A Perfect Tiny “Modern Shed” in California

The design, architecture, landscaping and thoughtful details of this tiny California space come together to create harmony. You will be shocked at how much beauty lives inside its 364 square feet frame. Nestled on the back of a gorgeous property just minutes from San Francisco, this tiny home serves as an oasis for traveling guests.

For years, Rebecca had dreamed about building a guest house in the back of their property. Their narrow plot of land (49.5′ x 152.5′) caused challenges in the construction process, though. When they discovered Modern Shed, they realized the advantages of building a pre-fab home. Once they penciled out costs versus return, (resale value to home and possible rental value) they wondered why they didn’t do this sooner.

Our Style: I want the project and architecture to speak to me; I don’t dictate a style, but I always love a mix of form and function, old and new, fresh but curated, always edited spaces.

Inspiration: Morocco meets Scandinavia.

Favorite Element: Sleeping space. How to define this open, yet intimate little spot in the bungalow? Using a required structural support, placed precisely to divide the entry area and the bedroom. The hall tree fits within the space, backed by an embroidered curtain that acts a soft, flexible room divider. This leaves the room open, but the line of vision feels private and like a separate retreat.

Biggest Challenge: Small is big. Keeping an open, uncluttered feel and yet providing ample storage, cooking and dining space and flexibility. Examples: under-bed storage, custom closet, wall-hung media cabinet. Pine dining table does double duty as desk, kitchen island, and eating or work space.

Proudest DIY: Hand-made linen, café style curtains under the sink. 2^nd life to classic outdoor furniture (cleaning, scraping, painting). Some might say it was putting all the IKEA furniture together by myself.

Biggest Indulgence: Porcelain floor tile throughout and with NuHeat heated flooring in the bathroom.

Best Advice: When budget restricts your window options (basic vinyl vs high-end architectural windows) blend rather than contrast the color of your walls. This will give you a strong, minimalist look that’s clean; using the same color emphasizes and features the viewpoint and minimizes visual clutter. Measure, measure, measure on how much space you need for sitting, standing, sleeping, and be sure to truly understand spatial relationships of the human body to environment. Measure everything that will go into the space and make every inch count and do double duty without giving up style.

Dream Sources: Remodelista.com; Poliformusa.com; Estliving.com

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