house's shape, the designers had this to say:

"We decided to go with a gable roof as it is the most iconic depiction of a house. All external elements such as rain gutters and window covers are well-fitted, creating a minimal, sleek form. The house uses light, feminine colors and fits easily into the natural surroundings."

Inside, the layout has been purposely kept very simple, and includes a living room, kitchen, built-in shelving, a bathroom with its own bathtub, and a sleeping loft.

Looking at the living room, we see that there's a vibrantly colored sofa that can easily convert into a double bed. The multipurpose tables in front of the sofa can act as a coffee table, or can be separated into two small work surfaces that can be used while seated on the sofa.

The kitchen area is located in the heart of the tiny house. It's a pretty big space, and it includes a long counter on one side, outfitted with a deep sink for washing dishes, and an alcohol-powered one-burner stovetop for cooking food. There's storage space in the drawers under the counter, as well as above the sink and to the side.

Directly across from the main kitchen counter, we have a built-in piece of furniture along the wall that has more shelving, and also has a clever fold-down table integrated in its center. This helps occupants to save space: when it's time to eat (or work), the table is flipped up, and when everything is finished, the table can be flipped back down, thus clearing up more space.

The sleeping loft is accessed via a custom-made industrial pipe ladder off to the side of the kitchen. Once up, we can see that the loft is spacious enough for a queen-sized bed, with space to spare. In addition, the loft is topped off with a skylight that allows one to gaze at the nighttime sky, while in bed.

Below the sleeping loft, we have the bathroom, which is equipped with a composting toilet, sink, and a pretty large (at least for a tiny house) bathtub. In designing the limited amount of space that is available in tiny houses, it's important to determine what's most important – in other words, what not to compromise on – and to plan accordingly. For some, a big bathroom and a bathtub might not be crucial, but for other tiny housers, these might be what makes or breaks a tiny living experience.

Having designed and built their first tiny house, the designers are now working on their second build, which will operate solely on solar power. For now, people will be able to rent Projekt Datscha as a vacation spot starting in Spring 2021. To find out more, visit Projekt Datscha and Instagram.