Fitouts & Trends

home can be suitable for families, but more likely used by couples or young people such as students. A tiny home is generally built more stronger than a caravan and include fittings such as those found in a regular sized dwelling. A tiny home mirrors the materials and aesthetics of a conventional home, making it more suitable for permanent living. Our images show a tiny home produced by Hangan Tiny Homes and located in the Yarra Valley, East of Melbourne.

A Challenge for Suppliers

Hardware and other cabinet surface and edge treatments provided by Rehau, Nikpol and Elton Group are widely used in Tiny Homes. Smart components like hideaway bins from Hettich, Häfele, Kitchen King; Nover and Galvin Hardware are in great demand. Flexible fittings and furniture providing more than one function are highly desirable, especially those fittings that can be hidden when not in use. As far back as 2012 Häfele revealed their Functionality Cube, with its 40 sqm of living space. And in 2017 Häfele followed this up with a demonstration of the tiny spaces ‘megatrend’ at Interzum in Cologne with the motto ‘More life per square metre.’

To create more space, dividing walls are disappearing and living areas are merging. We already see this trend in full-size homes as the kitchen and living spaces come together. In this environment, clever and attractive surface treatments are more important than ever, creating a feel of room and providing a highly liveable and appealing space. In a tiny home, comfort is crucial for the present and also for the future. Features like anti-scratch, antifingerprint, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, anti-glare and stain resistant surfaces are even more important in a tiny space.

Only last month the ABC reported that soaring rates of housing stress are forcing Australians to explore new options, including living smaller and in tiny houses. Griffith University's Cities Research Institute found nearly all local government planners (councils) that responded agreed that affordability is a problem for both home buyers and renters.

Most councils now approve modular, manufactured and shipping container houses, despite a public perception they oppose such dwellings. Some councils have codes specifically for tiny houses on wheels. One council responded, “We will have to think differently about how we live, given housing affordability, inflation, susceptibility to emergency events and the like, and perhaps be more lenient on allowing these types of dwellings.” ❚