I toured the 2017 Dwell on Design show in Los Angeles and found a treasure trove of new Tiny Houses, Prefab
Homes, and new building products.
Kim Lewis Tiny Homes. Kim Lewis, the principal designer for Extreme Makeover Home Edition has gone out on her own and designed four new models of tiny homes. These homes are modular, delivered in two sections and include a “cool” breezeway between the two sections: one unit is the great room and the other contains a bathroom and bedroom. The Joshua Tree Model at the show (at the top of this post; kitchen below), is farmhouse rustic and includes reclaimed oak floors, a farmhouse sink, Moroccan cement tile, a pass through window by
La Cantina and indoor/outdoor space that includes the covered breezeway and the easily accessible front deck. A section of the kitchen countertop included a base cabinet that was on wheels (photos courtesy Kim Lewis). This countertop could be rolled into the middle of the room and become an island. An idea worth stealing!
Kim also offers three other models including the Palm Springs, a mid-century modern home, The Marfa, described by Kim as Texas-bohemian eclectic, and the Driftwood, a model that reflects its roots in the Texas hill country.
Method Homes’ Annata Series. Method Homes is a Seattle based green builder. By building their homes in a factory setting, Method is able to reduce waste, source locally and control quality in their finished product. The Annata Series is offered in two and three module versions. The two module version, shown at the show,
is modern, light-filled and efficient and includes a great room with a 10’6 ceiling, expansive windows. The compact kitchen includes a Dal Tile backsplash, oak cabinets and a quartz countertop. The bathroom featured walls clad with large format porcelain tile, a curb-less shower and a beautiful pre- fabricated concrete sink (photo credit: Mimi Teller, courtesy Method Homes).
Neolith presented their Tiny House, a 500-square-foot luxury home that featured Neolith’s latest line of
versatile surfacing material, which is made from ground granite and glass.
It offers the hardness of granite but is impervious to stains, heat and UV (photos courtesy Neolith).
Turkel's prefabricated Axion house was not actually at the show but shown through architectural photos and floor plans. Turkel has been Dwell Magazine’s design partner since 2007. These beautiful homes are post and beam, feature lots of light, warm wood tones and natural materials. They come in 11 models.
This example is Axiom 1850 (square feet). I spoke with one of their architects and they do a light study on every house they sell to position it best in terms of lighting throughout the day. Exposed beams and nice proportions of wood-to-white-walls give their designs what they call "warm modernism." Turkel takes a different approach than Method Homes. Method ships the entire house in modules that fit on a tractor trailer. Turkel ships floor, wall and roof sections which are assembled and plumbed on site. Materials are sustainably sourced and each home is built to local building codes.
Product Highlights from the 2017 Pacific Coast Builder Show, by editor Dan Gregory
"Matte black stainless" is becoming a color trend in appliances, like Samsung's latest refrigerators and cooktops, part of their Chef's Collection, which made a big splash at PCPC.
The line's four door FlexZone™ compartment refrigerator model is impressive: it includes a lower compartment
that can convert from refrigerator to freezer at the touch of a button, which is promoted as especially useful during the holidays when you are hosting extra family and friends. GE Appliances showcased their somewhat
similar "Slate" and slightly darker "Black Slate" finishes in refrigerators, ovens, and hoods.
Flooring options now include FSC-certified reclaimed teak from a company called Indoteak. Teak is often used in sleek yacht design and has a seductive allure, and this product is even more appealing because it has been carefully sourced, reclaimed, and prepared without any volatile off gassing chemicals (VOCs) or leaching glues.
It's very durable and water resistant, and is offered in a wide array of patinas, as shown in the images above (courtesy Indoteak). According to Indoteak: "the wood is saved from 100-300-year-old structures that would have otherwise been demolished."
Cultured stone manufacturer Boral introduced their latest Ledgestone and hewn stone series of veneer stone, which is a handsome blend of
smooth and rough surfaces in horizontal patterns for a fresh contemporary look in siding that would suit a
wide variety of home designs, like Plan 120-190, shown above, and Plan 935-14, shown below.
Kim Lewis Tiny Homes. Kim Lewis, the principal designer for Extreme Makeover Home Edition has gone out on her own and designed four new models of tiny homes. These homes are modular, delivered in two sections and include a “cool” breezeway between the two sections: one unit is the great room and the other contains a bathroom and bedroom. The Joshua Tree Model at the show (at the top of this post; kitchen below), is farmhouse rustic and includes reclaimed oak floors, a farmhouse sink, Moroccan cement tile, a pass through window by
La Cantina and indoor/outdoor space that includes the covered breezeway and the easily accessible front deck. A section of the kitchen countertop included a base cabinet that was on wheels (photos courtesy Kim Lewis). This countertop could be rolled into the middle of the room and become an island. An idea worth stealing!
Kim also offers three other models including the Palm Springs, a mid-century modern home, The Marfa, described by Kim as Texas-bohemian eclectic, and the Driftwood, a model that reflects its roots in the Texas hill country.
Method Homes’ Annata Series. Method Homes is a Seattle based green builder. By building their homes in a factory setting, Method is able to reduce waste, source locally and control quality in their finished product. The Annata Series is offered in two and three module versions. The two module version, shown at the show,
is modern, light-filled and efficient and includes a great room with a 10’6 ceiling, expansive windows. The compact kitchen includes a Dal Tile backsplash, oak cabinets and a quartz countertop. The bathroom featured walls clad with large format porcelain tile, a curb-less shower and a beautiful pre- fabricated concrete sink (photo credit: Mimi Teller, courtesy Method Homes).
Neolith presented their Tiny House, a 500-square-foot luxury home that featured Neolith’s latest line of
versatile surfacing material, which is made from ground granite and glass.
It offers the hardness of granite but is impervious to stains, heat and UV (photos courtesy Neolith).
Turkel's prefabricated Axion house was not actually at the show but shown through architectural photos and floor plans. Turkel has been Dwell Magazine’s design partner since 2007. These beautiful homes are post and beam, feature lots of light, warm wood tones and natural materials. They come in 11 models.
This example is Axiom 1850 (square feet). I spoke with one of their architects and they do a light study on every house they sell to position it best in terms of lighting throughout the day. Exposed beams and nice proportions of wood-to-white-walls give their designs what they call "warm modernism." Turkel takes a different approach than Method Homes. Method ships the entire house in modules that fit on a tractor trailer. Turkel ships floor, wall and roof sections which are assembled and plumbed on site. Materials are sustainably sourced and each home is built to local building codes.
Product Highlights from the 2017 Pacific Coast Builder Show, by editor Dan Gregory
"Matte black stainless" is becoming a color trend in appliances, like Samsung's latest refrigerators and cooktops, part of their Chef's Collection, which made a big splash at PCPC.
The line's four door FlexZone™ compartment refrigerator model is impressive: it includes a lower compartment
that can convert from refrigerator to freezer at the touch of a button, which is promoted as especially useful during the holidays when you are hosting extra family and friends. GE Appliances showcased their somewhat
similar "Slate" and slightly darker "Black Slate" finishes in refrigerators, ovens, and hoods.
Flooring options now include FSC-certified reclaimed teak from a company called Indoteak. Teak is often used in sleek yacht design and has a seductive allure, and this product is even more appealing because it has been carefully sourced, reclaimed, and prepared without any volatile off gassing chemicals (VOCs) or leaching glues.
It's very durable and water resistant, and is offered in a wide array of patinas, as shown in the images above (courtesy Indoteak). According to Indoteak: "the wood is saved from 100-300-year-old structures that would have otherwise been demolished."
Cultured stone manufacturer Boral introduced their latest Ledgestone and hewn stone series of veneer stone, which is a handsome blend of
smooth and rough surfaces in horizontal patterns for a fresh contemporary look in siding that would suit a
wide variety of home designs, like Plan 120-190, shown above, and Plan 935-14, shown below.
