We see lots of cool tiny houses and stylish cabins that are implementing sustainable design. The Bide, available to rent, was built by hand as a labor of love during the pandemic lockdown by a couple with an architecture and design background – and it shows. It’s a great looking as it is ecologically innovative.
The Bide Sustainable Cabin
The Bide sustainable cabin is a contemporary looking architectural structure set in one of the most idyllic areas imaginable for those who like the countryside. It’s on a working farm in Dorset, surrounded by views of the rolling hills and nearby cows.
According to owners Scott and Caroline, designing and building the Bide was a labor of love. It combined their passion for contemporary design and interiors. Scott is half of architecture duo LAMA and Caroline has a background in buying for such stylish stores as Conran Shop & Heal’s and she works for Nordic design brand, Åben.
The Bide was built using the Wikihouse system, an open-source zero-carbon building knowledge and tools hub for Do-It-Yourselfers that use digitally prefabricated plywood blocks.
The FSC wooden frame was cut by CNC and bolted together by hand. The exterior has a nice dark red finish which compliments the surroundings rather than stand out.
There’s a large picture window on one end and a smaller functioning window on each adjacent side, giving you a view of the nearby pastures.
Double glass doors open up to an attached deck with a wood burning tub and outdoor furniture so you can eat or gather outdoors.
Inside the cabin is designed with sustainability as the primary concern, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at it given its aesthetically sophisticated style.
For insulation, they used low-carbon materials such as sheep’s wool and wood fibres.
But it’s the innovative technology found in the products and fixtures within that are most impressive. The Bide is furnished with a waterless toilet from Sweden, a vaporized shower that uses 40% less water, the 100% chemical-free organic mattress and the MVHR system (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) that are most impressive.
The Naturalmat Bed
The Bide has the complete Naturalmat offering: a mattress, pillows, duvet and bedding. The mattress is a large Splendid Superking, hand made of organic lambswool, recycled denim and cotton in the neighbouring county of Devon. 100% chemical free, they use only the finest quality fair trade natural materials to make their mattresses and source locally where possible; the organic sheep’s wool is sourced from farms nearby their HQ.
The Separett Toilet
The bathroom is as modern as can be in terms of the both the look and the technology. The toilet, the Scandi Loo from Sweden’s Separett, is a special composting toilet that uses zero water.
The Nebia Shower
The shower by Nebia, is a clever design that vapourizes the water to produce millions of droplets, resulting in an exhilarating shower experience that uses 40% less water than a normal shower.
Photography by Jake Balston
Book Your Stay at The Bide here
all images and information courtesy of The Bide