Tour the coolest shipping container homes ever

Container home living is creative living because it dares to live outside the norm. Its proponents believe that a life filled with beauty doesn't have to be a life filled with things. Homeowners choose container living for its mobility, durability, and affordability. Forget taking out an expensive mortgage. Plus, given these homes are constructed from surplus shipping containers, they are also eco-friendly when compared to a traditional home.

From prefab to extravagant, the range of possible shipping container homes vary drastically to suit the diverse tastes of its buyers. In the list below, we explore some of the coolest shipping 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.

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. This 1200-square-foot (112-square-meter) home delightfully greets visitors with a sleek combination of wooden and metal textures along its siding. The container home features an open-plan kitchen, log burner, and an in-home work studio/office. Take the full tour here. If you are looking for a less modern interior finishes, check out the next home below.

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. Plywood is the material of choice throughout these interiors, giving a sense of effortlessness to this home's aesthetics. The interior design was deliberate and functional. For instance, the bed can be stored away for a bit of extra legroom during the day. Think of this as a custom "Murphy bed" space-saving solution. 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.

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. The gourmet kitchen shines with stainless steel appliances, featuring an oversized range, oven, center island and sink. Get the full tour here. If you are looking for a more modular dwelling, check out the next home below by Minimalist Homes.

Enter Minimalist Homes' Freedom model, which promises to bring a substantial amount of comfort and elegance within its compact space confinements. Despite being 300-square-feet, this home features an open-plan living area, full kitchen and microwave, compact laundry appliances, bathroom, and more. Reclaimed wood was the material of choice inside, lining its walls and polishing its hardwood floors with precision. Don't believe these features? Be sure to 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.

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.

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.

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. Step through the doors into the warm home that features stunning hardwood floors, elegant gray walls and decorative lighting. Plenty of windows create an airy feeling, and the open flow makes the home feel bigger than it is. Classy furniture and smart decor choices take this home to the next level. Get the full tour here.

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.

Brenda Kelly of IQ Container Homes in New Zealand is the inspiration behind the company's shipping container homes. 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 takes a 20-foot (6 meters) container and uses only 107 square feet (10 square meters) of it for living space. It is also smartly designed. For instance, the couch transforms into a double bed and has extra storage underneath it. Get the full tour here.

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.