Interior Design for Tiny Living in Vietnam
Date: 31 January 2023 | Sophie Nghi Le
Following my last three design experiments that explored alternative, recyclable and circular materials, I would like to continue my design journey under the theme of sustainability in the interior design industry. In this brief, I would like to research around the idea of the living space that we need, in particular, the 'Tiny House' or 'Tiny Living' movement, which is also my area of interest. I would like to investigate the relationship between this design movement and sustainability in the interior industry.
At the end of this brief, I hope to develop an interior design experiment for double occupancy that reflects the optimisation of furniture and space usage, in order to support my research topic above. I would like to aim this design towards users who reside in Vietnam (which is also my home country) to address the issue of living space scarcity in big cities in Vietnam.
Understanding the Tiny Living Movement
Tiny house or tiny living is a lifestyle movement that promotes living in smaller spaces or living with just enough space as opposed to using up more space than we need (Ford et al.,2017). Below are a summary of literature found as early as 1845 depicting the Tiny Living movement and its progress over nearly 180 years:
1845
In his book 'Walden: Life in the Woods', Henry Thoreau introduced the philosophy of a simpler, minimalistic life and finding contentment while living with just enough. Featured throughout his book was his pond-side 14m2 cabin where he lived and wrote with just a fireplace, a bed, desk and chair (Thoreau, 2000).
1998
In the late 90s, author and architect Sarah Susanka published 'The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Live' and the 'Not So Big' franchise that influenced homeowners' preference of better designed spaces over buying bigger homes. By applying architecture and interior design principles, Sarah helped improve and optimise the use of smaller spaces (Susanka, 2002).
2000
Following Sarah's influence, Jay Shafer and photos of his life in a tiny home (Home Sweet Hut) made front page of Des Moines Register, which attracted attention and created the modern-day movement of tiny living (Mansfield, 2000). And then in 2002, Jay met other tiny home enthusiasts and together they created the Small House Society. The following year, Jay built the first commercial tiny home (Whitford, 2018).
2007-2008
Jay Shafer appeared on Oprah Winfrey to promote the luxuries of living small. In the same period, recession and housing crisis in the US has further fuelled society's interest in tiny living for reasons of cost savings, simplicity and environmental footprint minimisation (Whitford, 2018).
2009-2023
To current date, the Tiny Living movement continues to be a phenomenon thanks to its community and influencers spreading the word through all media sources: Tiny House Nation (TV Show), Living Big in a Tiny House (Youtube), Never Too Small (Youtube), etc
The 2018 International Residential Code suggested measurements for the layout and planning of a tiny home, total living space were set to be under 400 sqft or 37.16 sqm (ICC Digital Codes, 2022). Click the link below to view the content of Sarah Susanka's website including introduction to her 'Not So Big' series and design principles for tiny living:
Tiny Living & Sustainability in The Interior Industry
Tiny Living can be part of our journey towards achieving sustainability in the Interior Industry in terms of environmental, social and economic impact that bring about positive change in the long future (Winchip, 2011):
-
Encouraging Minimalistic Lifestyle: a common theme in many literature promoting Tiny Living is the encouragement of minimalism, owning less, storing less and just having enough. Susanka (2002) stated in her book: 'The Not So Big House feels more spacious than many of its oversized neighbours because it is space with substance, all of it in use everyday'. Finance coach J.D. Roth and fellow researchers at UCLA has conducted a study to prove that the majority of space in a common American home in 2018 is wasted and that the American lifestyle which include over-consumption of goods and requiring bigger houses to store more things is the reason behind financial issues, clutter and waste (Alter, 2018; Roth, 2018). Against all this, the Tiny Living movement advocates for a more sustainable way of living and consumption from its users (Heavens, 2007; Harris, 2020).
-
Stronger Community Values: Further notes on social impact: by shifting away from unnecessary possessions and encouraging social interactions outside of the home, our community can find more meaningful life goals and values such as human connection, an appreciation of experiences and unburdened living (Kilman, 2016).
-
Minimising Cost: The cost to build and run a tiny home on heating, cooling and energy usage are significantly lower than that of a bigger sized one (Oser, 2013; Kilman, 2016). The differences are summarised below (Ford et al, 2017). In the current crisis of mortgage and living cost in 2023,Tiny Living can be a great alternative for individuals who are on a tighter budget as well as making housing more affordable for future generations.
-
Using Less Building Resources: Timber is the main building material that can be potentially depleted in the next 300 years (Radkau, 2012; Pollution Solutions Online, 2015), alongside metal, iron and all other natural resources that are not infinite. In the hope to slow down this process and preserve natural resources for future generations, tiny living could be one solution to curb our usage of building materials today. According to Susanka (2002), being a third of a size of the space we think we need, a tiny home of 36sqm can cut back up to 1/3 of the building materials we use on a normal home.
-
Energy Efficiency & Water Consumption: Tiny home can also be completely powered by solar energy and incinerating toilets can be installed to help reduce water consumption (Oser, 2013); even if users choose to use traditional energy, it takes significantly less to heat or cool a smaller space. Overall, tiny homes can generate their own energy by utilising technologies such as solar, wind or biomass; and tiny living brings about sustainable trends in energy usage such as renewable technologies, higher efficiency and energy storage (Sell, 2019).
-
Space Usage Optimisation: Designing the interior of a tiny home is compared to a game of Tetris (Oser, 2013). As opposed to a traditional home where an exterior is built and then interior designers would fill it with stuff, a tiny home is built from the interior-out.
I view space as a resource and as our population grow over the decades, this resource is getting smaller, especially in bigger cities where population density is at all time high. Living space in cities such as London, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, etc has become smaller and more costly and hence, prompted the demand for tiny homes (Maghribi et al., 2015). The way that the interior of tiny homes are designed (Susanka, 2023) is how we can aid users in optimising the use of smaller space and in turn, being more conscious and frugal with this resource while still enjoying a good life quality.
-
Social Considerations: Social impact that brings changes to future generations is part of sustainability in the interior design industry (Ford et al., 2017). A community of tiny homes can be built to fit into any settings, whether it is for rural - off-the-grid living like Henry's cabin in 1845; for those who are in need of temporary shelter; for those who cannot afford permanent shelter or for urban environments where dense populations can only be housed in limited space (Kilman, 2016; Ford et al., 2017).
Tiny House Interior Design Principles
Below are some highlights of the key principles for tiny house interior that I would like to adapt to my design towards the end of this report, I would like to focus on Space, Light and Order (Susanka, 2023):
Why Tiny Living Would Benefit Residents In Vietnam?
Having spent most of my childhood in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), I am a firsthand witness of how living space resource in Vietnamese main cities has become a scarcity in such a short time. Similar to other cases in the world, as more citizens choose to relocate to big cities for work, housing has become a huge issue and some workers even choose to live in shockingly small and unsafe conditions. Below is an infographic of how population density is recorded throughout Vietnam, huge clusters can be spotted in the main cities of Hanoi, Da Nang, The Mekong region and Saigon (Terence Fosstodon, 2023).
Below are records from the Vietnamese Government on population density in different regions across the country in 2021; with Saigon (HCMC) and Hanoi topping the chart as Vietnam's centre of financial and economic growth (General Statistic Office, 2023). I have converted this population density to Square Metres Per Person to compare to case studies in real life and better visualise the living space issue:
Space scarcity and poor living condition of labourers have been haunting these 2 major cities for decades; they are mainly couples, singles and nuclear families who chose to relocate to Hanoi or Saigon for work and finding themselves becoming part of these issues. Saigon News has reported on living space as small as 15m2 for 2 people, poor health and safety ratings, no garden or community space, no air vents or lighting or fire escape, etc which is often overlooked by authorities and considered common practice (SGGP, 2022). On the other side of the scale, middle to higher income families in Saigon can still indulge in living space as large as 2000 sqm (Dot Property, 2023). I am not hoping to solve the problem of urban planning in Vietnam but rather to suggest a viable way to solve this disparity in living space resource allocation. I hope residents in Vietnam can consider adopting the Tiny Living movement and having a Tiny House Community in order to raise awareness of the usage of our living space resource.
Designing a Tiny House for Double Occupancy
I would like to address the issue of living space scarcity in the last half of my report by experimenting with interior design for Tiny Living in Vietnam. The tiny home that I am designing for users in Vietnam would be adaptable to: higher pollution level, mild to hot humid climate, cultural values, and the rising demand for double occupancy for singles and couples living in big Vietnamese cities (Worldometer, 2022). Below is a sketch of my preferred layout of 6mx5m:
Inspirations from existing interior design trends in Vietnam:
AD House
Tran Trung Architects
Cao Xanh House
HGAA
Binh Thuan House
MIA Design Studio
Hai Phong House
HGAA
The Design Process
I keyed in my preferences for Area, Wall Dimensions, Ceiling Height, Floors, Number of Rooms into Home By Me (an interior design programme managed by Dassault Systèmes) to generate a generic square layout, then I altered this layout to include a loft with an opening. I am opting for an area of 30sqm + a loft upstairs area of 16sqm. This layout can be used for a house or an apartment. Click the button below to view my project, dimensions and featured furniture products:
View gallery below:
Featured furniture products and design aspects:
The Sofa
Vietnamese people prefer hard wood sofas that comes from rare timber resources at an exorbitant price, as odd as it sounds to the Western audience. I would like to confront this wasteful and unsustainable habit by adding a bamboo sofa with firm cushions as a replacement. Besides the good of using an alternative material, bamboo furniture is much more affordable and versatile than timber products. A bamboo sofa, in this case, makes the interior design feel lighter and opens up more space around and under for storage.
Glass Panels
Connecting Views
Reflecting Surfaces
Using glass panels throughout to achieve open-ability, especially in the dining area.
Connecting views throughout the ground floor and the view from the loft down is not hindered by any separating walls.
Reflecting surfaces like glossy kitchen cabinets, counters and mirrors are used to maximise light and create a sense of a larger space.
The Bed
With the same reasoning as the sofa, I will use bamboo and rattan as the main material for the bed. Bamboo beds are very popular among both Vietnamese and foreign expats living in Vietnam; they are also very easy to make if the users prefer to build their own bed, which is quite common in Vietnamese culture.
Over-Under
Shelter Around Activity
Window Positioning
Over-under: Openings that look up to the second loft floor to create a sense of height.
Shelter around activity: the placement of the sofa, bar and kitchen area under the stairs leading up to the loft.
Window positioning to welcome light and air but using strong metal barred doors and windows for security.
Evaluation
A few good points about this tiny home design is that it is relevant to the issue at hand in big cities in the world. It is a relatively new concept in Vietnam but the ideology of a simpler lifestyle is not: Vietnam is a Buddhist country and living minimal is part of the Buddhist teaching that are widely accepted but it not practiced enough. Hence, there is a considerable chance that Tiny Living movement can be greatly welcomed amongst residents in Vietnam. Besides being feasible to build, in the long run, tiny homes can solve multiple issues of space scarcity, disparity in living conditions and housing cost for future generations in Vietnam as well as any other big crowded city in the world.
So what are the problems?
Social-wise: will tiny homes be accepted in a developing country like Vietnam where wealth is still being measured by “big houses and big cars”? The answer is “No” at the moment. The big psychological issues of tiny homes are related to the occupants whose identities and values reflected in the space they live in and how they want others to see them (Sloat, 2016). The Tiny Living movement will not be popular in Vietnam until everyone has reached the self actualisation stage in Maslow's hierarchy of needs (McLeod, 2022). Living in a developing country, society is still striving to achieve the other steps in this pyramid which are basic needs, materialistic and monetary wealth. Quoted Lindsay Graham from the Centre for the Built Environment (Sloat, 2016): 'we try to match our spaces to the activities that we need to accomplish'. And unless the government actively encourages citizens to embrace the Tiny Living movement, we will be a long way from making sustainable interior choices.
.png)
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (McLeod, 2022)
Technical-wise: the shape of furniture used in tiny homes is quite restrictive to the shape of the space. So the selection of furniture design that works for tiny homes are somewhat smaller than that of a normal house. In order to optimise the use of space, we tend to ‘Tetris stack’ our design (Oser, 2013), for example, using a curved sofa against a straight wall would unnecessarily waste space.
Furthermore, tiny homes are not build for everyone, especially bigger families, the elderly or those with medical conditions that restrict them from manoeuvring a tiny space; that is why I would only recommend this design for more active individuals or couples.
Implication
We need to think further than how to fix the problem of living space scarcity, in Vietnam and in the world. The issue at hand is how to prevent living space and resources from running out and that is also a social issue of population control. Reaching sustainable interior design, particularly in this case: using space responsibly, means a lot of big changes in users’ mindset and that poses great challenges as it requires a lot of time and sacrifice of the convenience and comfort we know.
References:
- Ford, J., & Gomez‐Lanier, L. (2017). Are tiny homes here to stay? A review of literature on the tiny house movement. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 45(4), 394-405. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.12205
- Thoreau, H. D. (2000). Walden. Infomotions, Inc..
- Susanka, S. (2002). The not so big house. Taunton Press.
- Mansfield, L. (2000, December 10). Home Sweet Home [Review of Home Sweet Home]. Des Moines Register. https://resourcesforlife.com/docs/item1488
- Whitford, B. (2018, May 3). The History of the Tiny House Movement [Review of The History of the Tiny House Movement]. Coze Living. https://cozeliving.com/tiny-house-movement/#2000_Jay_Shafer_Leading_the_Tiny_House_Movement
- ICC Digital Codes. (2022, February). 2018 International Residential Code (IRC) (5th version) - Appendix Q Tiny Houses. Codes.iccsafe.org; ICC Digital Codes. https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IRC2018P5/appendix-q-tiny-houses
- Weisbarth, J., Giffin, Z., & Mevlana, A. (2014, July 9). Tiny House Nation. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3869500/
- Winchip, S. (2011). Sustainable design for interior environments (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Fairchild Books.
- Alter, L. (2018, October 11). Our House Design Problem Isn’t Too Many Rooms, It’s Too Much Stuff [Review of Our House Design Problem Isn’t Too Many Rooms, It’s Too Much Stuff]. Treehugger. https://www.treehugger.com/our-house-design-problem-isnt-too-many-rooms-its-too-much-stuff-4854245
- Roth, J. D. (2018, May 21). Does the American dream require a big American home? [Review of Does the American dream require a big American home?]. Get Rich Slowly. https://www.getrichslowly.org/american-home/
- Heavens, A. (2007, June 14). Smaller Could Be the Answer to a Lot of Issues [Review of Smaller Could Be the Answer to a Lot of Issues]. Realty Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20090322233501/http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20070614_smalleranswer.htm
- Harris, T. (2020). TINY HOUSE MOVEMENT : challenging our consumer culture. Lexington Books.
- Kilman, C. (2016). Small House, Big Impact: The Effect of Tiny Houses on Community and Environment. Undergraduate Journal of Humanistic Studies • Winter, 2. https://d31kydh6n6r5j5.cloudfront.net/uploads/sites/111/2019/07/charlie_kilman_tinyhouses__4_.pdf
- Oser, E. (2013, January 23). Tiny House, Big Impact: Getting Green by Building Less [Review of Tiny House, Big Impact: Getting Green by Building Less]. Planet Forward. https://www.planetforward.org/webisode/tiny-house-big-impact-getting-green-by-building-less
- Ford, J., & Gomez-Lanier, L. (2017). Are Tiny Homes Here to Stay? A Review of Literature on the Tiny House Movement. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 45(4), 394–405. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.12205
- Pollution Solutions Online (2015, Sep 18). How Long Until There Are No More Trees?. https://www.pollutionsolutions-online.com/news/green-energy/42/breaking-news/how-long-until-there-are-no-more-trees/36067
- Radkau, J. (2012). Wood: A history. Polity.
- Sell. (2019). Reaching sustainability goals through efficiency and off-grid living. Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, 93(2), 187. https://doi.org/10.5325/jpennacadscie.93.2.0187
- Maghribi, L., Wakatsuki, M., & Defterio, J. (2015, November 3). Tokyo’s Big Idea: Can Micro-Homes Offer a Housing Solution? CNN. Retrieved December 1, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/ 11/03/asia/tokyo-japanmicro-home/
- Susanka, S. (2023). Not So Big House: Not So Big Principles [Review of Not So Big House: Not So Big Principles]. Susanka.com. https://susanka.com/not-so-big-house/not-so-big-principles/
- Terence Fosstodon [@researchremora]. (2023, January 02). This morning's population density map is Vietnam. [Image attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/researchremora/status/1609896835262418944?lang=ar
- General Statistics Office, 2023. Population And Employment: Area, population and population density by province. https://www.gso.gov.vn/en/px-web/?pxid=E0201&theme=Population%20and%20Employment
- SGGP. (2022, May 16). Đồng hành chăm lo đời sống công nhân, người lao động - Bài 1: “Sống mòn” trong khu trọ [On The Journey to Improve the Life of Workers and Migrants: Chapter 1: Renting in the ghetto]. Sai Gon Giai Phong Online. https://www.sggp.org.vn/dong-hanh-cham-lo-doi-song-cong-nhan-nguoi-lao-dong-bai-1-song-mon-trong-khu-tro-post636969.html
(Vietnamese Text)
- Dot Property, 2023. Villas for Sale in District 1, Ho Chi Minh | Dot Property. www.dotproperty.com.vn. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.dotproperty.com.vn/en/villas-for-sale/h%E1%BB%93-ch%C3%AD-minh/qu%E1%BA%ADn-1
- Worldometers. (2022). Vietnam Population (2019) - Worldometers. Worldometers.info. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/vietnam-population/
- INVN. (2022, December 26). AD House / Tran Trung Architects. Interior Vietnam Magazine. https://interiorvietnam.com/ad-house-tran-trung-architects/
- Ashui. (2022, November 23). Cao Xanh House / HGAA. Interior Vietnam Magazine. https://interiorvietnam.com/cao-xanh-house-hgaa/
- Sloat, S. (2016, August 04). Tiny Homes Aren’t For Everyone. Inverse. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.inverse.com/article/19140-psychology-of-tiny-homes-and-micro-apartments
- McLeod, S. A. (2022, April 04). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html