THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A HOUSE

One of the bigger charges against tiny living is the lack of variance in style. You either have your stark and modern high end micro apartment in the city or your hyper-traditional, wood-clad tiny house out in the sticks. Well, if you want your micro with a little bit of spice, look no further than Anita Flower’s Moroccan-flavored tiny house in Portland, OR (where else?). The 248 sq ft, trailer mounted home is brimming with color and personality.

The house, which was built by Small Home Oregon, has 11’ high ceilings at its highest point, making it feel spacious, but also permitting split levels on both ends of the of the house–one side being split between the bathroom on first floor and sleeping loft on top; the other side split between an office on the first floor and a Bedouin tent style lounge area on the top. In the house’s center are the kitchen, dining area and storage.

The place is way more than funky looks. It was constructed from 30% salvaged materials and is designed to be used either as on or off grid. There’s a host of eco-friendly features including a rain catchment system with 55 gallon reserve tank. There’s also 35 gallon freshwater storage tank over the sleeping loft that sends food-grade water to the kitchen. Electricity is generated by a 980W solar array on an elevated rack. Heat either comes from high efficiency, 450W Envi electric heater or a tiny stainless steel Dickinson Solid Fuel wall-mounted heater. And of course there’s a Nature’s Head composting toilet.

Flower is using the home, which she has dubbed Lilypad, as both residence and educational tool, running tours and workshops about low-impact living. Find out more at lilypadplanet.com.