It's interesting how in these days of depressed economy that design geared towards what makes sense as opposed to the same old, same old is getting its day of fame... In fact yesterday on Inhabitat they said ... "Small houses are the new black right now"... So it goes!
Sadly though a lot of all this new design fad is simply reinventing the wheel and anyone familiar with boat design knows that boat designers are masters at getting the most usable living space from a minimal envelope and house design is playing catch-up... Big time!
While not on the short list, here is a design by Philip Thiel that I have long kept in my back pocket to use someday for a dedicated little office or living space for the French canals ... a "pied-à-eau" if you will!
Jolly Boat is a small canal barge based on the Escargot which was designed for pedal power... Just slightly bigger and sporting a 9.8HP outboard it is just right for doing the French canals on a tiny budget.
Of course it is tiny... But the design is so simple and so well done that there is more than enough room to be comfortable on a level far surpassing its size. Actually these are so neat that I could see building a couple, one for fun and one as a dedicated little film/edit studio ... What better way to edit a film than on the side of a canal in the south of France with a view like this...
For more info contact
Philip Thiel
Sea/Land Design
4720