London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Black Aluminum and Cedar Wrap a Traveling Couple’s Tiny Home

Black Aluminum and Cedar Wrap a Traveling Couple’s Tiny Home

French builder Baluchon created Ala Köl for their clients’ life on the road.

Ala Köl, the latest design from Baluchon-the French company that designs and builds custom tiny homes for people around the world-was inspired by wanderlust.

Nina and Guillaume, the couple who commissioned Ala Köl (pronounced "cool"), have a penchant for travel, so when they approached Baluchon about creating a tiny home–on–wheels, their biggest concern was size: The structure had to be large enough to accommodate everything they needed, but small enough to be towed legally.



Ala Köl, the most recent design imagined by Tiny House Baluchon for a couple who love to travel, is clad with black aluminum, cedar, and glass.



The power for the tiny home–on–wheels comes from a standard RV-style hookup.

With a length that measures 19.6 feet, Ala Köl is clad in cedar and black aluminum. The aluminum wraps one side of the tiny home and continues on the roof, creating a waterfall-like effect. Slim, vertical cedar boards lend texture for the three remaining elevations. The juxtaposition of the two materials-in combination with a saltbox-style roof form-provides a striking, sculptural aesthetic for the micro home.



The dining area displays a solid French walnut table that extends and can accommodate up to four people.



The large staircase features integrated storage and accesses the mezzanine, where the designers arranged the sleeping area.

Nina and Guillaume named the tiny home after Ala Köl lake in Kyrgyzstan, a place the couple visited together. In the same way the black aluminum wraps the cedar on the exterior of the tiny home, the Terskey Alatau mountains wrap around the circumference of the turquoise blue lake.

Large windows on each elevation flood the interior of the tiny home with sunlight, giving a feeling of spaciousness and warmth. The shiplap walls and wood flooring, crafted with heat-treated solid Landes pine and stained solid spruce, are insulated with cotton, linen, and hemp. In the dining area, a wood table doubles as a desk and accommodates two people; when necessary, the surface extends and can serve as many as four people.



The kitchen is outfitted with two solid French walnut counters, a refrigerator, a gas stove with an oven and four burners, a sink, and plenty of cabinetry that's painted a mint green tone.

Two solid French walnut counters provide a good deal of space for food preparation in the kitchen, where mint-colored cabinetry adds brightness and plenty of storage. The room also features a large refrigerator, a sink, and a cooktop with an oven. Just beyond the kitchen is the laundry area with a washing machine and the bath, where there’s a full-size shower and more cabinet storage.

The bedroom, located above the bath and the laundry area, is accessed by a large staircase that incorporates storage within the treads. The compact mezzanine area has a cabin-like feeling that’s supplied by a spruce ceiling, insulated with wood fiber, and spruce flooring. A floor-to-ceiling window runs the length of the space, drenching it in sunlight and connecting it to the outdoors.



The bedroom accommodates a queen-size bed and built-in wood shelving.



The bathroom is accessed via a partition door with a full-length mirror. The room also features a sizable shower, a dry toilet with a stainless-steel bucket and chip compartment, a large wardrobe, and a washing machine.



Wood walls, flooring, and ceiling in the bathroom offer texture and a feeling of warmth.

And in the living room-where a tall ceiling and large windows make the tiny home feel surprisingly expansive-a sizable wood map affixed to the wall marks all of the places the couple has traveled-as well as all of the places they’d still like to go.



A wood world map installed on the wall in the living room reminds the young couple of their many excursions.



Double-height ceilings mark the living area, where large windows harness plenty of natural light.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
×