PictoVista: June 2010

Truly 'eco' abode

From energy expenditure to building materials, living in a smaller house is one of the best ways to reduce your ecological footprint. Giving up the luxury of space and living more minimally isn't always easy, but it does come with a few perks: fewer possessions, bigger skies and open spaces! Plus, a smaller house makes it easier to cozy up to your loved ones. You'll learn more about Paul Elkin's compact cycle home in a few more clicks. Meanwhile, here's a reminder that bigger isn't always better: 10 of the tiniest homes in the world.

Tumbleweed Houses

Since 1997, Jay Shafer of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company has been living in homes smaller than most people's closets. Though tiny, these cozy, cabin-esque home designs somehow fit everything you need inside them: a workspace, bedroom, bathroom (with toilet and shower) and living space. Some designs include a porch so the homeowner can sit out and enjoy the open spaces.

Micro Compact Home

Measuring only 266 centimeters cubed, Micro Compact Homes somehow manage to include room for two double beds, a bathroom, lobby, dining space for 4-5 people, a kitchen and top-notch entertainment technology. It's enough to make you want to stay inside.

Toronto's Little House

Tucked between its normal-sized neighbors, this miniature home is not the smallest in the world, but it's likely the smallest one in Toronto, Canada. Boasting a mere 312 square-feet of space, the Little House has garnered cult-like interest since going on the market recently. Celebrity Ellen Degeneres has expressed interest in one day owning the tiny home.

Rollit Homes

Students at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany designed these chic modular homes, which are built to incorporate multiple uses inside one small living space. The home functions like a mouse on a wheel; the homeowner can change the structure of the house by walking in the center to rotate it. With just a little bit of daily exercise, the unit can be turned to reveal a bed, lounge chair, table, shower, toilet, or a kitchen sink — all in the same space!

Eco Bike Trailer

Paul Elkins originally designed this bike trailer to get around the Burning Man Festival. There's only space for one, and if you need to use the restroom you'll have to resort to the great outdoors, but it is fully powered by a wind turbine and comes equipped with a solar-powered oven and heating system. (In a space this small, you might not need anything more than your own body heat!)

Smallest House in Great Britain

Also known as the Quay House, the Smallest House in Britain is a tourist attraction in Conwy, Wales. Measuring only 10 feet by 6 feet, it lives up to its name. Until 1900, the home was once occupied by a 6-foot, 3-inch fisherman. It's hard to believe there was enough room left over for a stove, water tap, bedside cabinet and a bed.

Twelve Cubed Mini Home

According to Twelve Cubed designers, these tiny homes feature a dishwasher, microwave and modern oven combo, bathroom, closet, and plenty of natural light. The mission behind the homes is to allow more people to live more sustainably, but the cute design is a temptation in and of itself.

Nano House

Created to help solve the world's global housing crisis, these 25 square-meter homes are designed to house a family of four. Nano Living System homes are also equipped with state-of -the-art insulation and passive solar heating for energy savings. The rooms are convertible to make the most of the tiny space.

Tiny Texas Houses

Not everything is bigger in Texas. Tiny Texas Houses, based in Luling, Texas, is a company "building the future with the past." Each of the tiny houses is made from recycled salvage materials. As the company says on the website: "After a generation of having it all and wasting so much, perhaps it is time to consider keeping it small and preserving what we have before we waste more of our limited resources."

Single Hauz

These cutting-edge home designs, inspired by the look of roadside billboards, can be built into almost any space. They can even be built as raised homes over a body of water. According to Polish creators Front Architects, the house is perfect for the contemporary, single, independent and modern Western Man, who we also assume ought to be an environmentalist!

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