Tour the coolest container homes ever

Container space living is creative living because it dares to live outside the norm, and its proponents believe that a life filled with beauty doesn't have to be a life filled with things. "Buy less, choose well" and similar mottos are the philosophies of container home companies. Homeowners choose container living for its mobility, durability, and affordability, among other factors. Some even choose to build from scratch to enjoy the fruits of their own labor.
From prefab to extravagant, the range of possible container homes vary drastically to suit the diverse tastes of its buyers. In the list below, we explore some of the coolest container homes out there. From container homes built by an art historian to modular homes designed for efficiency and function, get ready to tour the interiors and experience the breadth of possibilities when it comes to container living.
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Paul Burk Photography / GriD Architects
1. Art historian container home
When an art historian and an architectural firm come together, remarkable concepts abound. That is very much the case for GriD Architects' container home from Berkeley, West Virginia. Befittingly dubbed the Ridge House, this modern take on a quintessential cabin in the woods is an ode to its owner's creative affinities. As you are about to see, that means this dwelling's composition brings together the natural, artistic and modernly refined. Take the full tour here. If you are looking for a less modern exterior look, check out the next home below.
Tumbleweed Tees
2. Can house
This container home tour is taking visitors all the way to New Zealand: Welcome to the Can House, owned by the lucky Kimberly Andrews and James Innes. Located in Day's Bay, Wellington, this building features a 40-foot modified container on the top and two 20-foot containers at the bottom. The project was completed in 2015, and its owners were quite hands-on throughout the entire thing. Their container home dream stemmed out of a desire to live by the beach, close enough to where they work, in a place that enjoys the clever use of spacing tiny living enthusiasts cherish so much. Take the full tour here. If you are looking for more of a mix of modern and vintage touches, be sure to check out the next container home below.
 Les Collections Dubreuil
3. The Container Home I
Built from two shipping containers in Quebec, Canada, this gorgeous home called La Maison Conteneur I (The Container Home I) provides its resident and builder Claudie Drubeuil with 1,920 square feet (178.4 sq. m) of luxurious living. The home features three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, with edgy details and memorable accents that make this home really unique. As a matter of fact, La Maison Conteneur I has given Canadian company Les Collections Dubreuil inc. much-deserved fame, since this house was one of the first container homes to go mainstream. Get the full tour here. If you are looking for a more modular dwelling, check out the next home below by Minimalist Homes.
Minimalist Homes
4. Freedom container model
Simplicity has always been a strong appeal for container homes. Reining in on the finer details is always a given –but when sophistication is added into the midst, these become phenomenal creations. Enter Minimalist Homes' Freedom model, which promises to bring a substantial amount of comfort and elegance within its compact space confinements. As its name suggests, this modular dwelling was inspired by the notion of having more liberty over living spaces, from their sustainability to the overall costs of buying and maintaining them. Get the full tour here. Instead of a single container home, how about 5? Yes, the next home below is made from 5 shipping containers.
BNIM
5. Glassberg container house
Created from five shipping containers, Debbie Glassberg's home, constructed with the help of BNIM, is a dreamy, two-story residence that looks nothing like the containers it began life as. With two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garden, and a patio, the home is obviously on the bigger side, but it's such a luxurious and beautiful space that it truly deserves a tour. Glassberg, an industrial designer who works for Mattel, wanted to create a sustainable, energy-efficient, affordable, and gorgeous home, so using shipping containers was the right idea. Take the full tour here. If this home didn't suit your fancy, perhaps you want a more open-concept container home. Check out the next home below from Obrarchitecture.
Kevin Walsh / Obrarchitecture
6. San Diego container home
This 800 square foot home created from three shipping containers for Mike and Shawn McConkey from Obrarchitecture is one of first container homes in San Diego. The open-concept home is environmentally friendly and even uses flame-retardant materials due to the location of the home, where fires are more commonplace than other locations. The home may be small, but it's not lacking in features and amenities. This includes plenty of doors that can stay open when desired, to let in air and available light, thereby creating an airy, inviting space. In this photo, a garage door retracts to let fresh air inside the home. Get the full tour here.
Tiny in a Box
7. Tiny in a Box's container home
They say that the best things come in small packages, and when it comes to houses, they might just be right. Despite being small in stature, this tiny home makes up for its size in luxury and elegance. This tiny house feels more like a luxury resort than a budget-friendly house. At just a few hundred square feet, this home by Tiny in a Box takes small living to the next level. The Alabama-based company proudly described itself to Smaller Living as "the leading innovator in designing and building modular structures." Its modular structures don't only include tiny houses, however. Tiny in a Box also offers tiny shops that can be customized depending on client requirements and the type of usage. Get the full tour here.
The Container Guys
8. City container home
Two companies, Alternative Living Spaces and Container Guys International, joined to create a team that understands what it's like to dream big in a small space. Together they transformed this shipping container into a home filled with light and luxury, as well as plenty of function. That's the creative way. It's called the City Container Home from Alternative Living Spaces. The design team customized the floor plan, the interior design and the furniture. Have a seat on the front porch and take a look around. Take the full tour here.
Hayden Spurdle / IQ Container Homes
9. IQ Container Home's blue shipping container home
Brenda Kelly of IQ Container Homes in New Zealand is the inspiration behind the company's shipping container homes. According to the company's site, Kelly has loved tiny spaces and innovative designs for those spaces since she was a child. Now she not only designs container homes, but also lives in one that serves as a model for the company. The home below takes a 20-foot (6 meters) container and uses only 107 square feet (10 square meters) of it for living space.
Get the full tour here.
Rhino Cubed
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10. Zulu Queen
From the outside, this converted container home looks like something you might see in a museum. But once you step inside, you'll see that this colorful, funky container is actually a charming 160-square-foot micro home. Rhino Cubed creates its container homes to make art you can actually live in – efficient, portable homes that make an artistic statement. The Zulu Queen, which offers a clean, bright interior, features a functional kitchen that boasts a refrigerator, sink, two-burner cooktop and plenty of IKEA cabinets that store food, plates or cookware. Hardwood floors add a polished look to the space. Take the full tour here.
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