Kate Schnippering is one creative lady. She’s a software designer by day (for IDEO, a ‘global design company’), and she also paints and does art installations. Now Kate has made a 20-foot shipping container cabin, the Halfway House, which is something of an art installation itself. Built in the gritty heart of downtown Oakland, the container has street cred galore and a style that’s skid row squared, with the original green paint and rusty metal standing out proud in the places they’re not covered with mismatched, unfinished wood boards. There are glass doors and a couple of windows on one side. A ladder and a guardrail around the top allow for roof parties. Inside are a platform bed, a few shelves, a built-in table, a mini-fridge and a propane stove. And that’s about it for the moment. Although the Halfway House does have wiring, there’s no plumbing, and hence no kitchen sink or bathroom. As is, it’s probably more appealing as an art installation than a functional tiny house, but Kate says there’s no reason it couldn’t be plumbed and weatherproofed to make it a little more livable.
(If you like the idea of a cabin container but prefer a more traditional style and more amenities, check out Custom Container Living, a Missouri company that makes a bunch of them.)