IKEA’s most notable new product offering is not a piece of furniture, but an entire tiny house.
Inspired by its commitments to sustainability, inclusivity and innovation, the Swedish furniture company has teamed up with Wisconsin-based tiny house maker Escape Traveler to create a 187-square-foot dwelling that is equal measures stylish, sustainable, and functional.
Based on Escape Traveler’s existing Vista Boho XL model, the IKEA version of the tiny house features the same layout as the original and has a bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom.
Dubbed as IKEA’s Tiny Home Project, the tiny house comes prebuilt and are constructed on a flatbed trailer that can be attached to a tow vehicle. The house also features a plumbing system with a pressurized water tank that provides homeowners with running water even if they are living off the grid. To power the house, solar panels are mounted on the roof.
The roof, frame, and siding of the house are all made with materials that could stand up to the elements. The exterior siding, in particular, is made from Escape Traveler’s trademark Japanese-inspired burnt wood, known as Shou Sugi Ban, while the woods inside are lined with the company’s signature sustainably grown pine. The interior walls are painted white to make the space feel larger.
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Staying true to IKEA’s sustainability-focused goals for its Tiny Home Project, many aspects of the home’s interior are eco-friendly. IKEA outfitted the home with energy-efficient lighting solutions, including light bulbs that use approximately 85 percent less energy compared to their traditional counterparts. The house is also installed with taps and showers that have a mechanism on them that helps save water and energy while keeping the water pressure just right.
Additionally, the home’s beautiful and modern-looking kitchen surfaces, which are part of IKEA’s Kungsbacka series, are actually made from repurposed plastic bottles.
Meanwhile, to maximize the very limited space of IKEA’s tiny house, designers deliberately chose furniture pieces that are multipurpose. For instance, the living room has a foldable Norden table that can be used both as a dining table and a work table. The house also has several storage units, including under-bed storage, hanging storage racks, kitchen cabinet, and shelves near the ceiling.
IKEA’s tiny home can sleep up to two people, but Escape Traveler’s original Vista Boho XL model can fit more with a couch-bed.
Despite its very tiny space, IKEA’s house on wheels is cozy and inviting, thanks to its Nordic aesthetic that is achieved through the use of a neutral palette of white and black, and lots of blond woods.
Escape Traveler’s original Vista Boho XL model is selling for $47,550, while the IKEA version has a price tag of $63,350.
IKEA’s Tiny Home Project is also in collaboration with Vox Creative and Vox Media, whose audiences have a deep interest in eco-conscious, budget-friendly living, and fascination with the Tiny House Movement.