Baluchon needs no introduction in the tiny house sphere, but for a newbie micro dwelling enthusiast, who’s just started to explore mobile habitats, Baluchon is a French artisanal company, specializing in the design and manufacture of custom-made tiny houses. They’ve built over fifty tiny homes, each boasting unique features and exquisite design. The company’s recent creation is Bonzai tiny house on wheels and it flummoxed me with its unique shape.
Measuring just 14.7 feet long the tiny home is built on a double-axle trailer, and capped with an aluminum roof. There is no denying that Baluchon has taken inspiration from Japanese architecture while constructing the Bonzai tiny house. But what’s intriguing here is the fact that the Bonzai tiny home not only boasts a Japanese-inspired design in its interior but also incorporates Japanese design in the exterior build.
To get started, the tiny house features a curvy roof akin to those found in Japanese temples. Then we have red and black aluminum coverings and the beautiful bull’s eye located on the gable that adds both character and aesthetic to the home. In totality, the tiny dwelling features a multipurpose room, kitchen, and bathroom, which we will talk about in detail below.
The multipurpose room boasts generous storage in the form of underfloor drawers, and overhead lockers. Not to mention, a drop-down dining table, shelving, and a wood-burning stove that adds more functionality to the home. The biggest USP of the Bonzai tiny house is its home cinema setup that combines a soundbar, projector, and pull-down screen. Unlike any traditional tiny house, it doesn’t feature a bedroom, so the user rather has to roll out a futon onto the floor that’s stored when not in use.
“As Josselin (client) is passionate about Japan, he wanted his house to be given a style inspired by this country. This is reflected in its architecture, made up of a curved frame,” mentions the company. Interestingly, the tiny home also features a roof terrace that is accessible via a custom-made ladder fixed outside. Since the tiny home will be transported to England, the client asked Baluchon to do some high-end insulation that featured a mixture of cotton, hemp, and linen.
Since Bonzai is half the size of any typical American tiny house on wheels, Baluchon had to be creative with the design, which is why one will have to enter the home via the bathroom. Unlike Acorn Tiny Homes or Movable Roots, Baluchon doesn’t like to play around with the bathroom much and prefers keeping it simple, which is why the Bonzai bathroom features a shower and toilet.
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Adjacent to the bathroom is the kitchen. Despite being quite compact, the kitchen is equipped with a sink, a two-burner stove unit, cabinets, and a countertop alongside a fridge. Surprisingly, the kitchen is accoutered with a pantry drawer and a pull-out table, which adds more functionality to the dwelling. A shoji-style sliding door provides access to the multipurpose room of the house, which we discussed above. There is no word on the price yet, but we estimate it to cost way above $80,000!
