These Norwegian Tiny Homes Offer Low-Impact Living on Wheels

With models starting at $96,250, Oslo-based Norske Mikrohus offers sustainable tiny homes with Scandinavian design.

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"Our primary focus is to offer quality tiny homes at an affordable price," says David Reiss-Andersen, who cofounded the Oslo, Norway–based tiny home company Norske Mikrohus with his wife Jeanette, who’s also the firm’s lead designer. "There’s growing awareness of compact living, minimalism, and sustainability," David says. "We want to help provide people with the freedom that comes with living with fewer things, lower costs, lower energy use, and less waste."

Vilde is a 237-square-foot tiny home designed by Norske Mikrohus, an Oslo, Norway–based design-build firm.

The Reiss-Andersens established Norske Mikrohus in 2018; since then, they’ve developed two tiny home models. Ada, their first design, is 205 square feet, and the second model, Vilde, measures 237 square feet—both designs are on wheels. The couple are currently developing two additional models that will be available in May. One is larger in size, measuring almost 28 feet; the fourth is another 24-foot model with a new interior layout.

Ada, a second design by Norske Mikrohus, measures 205 square feet and is set on wheels.

"Our models are complete homes with compact solutions for high functionality," Jeanette says. "Our first two models come with a loft, a full-size kitchen, and a well-sized bathroom. The windows are spaced out as to flood the house with natural light regardless of the its position."

The designer employed glass front doors in both of the existing models to help harness more sunlight and connect the interiors to the outdoors. "There are high ceilings and light-colored finishes that give a spacious feeling," she continues. "It’s very important to us that the spaces feel open and light; we wanted to give people the feeling of living in nature. Whatever the weather conditions are outside, that light and mood are reflected on the inside."

Vilde features plenty of windows so as to flood the interior with sunlight and connect the home to the natural landscape.

White-painted walls and cabinetry are offset by pale wood kitchen counters, stair treads, and flooring to maintain Scandinavian design aesthetics as well as a light and airy feeling for the interior.

The Reiss Andersens included all the practical elements a home requires but took a less-is-more approach in terms of design. "We didn’t want to pack the houses with stuff," David says. "Ada, our more compact model, can be transported more easily, while Vilde is larger, providing more floor space in the living room, more storage, and space for a washing machine in the bathroom."

Norske Mikrohus offers customizable baths, letting customers choose flooring and wall finishes.

Spruce wraps around the exterior of both models. "Spruce is abundant all over Norway and is lightweight and affordable," Jeanette says. Over time, spruce patinas and becomes a silvery-gray tone that blends into the natural landscape and ties to the mountain cabin vernacular of Norway. "We also offer cedar cladding, which has a red glow to it," says Jeannette, who selected aluminum for the roof because it’s lightweight and durable. The tiny homes are insulated with mineral wool, a high-performing material that protects against the Norwegian winters.

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The spruce cladding that wraps around the Vilde tiny house model patinas and eventually turns a silvery-gray tone that blends into the Scandinavian landscape.

The interior walls, ceiling, and cabinetry are made from poplar veneer. "Poplar is light but strong, so that it won’t crack from the movement the house experiences during transport," David says. "All of our wood is FSC-certified and guaranteed to be aldehyde-free."

The built-in furniture is also made with poplar veneer, and the sofa, stairs, and kitchen counter feature oak detailing. "We can provide a variety of finishes, depending on the wishes of our customers," Jeanette says. "A few houses have European ash detailing for a lighter look. Our carpenters build the furniture on-site using these materials. We have variety of parquets to choose from when it comes to flooring. Vinyl is our standard for the bathroom floor; however, most people choose the small hexagonal ceramic tile that we offer."

Norske Mikrohus built cabinetry and drawers below the kitchen counters, omitting upper cabinetry in an effort to create spaciousness for the interior.

The kitchen features a two-burner electric stovetop.

A tiny home by Norske Mikrohus begins at $96,250 and for now, the company can build on-site or ship anywhere in Scandinavia. "All our designs are built on wheels so you can move them yourself," David says. "We aim to make environmentally sustainable houses that don't leave any footprint. We also want to provide a house that gives its owner a flexibility."

The Reiss-Andersens are also invested in environmental responsibility. "Global warming and waste management have become huge problems," David says. "We see that tiny houses can be a sustainable way of life. This is the main reason we created our company. We want to offer a new way of thinking about modern life."