Tiny Houses

Baluchon puts gastronomy at the heart of compact tiny house

Baluchon puts gastronomy at the heart of compact tiny house
Visitors enter the Tiny House Pétillante into the kitchen area, which is relatively spacious by French tiny house standards
Visitors enter the Tiny House Pétillante into the kitchen area, which is relatively spacious by French tiny house standards
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The Tiny House Pétillante measures just 6 m (almost 20 ft) in length and is the main home of its owner in Vendée, western France
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The Tiny House Pétillante measures just 6 m (almost 20 ft) in length and is the main home of its owner in Vendée, western France
The Tiny House Pétillante is based on a double-axle trailer and gets power from a standard RV-style hookup
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The Tiny House Pétillante is based on a double-axle trailer and gets power from a standard RV-style hookup
The Tiny House Pétillante is finished in cedar and has an aluminum roof
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The Tiny House Pétillante is finished in cedar and has an aluminum roof
Visitors enter the Tiny House Pétillante into the kitchen area, which is relatively spacious by French tiny house standards
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Visitors enter the Tiny House Pétillante into the kitchen area, which is relatively spacious by French tiny house standards
The Tiny House Pétillante's living room is filled with natural light thanks to a large window that also frames the view
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The Tiny House Pétillante's living room is filled with natural light thanks to a large window that also frames the view
The Tiny House Pétillante's bedroom is accessed by a removable ladder that's stowed on the wall when not in use
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The Tiny House Pétillante's bedroom is accessed by a removable ladder that's stowed on the wall when not in use
The Tiny House Pétillante is heated with a very small wood-burning stove
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The Tiny House Pétillante is heated with a very small wood-burning stove
The Tiny House Pétillante's kitchen includes a fridge/freezer, sink and cabinetry
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The Tiny House Pétillante's kitchen includes a fridge/freezer, sink and cabinetry
Tiny House Pétillante's kitchen includes an oven and a four-burner propane-powered stove
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Tiny House Pétillante's kitchen includes an oven and a four-burner propane-powered stove
The Tiny House Pétillante's bedroom is a typical tiny house loft-style bedroom with a low ceiling
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The Tiny House Pétillante's bedroom is a typical tiny house loft-style bedroom with a low ceiling
Tiny House Pétillante's bedroom has some extra storage space hidden behind the headboard
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Tiny House Pétillante's bedroom has some extra storage space hidden behind the headboard
Tiny House Pétillante's interior is finished in rough-sawn spruce, which is painted white
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Tiny House Pétillante's interior is finished in rough-sawn spruce, which is painted white
Tiny House Pétillante's bathroom includes a shower, sink and toilet
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Tiny House Pétillante's bathroom includes a shower, sink and toilet
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Most of the French tiny house kitchens we see are poorly equipped and very cramped – in large part due to the compromises required to meet the country's strict towing laws. Commissioned to design a new model by a keen cook, Baluchon attempted to address this and arranged the home's interior around a relatively spacious kitchen area.

The Tiny House Pétillante is based on a double-axle trailer and measures just 6 m (almost 20 ft) in length. It features a spruce frame and a cedar exterior, with an aluminum roof. Power comes from a standard RV-style hookup.

Visitors enter the home into the kitchen, which does indeed look quite roomy by French standards but is still not as well-stocked as the kitchens found in many North American models, such as the Magnolia V6. It includes an oven and a four-burner propane-powered stove, a sink, fridge/freezer, and quite a lot of storage space and counter space.

The living room is nearby and frames the view with a large window taking up much of the wall. It also contains some seating, a coffee table, shelving, and a small wood-burning stove which should be sufficient to heat the entire home. Over on the opposite side of the home is the bathroom, which looks very small but does squeeze in a shower, toilet, and a tiny sink, plus there's a little more storage space too.

The Tiny House Pétillante's living room is filled with natural light thanks to a large window that also frames the view
The Tiny House Pétillante's living room is filled with natural light thanks to a large window that also frames the view

The Tiny House Pétillante has just one bedroom, which is reached by a removable ladder – this definitely saves space though is more awkward to use than a storage-integrated staircase – that's secured on the living room wall when not in use. The bedroom itself is a standard tiny house-style bedroom with a low ceiling that means the owner must crawl into bed. It has a double bed with a headboard that actually opens to reveal a generous additional storage area.

The tiny house serves the main home of its owner who lives in Vendée, western France. We've no word on its price, though Baluchon's tiny houses typically start at around €80,000 (roughly US$87,000).

Source: Baluchon

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1 comment
1 comment
Nelson Hyde Chick
Because there always needs to be more and more of us, we will be forced to live smaller and smaller lives, or we could stop growing like a cancer on this planet.