The idea of living in a box is somewhat degrading. When people think of living in a box, they always picture a cardboard box in a cold, wet city street. This box is quite different.

Creating a luxurious design for a shipping container was quite a challenge. My goal for this project was to create a bespoke and seemingly large space. I love the idea of clever use of space and enabling certain items to have more than one use and that is the inspiration for this project. These concepts show a range of different spaces. The last two concepts were then merged together to create "The Box".

I have chosen the Irish National War Memorial Gardens as the location for this project. The River Liffey provides a beautiful water feature as do the surrounding gardens and beautiful natural background. In this sketch the container is covered in slabs of Sandstone, it's highly absorbent and provides great insulation. I love the idea of subtle touches so the idea was for the container to resemble a cardboard box, but not to completely mimic it. This creates a beautiful and subtle architectural feature that stands out and complements the luscious green backdrop.

This space has plenty of room. I wanted to use the whole length so I sacrificed some room for a bed across the end of the container and kept all the main components on one side.

The bed doubles up as a storage space for fast stowage upon arrival on quick visits. The frame the bed sits atop contains two large drawers, perfect for clothes.

The table is fold-able and can be pulled up to create more space, In the case of another guest staying, the table can be used as a bed by putting support blocks underneath and moving the bean mattress on top. These support blocks can be stowed away in the two empty slots seen in the kitchen & storage unit, they can also be turned length ways and put together to seat more people or as single seating blocks.

The kitchen and storage unit comes fully equipped with a compact dishwasher, all in one cooker and oven and a medium sized fridge for storing food and beverages.

Next to the Storage unit is the bathroom fitted with a shower head, toilet and sink unit. This open bathroom plan is perfect for quick stays or people you don't mind sharing with such as your loved ones.

At the foot of the bed there is a large fifty inch, flat screen television which also allows the bed to become the living room and the entertainment room.

I have carefully placed windows on all three sides to let as much natural light in as possible while maintaining maximum privacy.

There are two extra chairs that I have included which are ideal for dining at the table.

The last feature is the extendable deck which is stored beneath the container in the hollow space between the ground and the interior floor. You can extend this out to give you an outdoor space and move all the seating outside for enjoying the weather and you can store it away for the extra garden space.

Simple, yet Luxurious.