Thanks for that, great idea that I’ve thought about too.
I have a suggestion: a fold away shower. You only use the shower for a short time each day and it’s mostly empty space so why not fold it away I thought. Could have one in the bedroom then – step in quickly before you get dressed for the day. My design would be a solid shower tray with a small drain and a pump to pump the drain water out. The tray is hinged at the wall so it can fold up against it. The showerhead is fixed up on the wall and can rotate out to be above the shower tray. To make it splashproof, use either concertina fold out walls (square or circular) or a simple waterproof shower curtain that is attached to the shower tray at the bottom and the wall/ ceiling at the top. Put a ventilation fan in too and you’re good to go.

Regards,
Benjamin

Tiny but really useful! Wonder where they get those molded inserts from?

The EarthRoamer XV-LT Interior is luxury but I can see where the ideas could be tweeked and used in your projects.

Like the bathroom and the tiny kitchen area. What do you think?

http://www.earthroamer.com/galleries/2006_interior/index.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15hongkong.html?_r=1

Very cool!

I designed and had built an entertainment center with a piano hinge in the middle. It’s about 7′ tall. The initial concept was to have the stereo components cantilevered off the floor and be able to swing them out to easily access the cables from behind.

The guy who built it didn’t follow the plan, but here are a few things I’ve learned:

1) If you’re going to have large things that swing you have to have them plumb.

2) The floor has to be dead level.

That doesn’t mean the idea isn’t great, but it would require a level of precision that a lot of home builders don’t generally use to implement. That might raise costs a bit.

If the cabinets went to the ceiling, you’d probably want casters on the tops to prevent them digging into the ceiling, and you probably would want a plywood ceiling. A big cabinet could potentially just tear through sheet rock.

I understand your illustration is just a concept. I think the bedroom side is pretty good. You gain a dresser when it’s open, but you gain a window when it’s closed. I’m not sure the kitchen wall is as useful. I find myself using the kitchen sink for washing hands and getting water throughout the day. I also use the refrigerator often. Perhaps keeping the fold up table would provide just as much functionality with a lot less complexity. You could have the table fold over the window. It would come down for dining or study, allowing you to see out, but it would go up when not in use, especially at night, and would thus insulate the window.

One suggestion I have is to consider building the bathroom like in a boat or camper — no separate shower stall, just one small room.