These 8 Stunning Shipping Container Homes Reimagine Housing

Written by

Cullen Ormond
Cullen OrmondAssociate Home Editor at Apartment Therapy
I write about house tours (but I love a good kitchen and kids' room article). My work can be found across AT Media, including The Kitchn and Cubby. I’ve been writing about home-related topics for nearly five years and love seeing how people make their homes unique.
Adrienne Breaux
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
published Sep 14, 2023
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A home doesn’t have to be a traditional, recognizable structure (think: two-story, red-brick house with a porch). Every day, homeowners prove that even unusual and non-traditional spaces can be habitable. For example, there are tiny homes, vehicles, and even boats that people use as full-time homes. People continue to think outside the usual ideas of what a “home” is… and sometimes that actually means thinking inside the box. The shipping container box, that is!

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That desire to push the boundaries of what’s considered a home has led people to live in shipping containers (yes, you read that right). These homes are sturdy, relatively inexpensive (in comparison to more traditional houses) and are a beautiful sight to behold. Here are some fantastic renditions. 

This Contemporary & Cool Home in New Orleans Is Made of Shipping Containers

The journey for Seth Rodewald-Bates & Elisabeth Davies’ New Orleans home began with two four-ton containers purchased for less than $5,000 each from a shipping terminal five miles downriver. They cut the containers and connected them with a 220-square-foot addition made of wood slats, steel cables, and rippled polycarbonate panels that look like translucent glass. The addition has a 14-foot ceiling, which makes the modest home feel surprisingly spacious.

See more of this New Orleans shipping container home in the full house tour.

Credit: AT Video

7 Shipping Containers Make Up This Modern Home in New Orleans

Even though Kicker and Anne Kalozdi had yet to experience building a house, it didn’t deter them from envisioning how seven shipping containers could be their future abode. Once floating down the Mississippi River, these containers are now cleverly stacked and assembled to create a 4,800-square-foot home. While the couple has moved on from their impressively industrial custom home, the house still stands and likely will for many years to come!

Explore the full house tour to see how they created a stunning home from shipping containers.

After This Family’s Original House Was Destroyed, They Built a Home From Shipping Containers

When Rob DePiazza’s family home was destroyed in a hurricane, he wanted to rebuild with a more substantial material. So, he created a 1,600-square-foot home made of shipping containers. What makes the home unique is that he accentuated the shipping container’s siding by painting the walls bright, vibrant colors, and adding lots of colorful art. This isn’t some cold, industrial space in the slightest. 

Explore this colorful shipping container home in the full house tour.

Credit: Minette Hand

A Backyard Tiny Home Is Only 480 Square Feet

When filmmakers James Martin and Jen West were looking for more opportunities for space and extra income, they didn’t have to look too far. They decided to utilize their backyard space by purchasing a 480-square-foot shipping container (which they lovingly named Gimlet) to host fellow artists, stretch out and use themselves, and host guests. And one of the most common things guests say about their backyard home is that it feels spacious despite the small size. 

Visit the full house tour to learn more about the DIYs they took on in this shipping container.

Credit: Maruf Raihan Photo/Courtesy of River & Rain

Shipping Containers in Bangladesh Make a Modern Dream Home

“Escape Den” is the perfect moniker for this open-concept, breezy home made of stacked shipping containers. It achieves this breeziness because of floor-to-ceiling windows, multiple decks, and terraces adorned with greenery. All of the green plants warm of the straight, metal edges of the containers, making a perfect combination of structured and natural.

To see more of this gorgeous shipping container home, explore the full house tour.

Credit: Ruy Teixeira

A Brazilian Shipping Container Home Shows How Well They Do Minimalism

When you imagine a shipping container, dark, often scuffed, metal rectangles likely come to mind. However, this 194-square-foot shipping container house is the complete opposite. The shipping container is wrapped in an all-white mix of resin and stone and is open and airy. It’s light, bright, minimal, and feels much larger than its actual size!

See how the designers created a stylish, minimalist space in the full house tour.

Credit: The Corcoran Group

A 20-Foot-Long Shipping Container Is an Impressive Add-On for a Penthouse

At first glance, you would likely never guess that the addition to this stunning New York City penthouse was not original to the building. However, it’s made from a 20-foot-long shipping container to expand the bedroom suite. While an unusual choice for an addition, the blending of the original structure and the new container is seamless and sleek. 

Check out the full house tour to see how the shipping container flows seamlessly with the rest of the apartment.

Credit: Katie Currid

Not Technically Shipping Containers, But These Grain Bins Give the Same Vibe

Chris and Noel Clayton’s Missouri home might be made from something other than shipping containers, but it’s a unique and similar material. It’s made from secondhand grain bins (all of the home is made from recycled materials) and only cost the couple around $80,000 to build. More proof that metal containers used for industry can be transformed into an incredible home given enough creativity!

Visit the full house tour to see more of this clever home.