‘Portal’- Tiny house with a remote controlled retractable bed

By Daniel Tej

January 24, 2017

5 min read

Tiny houses are big on charm but short on space – so every inch matters. And the furniture used in these houses should serve not just one, but two or more purposes. This actually means including convertible furniture in order to save space and increase functionality.

So, two architects’ graduates named Lara and Andrew from Australia, in collaboration with builder Greg Thornton of Greg Thornton Constructions formed ‘The Tiny House Company’ located in Brisbane, Australia. The collaboration went on to create one of their tiny home project dubbed as ‘Portal’.

This 18 m2/194 ft2, non-towable tiny house features furniture with most technological innovation that transforms the space with both beauty and functionality. Center of attraction in this tiny house is its custom-designed retractable bed that saves on space.

Retractable bed functions on a remote controlled winch and a track system built into the wall. The bed upsurges above the lounge area during the daytime and when it’s required at night, it lowers down over the couch with just a push of button, converting the lounge area into a fully functional bedroom. Wall on which the bed is mounted contains floor-to-ceiling storage space with closets and other storage units.

The kitchen area comprises of almost half the length of this tiny home, and continuous sight lines that runs through the length and width of this house provides a spacious feel to its dwellers. Very well designed doors and windows, where on one hand offers spectacular view of natural surroundings, and on other hand provides very effective cross-ventilation to the house.

Use of recycled Australian hardwood in bench top, shelves, doors windows and deck, render it’s interiors an esthetic look. A loft space with a ladder, right above the bathroom can be used as a bedroom or to house bulky items, making the most out of the available space in its interiors.

A compost toilet that diverts liquid waste and turns solid waste into manure, makes Portal a perfect recycling unit that operates odour-free and can save up to 35,000 Liters of water per year. It even has a modular deck that can almost double the flooring area in just about two hours of assembly time.

To sum up, Portal has turned out as a tiny home that co-exists in perfect harmony with nature.