Kirsten Dirksen

🌿 Need proof that a rich life doesn’t require a big budget? Tycho and Karoline show what can happen when creativity, work, and a commitment to the land come before money. With simple tools, solar power, and ingenuity, they built a comfortable home for little and now grow nearly all their food on their biodiverse farm. They live mortgage-free in a Danish ecovillage. Their story is a reminder that autonomy and resilience are still possible when we slow down, work with the land, and build existence with intention. Thank you, Tycho & Karoline, for sharing these windows into what’s possible. 💚🌱

5 days ago | [YT] | 123

Kirsten Dirksen

James Cutler has taken on some of architecture’s biggest projects—from Bill Gates’ 66,000-sq-ft home to a $139M federal building—yet it’s often the small spaces that fuel his passion. Like the 8-by-10 shed-studio he built in his backyard with his 12-year-old daughter. After tearing down an old tool shed, the 2 spent 8 months pouring the foundation and crafting the structure from rough-sawn Douglas fir. The result is part kids’ hangout, part sleepover cabin, and part studio where Cutler designs buildings around the world. What makes this tiny space special isn’t its size but its spirit—a reminder that good design is less about scale or budget and more about listening to a place, its materials, and the people who will inhabit it… and sometimes, about the joy of creating something meaningful with your child. Don't miss this if you didn't get the chance to watch this video when we published it. Enjoy :)

1 week ago | [YT] | 141

Kirsten Dirksen

We filmed in this forest not far from our house in the Spanish countryside a few years back, and we still remember how much the house seemed to "know" about the place and surroundings: Wrapped in cork and designed with Trombe walls instead of HVAC, Nancy and her husband’s house near Barcelona stays cool in summer and warm in winter — using the sun, shade, and even a natural pool that cleans itself with plants. It’s a small ecosystem that seems to breathe with the forest around it. 🌞💧 If you're interested in using the elements to cool and warm a home, check out this video repost. Have a great weekend, y'all!

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 204

Kirsten Dirksen

We're sometimes inspired by setups that we think we could never do. But when we visited Cam and Janeen, their can-do attitude was contagious: What started as a dream — just a family (some salvaged materials, and a piece of land) became a living, breathing private ecovillage: "Anybody can do it." 🌱💪 They built their home over 16 years, using what others threw away: steel beams from a Lockheed factory, surfboards as insulation, and scraps. They didn’t wait for the “perfect time.” They started small — a trailer, then one room, then another — until their handmade haven grew into a self-sufficient home powered by rain, sun, and persistence. ☀️💧 We hope you enjoy this repost, good Thursday, everyone :)

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 128

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!

1 month ago | [YT] | 121

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 month ago | [YT] | 165

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.

1 month ago | [YT] | 139

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! 🌿

1 month ago | [YT] | 183

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.

2 months ago | [YT] | 108

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.

2 months ago | [YT] | 102