"Artists generally have an impulse to make a mark on their surroundings. It is a way of life." - Michelle de la Vega, October 2010
Michelle de la Vega is a contemporary artist, designer, and welder who splits her time between Seattle and Los Angeles. In 2010, she bought a piece of property in Seattle.
As a financial strategy, she decided to rent out the home and live in the 250 square foot garage. She spent 9 months designing and remodeling her Tiny Home, which consists of a loft, daybed (serving as a couch), kitchenette and a bathroom. A self-proclaimed minimalist, Michelle rummaged through salvage yards for industrial materials to build the major elements of her home and accented with select second hand pieces.
De la Vega’s house has been acclaimed as a perfect example of the emerging Mini House Movement. The creativity and character she encapsulates within such a small space has led her mini home to be featured in NY Times, in books on living in small spaces, and recently in the pilot season of Tiny House Nation.
In a house this small, the kitchenette had to be designed with efficiency and flexibility in mind. The main structure of the area is a stainless steel industrial worktable, housing two appliances: a rustic camp stove (in place of a traditional stovetop) and a blender. A mini stainless steel fridge is the only other appliance.
De la Vega uses wooden wine crates to create drawers, as well as open shelving below. Two basic stainless steel shelves complete her storage system.The cleaning station consists of an industiral-retro white sink and drying rack atop the mini refrigerator.
"My house is like my own art installation so that people who visit feel like they are walking into a part of me." - Michelle de la Vega, 2010Michelle de la Vega’s kitchenette is an excellent example of how to create a low-cost, creative kitchen for a small space, without adding extra electrical outlets for large appliances or doing a major plumbing renovation for dishwashers, etc. Other small frequently used tabletop appliances could easily be added to this basic setup.
Do you have a barn, shed or guesthouse, that would benefit from an instant kitchen renovation? What elements of de la Vega’s tiny kitchen would you use?
