Kim Lewis Unveils Affordable Tiny Home at Dwell on Design
Who is Kim Lewis?
Kim Lewis is an acclaimed Texas-based designer who famously worked on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” before beginning her own “Tiny Homes” project in early 2017. Now, Kim Lewis is partnering with Cavco Industries, Inc. to bring people some irresistible mini-living spaces at an affordable price. The first of these collaborative creations was unveiled at this year’s Dwell on Design conference in downtown Los Angeles.
Lewis has worked on over 120 housing projects across 43 states and has long been a regular face on TV channels like TLC, National Geographic, Animal Planet, and FYI. Lewis has also been featured in several iconic magazines, including InStyle, Austin Woman, and People. This year, Dwell on Design invited her to showcase her innovative “Joshua Tree” tiny home at their convention.
On working with Lewis, Cavco President Tim Gage had this to say: “Working with Kim and her team for Dwell on Design has pushed us outside of even our very creative design box and encouraged us to take risks with truly special designs and ideas, but this is exactly the kind of thing that keeps Cavco as an industry leader.”
The Joshua Tree
At 560 square feet, the Joshua Tree is larger than the average tiny home and consists of two ground floor trailers connected by a long front porch. A bedroom occupies one of the trailers, and the other one contains both the kitchen and living areas. Intended for space, light, and open-plan loving bohemians, the Joshua Tree’s design was inspired by the desert and its residents — the people who crave a connection with nature and live surrounded by valleys and mountains of sand under sunset skies.
Kim wanted the Joshua Tree to function like any ordinary brick-and-mortar house, so she gave it a proper bedroom instead of equipping it with the space-saving sleeping lofts you see in countless other tiny home designs. The trailers are each nine feet six inches high and have enough windows and sliding glass doors to make their indoor spaces feel as if they were out in the open.
Features of the Joshua Tree Tiny Home
Keeping things clean and modern, the dwelling boasts white walls, copper piping, a freestanding Kohler claw foot tub, retro appliances, Silestone countertops, Barn Light Electric lighting fixtures, and a mint green Big Chill refrigerator. Lewis used the desert’s sunset hues to create a color scheme that would capture some of the surrounding landscape’s natural magic.
Why Should I Consider a Tiny Home?
If you’re money-conscience, want to immerse yourself in the outdoors, crave a freer lifestyle, or simply desire the luxuries of a home but the ease of minimalistic living, then a tiny home is for you. They are the affordable future for our thrill-seeking millennial generation, who are constantly in pursuit of the next big adventure and don’t like to be tied down by contracts and mortgages. You don’t even have to use the Joshua Tree as a permanent residence, either. They also make great holiday homes, offices, and weekend getaways!
Lewis notes: “Baby boomers want to downsize, but they still want a home that feels luxurious, happy, and unique…the younger generation is more adventurous. More and more people are working for themselves, so having a tiny home gives them more flexibility and financial freedom.”
The Joshua Tree will initially be sold for $60,000, lower than the average asking price for small dwellings. The tiny home’s modest price reflects Lewis’ philanthropic vision of encouraging others to live with less and experience more.
