The Tiny Home Builder Who Opened a Village in Florida Now Offers More Than 10 Models

Escape made a splash by launching a property in Tampa Bay filled with its trailers. But you don’t have to live there to own one.

Escape made a splash by launching a property in Tampa Bay filled with its trailers. But you don’t have to live there to own one.

Welcome to Tiny Home Profiles, an interview series with people pushing the limits of living small. From space-saving hacks to flexible floor plans, here’s what they say makes for the best tiny homes on the planet. Know of a builder we should talk to? Reach out.

Escape was founded in 2014, but its roots reach back to Canoe Bay in northwest Wisconsin. Company founder Dan Dobrowolski’s family had lived in the area for three generations, and, wanting to share it with others, decided to turn it into a destination. When a 1960s summer lodge was put up for sale in 1991, he bought it and spent the next few years converting it into a resort with cottages.

Twenty years on, Dobrowolski was ready for a new—but not altogether unfamiliar—challenge. He enlisted the help of architects John Rattenbury (a student of Frank Lloyd Wright) and Kelly Davis to design a smaller, portable version of the Canoe Bay cottages. In the decade since it was founded, Escape has developed 11 different tiny home models, and has used a few of them to create a tiny home village in Tampy Bay, Florida. Here, Dobrowolski tells us about Escape’s various designs and collaborations.

Escape’s collaboration with Ikea, called the Vista Boho XL, is clad in yakisugi. Courtesy of Vox Creative

The kitchen features a Tillreda portable induction cooktop that can be easily stored away when not in use. The solid wood and veneer SKOGSÅ countertop is made with the whole tree—including the branches and twigs—to minimize waste. Courtesy of Vox Creative

With its overhanging eaves and beveled cedar siding, Escape’s Classic is most reminiscent of the company’s roots in Canoe Bay, Wisconsin. The model is no longer included in the fabricator’s standard lineup, but prospective buyers can reach out to them and request a custom build. Photo courtesy of ESCAPE Homes

See the full story on Dwell.com: The Tiny Home Builder Who Opened a Village in Florida Now Offers More Than 10 Models