I was approached by a friend of mine to design a tiny house as part of their vision for a more sustainable and minimalist lifestyle. The design was fitted to a 7’ wide by 25’ trailer—175 square feet—roughly the size of a small studio apartment in NYC. I found the design to be challenging yet fun.

I wanted to discuss my research in more detail for those who are curious or who are ambitious enough to design their own tiny house.

I've decided to transform this website into a more comprehensive design blog. I am still going to use it as a platform to showcase my work but I have decided to make a transition from portfolio / student work to a lifestyle and design blog. 

That being said, I know it has been a long time since I've created a new post, and I have virtually no followers, but I am going to be posting a lot more on here... mostly on subjects related to what I am experiencing in my life at the moment. That is because I believe design should go hand in hand with what you do and experience on a daily basis. The world around you, your city, the people you interact with, the spaces you occupy, etc. should all inspire you and influence your design. 

So what is going on in my life right now that influences my design? Well, to start off with... My fiance and I have purchased a home last year and completely renovated it since then. It is a duplex in Lakewood, OH.  

Here is a photo of the transformation. We completed a set of construction documents which we submitted to the city and our contractor. The contractors part of the renovation was complete just before winter last year. Our part of the renovation was extensive --all the painting, dry walling, finishing, landscaping, interior framing, hardwood flooring restoration, some plumbing and electrical, roof repairs.... you name it--we had our hands on it. But if there's one thing I've learned through this process is that maintaining the historical integrity of the home is a huge challenge and takes lots of time and energy. It is so much easier to buy new material at the local hardware store and disregard the historical aspects of your home. 

What else is going on in my life? Well, I am no longer in school. I graduated from the Kent State Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative in May 2013. When I got my dual degree in Architecture and Urban Design, the next week I went on a final goodbye trip to North Carolina with my friends and started a new job the next week. I have been working at ka inc. ever since. Another reason why I want to transition this website is because I want to focus less on my personal portfolio and more on design subjects that interest me. Of course, I may mention some professional work on here but that will only happen with the written permission from my firm.

So keep in tune for a whole new era of design from beyoungdesign.com! 

Cheers!
-Brandon