Roaming Retreats: Small Footprint, Big Connection
Sometimes the architecture that fosters the deepest connection to the natural world is the structure with the lightest touch on Mother Earth. Throughout the years, we have been asked by multiple clients for a semi-temporary, tiny-cabin solution that would give them freedom to house a loved one or neighbor affordably, find a creative solution to zoning restrictions, or simply enjoy a remote piece of land before committing to a full build.
Small spaces afford necessary luxuries for our most sacred daily rituals while mandating simplicity and thoughtfulness in everything else. Design can thus empower intentional actions that inspire inward journeys, new-found joys (in steam rising from your coffee mug), or the space to appreciate (a choir of birds) what would’ve gone unnoticed before.
Live a Richer Life With Less and For Less
The desire to live richer lives with less and for less, has inspired a small house project within our office: Roaming Retreats. The concept is deeply rooted in two ideas. The first is that your living space should be a flexible, mobile financial asset that can accommodate the ever-changing needs and whims of life. The second idea is that every living space should act as a sanctuary that strengthens your wellbeing and optimizes the rituals and activities that take place in it.
Roaming Retreats have come in many forms from mountain modern cabins built on RV chases, both for the movability as well as lending more flexibility to zoning ordinances, to human nests, glamping tents, and pimped out yurts. The inspiration always seems to be a desire to get closer to nature, to leave behind the clutter of busy-ness and business, and focus on the things that really matter in life.
Veronica Schreibeis Smith is the Founding Principal of Vera Iconica Architecture, a global pioneer in Wellness Architecture which is the art and science behind designing built environments that enhance your longevity, vitality, happiness, and overall wellbeing. Veronica has practiced architecture on four continents, and continues to work, speak, and lead think tanks internationally.
Vera Iconica’s work can be seen at www.veraiconica.com, and we’d love to hear from you: 307-201-1642 / info@veraiconica.com.
