her home state. Sliding pocket doors that separate the
bathroom from the hallway and laundry area highlight
Hawaiian flora, cut leaf protea, that Erin’s sister painted
there and on opposite walls in the bathroom. For additional
texture and personality, Erin purposely left a raw, exposed
“end sandwich” on the edge of the kitchen countertops,
which to her has “a lot of honesty.”
During the design process, Erin and Kevin dubbed the home
the “Paper Boat,” nicknamed as such for the nautical, almost
whimsical, shape. It has a bow and a stern, so to speak, and a
“fold” at one end (sleeping loft), reminiscent of a childhood
paper vessel. Not such a stretch to envision this tiny house
bobbing along on the water.
Erin designed and built the “Paper Boat” to require
minimal materials; it was crucial to her to have very lit-
tle waste, she emphasizes. “It’s like high-end camping,”
she chuckles. “Everything needs to be done bite-size.”
Although there was a two year planning process, the couple
didn’t have to make too many compromises. Because of zon-
ing, a traditional oven/stovetop wasn’t allowed. That doesn’t
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90 VERMONT
VERMONT magazine
Magazine
FALL 2019