Ecoplast Solutions built this tiny house with the interior designed by Katlyn Wilkinson and staged by Daines and Daubney from Wainwright. The 497 sq. one-bedroom house made of structural panels from recycled plastic bottles is for sale. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
Katlyn Wilkinson, a design draftsman from Ecoplast Solutions and Dana Smith, owner of Daines & Daubney in Wainwright, came together to turn a tiny house into a home.
Wilkinson was tasked with trying to optimize the space in the 497 sq. ft. tiny house she designed for sale, while Smith staged it to make it move-in ready.
Both pros talked about how they made it work for an open house at the Ecoplast Solutions shop last Thursday starting with Wilkinson’s design concept.
“The thinking behind the design was trying to optimize the space. Obviously, it’s a smaller space so there’s not a lot of room. It’s making every square foot count,” she said.
The home is built with structural panels made from recycled plastic bottles as a one-bedroom, one-bathroom house with an open-concept kitchen and living room.
“We are very excited about such an environmental project and we were delighted to be a part of it,” said Smith with many of her store accents in sight at the model house.
“We just wanted to accentuate some of the great finishes that they had done.”
The majority of accents are from her store, but some of the furnishings are just fixture pieces she has in the store for display only.
In fact, Smith says the staging for Ecoplast is an exception to the usual seasonal home styling and staging they do for people who have lived in their homes for a while.
“We do about a dozen homes for decorating at Christmas time and pretty steady bookings from the end of November to the beginning of December doing up to two homes a day, then all year long as well,” she said.
Wilkinson, on the other hand, builds-in functionality and homeyness to the interior design with an eye to lighting including a big patio door leading from the living room to an outdoor patio.
“We utilize pot lights throughout to let in some lights and have a front door that has the glass opening letting in some more light,” she said.
Wilkinson says she wanted to optimize the living room where the homeowner would spend most of their time. She thinks the living room and kitchen are big enough for two people.
“I think even for a retirement area couple, this is a great space. It’s big enough to get around in, but it’s not overly big where you have more than you need,” she said.
“The minimal lifestyle is really popular right now. This model is great for that.”
Ecoplast is also building two duplex units in Lloydminster and recently constructed a large house in Millet Alberta, utilizing more than one million recycled plastic bottles in their building panels.
“I can space plan with you to make up a floor plan that works for you or your family, has all the storage and space that you need while functioning the way that you need it to,” said Wilkinson.
Smith says many of her clients get tired of their living arrangements and call on her to refresh their decor with some new accents from her store or a combination of their own and hers.
She says a lot of her customers are really into redecorating themselves and they’ve acquired a lot of stuff over the years.
“It’s kind of on a cycle where they’ll have us come and they’ll repeat what we did for a couple of years then they have us come and revise it again,” said Smith.
“We rearrange furniture and help them get the most functional and logical use of their space.”
The process starts with a one to two-hour initial consultation on-site. Contact Smith for pricing details.
She says the tiny house for Ecoplast is her first time lending store accents.
“The hope is the person that purchases it will be interested in everything that we staged,” said Smith.
Daines & Daubney has been in business for eight years selling “a little bit of everything for every room in your home,” as Smith puts it.
“We have everything from kitchen gadgets to linens we have ladies’ apparel and lots of giftware.”
