See the praiseworthy, open-concept kitchen in an elegant container home

Stephen Shoup founded his award-winning design/build firm, Building Lab, with a strong, sustainable vision in mind. A qualified Green Point Rater and Adviser himself, the architect teamed up with like-minded, similarly certified designers and project managers to produce quality, eco-friendly constructions.
With this green disposition and the increasing demands of his business operations, Shoup eventually decided to give his residence and office space a makeover of their own. Two freezer shipping containers and a great deal of architectural mastery later, his Oakland, California, quarters were ready to welcome all visitors with open doors.
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Now it's our turn to marvel at his incredible residence/office compound. Care to join us for a visit?
This container home was built using a variety of recycled, nontoxic materials and relies on a solar thermal system for its water and internal heating.
To your left is the office area. A checker-patterned pavement, created with a combination of concrete and pebbles, lines the shared patio between Shoup's residence and workstation.
The initial plan was to build a single container office, located at the back of Shoup's home. Marriage and parenthood propelled him into constructing a second space that would accommodate his changing lifestyle demands.
This is Shoup's personal office. Once the full container conversion was completed, the rest of the Building Lab's workstations were migrated to the back of the house.
And here is a side view of the stunning residence, before we begin making our way inside.
The living area is spacious and well-lit, proving that small windows can indeed provide sufficient natural lighting.
Brilliance prevails in the open-plan dining and kitchen areas. A dash of wall art makes this stylish space truly feel like home.
Sleekness in construction prevails as we head into the bathroom.
That photo right there proves that Shoup really thought of everything.
Don't you just love the contrasting dimensions along the entire bathroom? Even the cabinet and vanity are a modern work of marvel!
At last, we reach the master bedroom. In this area of the house, it is the finer details that are worthy of praise. From the decorative vase playfully placed by the stairs ...
... to the compelling construction of the steps in question.
But most importantly, there's the sliding door that leads into the room. No container home is complete without a dexterous integration of storage, and the closet space pictured here is a true testament to this smaller living convention.
Spacious, meticulous and visually sound. Those are the best words to describe Stephen Shoup's residence and office compound. You can definitely see that the Building Lab mastermind is dedicated to all aspects of his craft, and we are sure his clients would agree.
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