Kirsten Dirksen

🪨 -> 🛖💚 Turning boulders into a unique underground dwelling? Never underestimate people's creativity or the value they place on things. When Steve Demarest bought a rocky, steep lot on the wrong side of the road in the Cascades, he turned the challenge into an opportunity to create something wild and beautiful. What started as his kids’ play cave became a hand-carved home tucked between giant boulders. Now part cave, part megalith, it’s a cozy shelter built with the land, not just on it. Proof that sometimes, the hardest material makes the most lasting home. We hope you enjoy this repost. Have a great rest of the week!

5 days ago | [YT] | 111

Kirsten Dirksen

🌞 We’re back in full brightness! Last Sunday’s upload had an encoding issue that made it a bit... too cinematic — it was dark for most viewers (unless you watched in HDR mode 😅). We thought all your comments were referring to the indoor scenes in Finland— but nope, it was the whole video! Thankfully, YouTube’s tech team helped us swap in the correct version, and it’s now live for everyone:

👉 Watch the fixed version here https://youtu.be/RwZQ8GCHgRg?si=Ftuok...

This film isn’t meant to lecture — it’s about people finding creative, dignified solutions to homelessness. The goal is to spark ideas and real conversations, and it’s already doing just that.

Thank you all for your patience, your thoughtful comments, and for always watching with such open minds. Let’s keep the discussion inspiring and inclusive — this story is for everyone. 💛

— Kirsten & Nicolas

1 week ago | [YT] | 164

Kirsten Dirksen

Sometimes, real life reads like a fairy tale. Consider Jim's story: a Vietnam vet who dreamed of creating an enchanting and nurturing world for his family in their rural Maine compound. In the 1970s, Jim bought 600 acres of wild land. He transformed it into a homestead, building homes and infrastructure for himself and his children. Today, Jim lives in an underground home of his own design, a cozy, ingenious space powered by the land he shaped. And his legacy continues—his son Dustin is now crafting a home inside a reclaimed 98-foot-tall industrial pipe, high above the trees, complete with its own zipline. This one is a keeper. We really hope you have the time to watch this repost. Learning bliss guaranteed.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 137

Kirsten Dirksen

When space is designed for people instead of cars, many things happen: neighbors connect, trees are preserved + community life flourishes. In Spokane (WA), the Blockhouse team turned an empty lot near a local brewery into a "pocket neighborhood." Instead of parking lots, they placed micro and skinny homes around old-growth trees, creating shared courtyards and gathering spaces. The result? A community designed for people, not parking (yes, there's still a place to park, but this feature isn't central). We hope you like this repost. Have a great weekend y'all! 🌿

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 180

Kirsten Dirksen

Sometimes, it’s not about the investment or future ROI, but finding a special place. When Enrico Gri discovered a neglected stone stable in Italy’s Orco Valley, he saw potential instead of ruin. Over five years, he rebuilt it creating a “house within a house” that preserves the barn’s original stone while adding a second-floor bedroom, bathroom, and insulation. They restored the old mangers as dining spaces, crafted furniture by hand, rebuilt dry-stack stone walls, and even added a new cellar—all while keeping the character of the original building intact. We hope you enjoy this video repost as much as we did. Let's travel to the Orco Valley.

1 month ago | [YT] | 107

Kirsten Dirksen

Savannah, Georgia, has a distinctive charm we associate with timeless places from the Old World. Julio Garcia picked the Southern city, lush & elegant, to build a home studio with shipping containers. Back in 2016, Julio Garcia transformed a narrow stretch of his Savannah property into a bright, airy studio—using just two 40-foot shipping containers. What’s amazing? Not a single tree had to be removed, and the space is flooded with natural light thanks to clever design, I-beams, and a shed roof with clerestory windows. If you’ve ever dreamed of building your own space while working with the land instead of against it, this video could be an inspiration. 🌞🏡 We truly hope you have a delightful end of the week.

1 month ago | [YT] | 101

Kirsten Dirksen

Finding slowness in an ancient stone barn ✨ In the Cantabrian mountains of Northern Spain, nomadic farmers once built humble stone shelters for people and livestock. Most were abandoned. Laura Álvarez returned to this tradition, restoring one forgotten housebarn into “Villa Slow.” She kept its soul—stone walls but opened it to the mountains. Laura and Lewis discovered a new rhythm: chopping wood, cooking outdoors, hiking, simply watching clouds roll over the peaks. 🏚️ ➝ 🏡 🌄 A reminder that sometimes, slowing down can bring us closer to what really matters. Would you live in a place like Villa Slow if you could? We hope you enjoy this repost. Let's make our corner of the world better (that thing we can do). Best wishes.

1 month ago | [YT] | 197

Kirsten Dirksen

🌿✨ Imagine living your whole life in a single building—with family, neighbors, animals, food, even laundry all woven together under one roof. For centuries in Norway’s Far North, survival meant community. Farmsteads became little villages: families sharing log and turf homes, barns, saunas, & raised storehouses. We visited Oslo’s Norwegian Folk Museum & got to see these ancient farmsteads, carefully reassembled there, log by log, for preservation. Revisit with us this living reminder of harsh winters in the Far North, ancient—style. There are many things to learn. Happy September, everyone!

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 198

Kirsten Dirksen

There are places in which nature seems to talk to us in its immensity. Many of such places are close to many of us across North America; others are further away. London-based Kjetil Ingvar Berge sought to connect with the light, elements, and silence of Norway's far north, and he found the perfect kit-house fixer-upper to achieve this. He connected two kit houses with an outdoor bridge that reminds him of wind, storms, and the beauty of the Arctic landscape. Revisit this truly special place with us. Have a great weekend, y'all!

2 months ago | [YT] | 146

Kirsten Dirksen

There are many ways to keep a renovation budget tight. Tim Seggerman chose the hardest—but most rewarding—path: he designed, sourced, and built it all himself. When he found a rundown shack in rural New Jersey, he saw not just a house to fix, but a chance to create something timeless. Over 7 years, Tim crafted a Japanese-inspired open-plan home. The result is a spacious, light-filled cabin that seems to breathe with the forest. A true labor of love, and a reminder of what patience, craft, and respect for materials can bring to life. Come take a look at Tim’s timeless renovation in this week's repost. 🌲✨

2 months ago | [YT] | 133