“Swiss Army” House Has Furniture Inside Walls, Reveals a Bedroom, Kitchen, And Bathroom

So you think that a house measuring a mere ninety-six-square-foot is practically a closet and there’s no way you can live decently in it? Think again! Aptly nicknamed the “Swiss Army” house, this compact home has walls that contain furniture inside. All it takes is a swing here and there to reveal the essentials – a bedroom, a kitchen, and bathroom.

This tiny house is called aVOID and was created by Leonardo Di Chiara of Italy as an artistic-architectural research project in collaboration with Tinyhouse University in Berlin.

A first look at the house reveals a single white room with no furniture or decor visible.

The walls hold the secrets though.

There’s a fold-down bed, a kitchen area complete with cupboard space, and hob.

There’s even a table and chair for dining.

Through a small gap in the wall, a bathroom can be pulled out, complete with shower head.

Di Chiara’s project is also supported by several internationally-recognized technical partners.

He revealed that growing up in a tiny room inspired him to create the house.

“During all my life I have lived in a very small room in my parents’ apartment in Pesaro, Italy,” he said.

“I was forced everyday to learn how to organize my space, fit all of my belongings inside the few cabinets, and to adapt my space to host my friends to play or later to study.”

“I grew up with a minimalistic lifestyle, which certainly influences my design.”

“From past experience in my room I learnt the importance of emptiness – functionally and physiologically speaking.”

“This is why I started developing transformable furniture where everything can be hidden into the wall surface when it is not in use, having as a result ‘a void’ ready to be used again.”

“Living inside my tiny house is such an amazing experience and it helps me to improve the quality of the space.”

Di Chiara said that his creation makes it necessary for him to always tidy up and avoid collecting unnecessary stuff.

He wants to take this creation to Copenhagen, the Netherlands and Paris before returning home to Italy.

Right now, the tiny house is parked inside the garden of Bauhaus-Archiv in the centre of Berlin.

“Living inside aVOID is not, in my case, just a minimalistic challenge measurable in square meters,” he said.

“Rather it seems an intimate relationship that, over the past few months, is getting me in direct contact with my first creation as an architect.”

“It happens often that I stop and think, watching the space in its different functional arrangements.”

“The living experience allows me to verify, test and modify the house, implementing it with new solutions.”

“For this reason I call aVOID an ‘open’ prototype: a work-in-progress construction site.”

“The tiny house is like a short instruction manual to reductionism.”

“By itself, it teaches and pushes you to deprive yourself of unnecessary things, to consume less water and less energy, to put back your clothes in their place and to wash the dishes immediately after eating.”

“The void, which is obtained by closing again all the wall-mounted furniture, is the refuge of my creativity.”

“The absence of any visual distraction caused by personal objects or daily business makes room for my imagination, which is reflected into my future designs.”