Cuyamaca is a small but sturdy house on wheels that has a stylish appearance and a functional interior
Tiny houses are popping up everywhere these days, leaving many people scratching their heads over the huge architectural trend they started. While tiny living isn’t for everyone, it’s safe to say that almost all of us are fascinated by these tiny dwellings and many are willing to move out of their full-sized homes to get a taste of popular tiny living.
Photo: Rocky Mountain Tiny Homes
Although homeowners may have different ideas regarding what makes a tiny home beautiful and charming, we can all agree that designs that blend function, style, and comfort are the most desirable. Add in some luxurious features like a fireplace, spacious closet space, and spa-like bathroom amenities, and you have a surefire recipe for success.
The Cuyamaca tiny house is a great example of a small yet mighty home filled with clever ideas that make it highly functional while maintaining the appeal of a small living space. This particular home was built by Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses for a medical worker in the San Diego area, so it features a custom design designed specifically to meet the client’s needs.
Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses is based in Durango, Colorado, and has been building beautiful tiny homes since 2013. The company, founded by tiny living enthusiast Greg Parham, offers plans, shells, and gorgeous custom tiny homes with everything customers specifically need.
Photo: Rocky Mountain Tiny Homes
Built on a gooseneck trailer, the Cuyamaca tiny house is 29 feet (8.83 meters) long and designed with privacy in mind. As such, you will notice that there are fewer higher-positioned windows, and that the front door has no glass at all. But this does not mean that the interior is gloomy and boring. On the contrary, bright white walls and mostly white furniture compensate for the lack of sunlight while giving the interior a clutter-free look.
The two-tone exterior of this tiny house has a sleek, modern look, with a combination of cedar and charcoal metal siding, a simple roof, and a beautiful blue door. There is also an outdoor closet at the back of the house for storage. The owner parked it in the mountains east of San Diego, near a place called Cuyamaca, hence its nickname.
Entering the tiny house through a single entrance door towards the back of the trailer, we reach the main living space, which is designed in an open plan and includes a small living room and a spacious kitchen.
The compact living area is equipped with a long sofa with sections that allow for multiple configurations. The owner can rearrange the cubes based on his needs and create either a regular sofa with two armrests for storage or a guest bed. The modular units can also be arranged to form an L-shaped or U-shaped seating space. An electric fireplace with a wooden mantelpiece and a TV above it complete the living room design, while a small loft area above the sofa provides additional storage space.
Photo: Rocky Mountain Tiny Homes
Since the owner of this tiny house is a culinary enthusiast, the kitchen had to be the focus of the interior design. It’s a U-shaped kitchen that takes up much of the main floor and has a luxurious look and feel thanks to quartz countertops and a beautiful glass mosaic tile backsplash. It features a large peninsula with plenty of meal prep space, modern appliances, and Robin’s Egg Blue cabinets that add a beautiful pop of color.
Kitchen functionality is provided by an undermount sink, two-burner gas stove, Breville air fryer oven, above-range microwave, dishwasher drawer, and full-size stainless steel refrigerator. There is also a folding table opposite the kitchen counters which can be used as a dining area and work space.
The bathroom at the other end of the house is small but modern and has an all-white design that gives it an original look. This isn’t one of those ordinary small home bathrooms where only basic amenities are included, as the builders outfitted it with a full-size bathtub with tiled walls and a rain shower head, a flush toilet, an L-shaped vanity with a quartz counter, and a custom-made water heater. To help the owner keep all his belongings organized, there is also a medicine cabinet and linen closet above the toilet.
Photo: Rocky Mountain Tiny Homes
Adjacent to the bathroom, some storage stairs lead to the curved bedroom, which is designed as a private space with a narrow corridor door in a beautiful chevron pattern. Inside the master bedroom there is enough height and space to accommodate a king-sized bed. Rocky Mountain Houses designed a hydraulic assisted lift platform for the bed to allow the owner to easily access the storage space underneath.
To the left of the bed, there is another staircase that takes you to the loft above the bathroom. This area serves as closet space and also has a combined washer/dryer unit. Although it only has knee room, it offers more clothing storage space than most tiny homes we’ve seen.
Despite the limited space, the Cuyamaca tiny house proves that exquisite attention to detail and clever design ideas make small living spaces compatible with a luxury lifestyle. There’s no word on the exact price of this custom model, but the builder says a similar tiny house would cost around $95,000 at current market prices.
