Cali Micro Apartment by Ash Dipert & and Jeran McConnel
Brother and sister duo Ash Dipert and Jeran McConnel use their creative backgrounds for a colourful tiny home inspired by their childhood in Papua New Guinea.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson I Photography: Benjamin Rasmussen, Ash Dipert & Jeran Mcconnel
Cali Micro Apartment is located in Bakersfield, California. Photo: Benjamin Rasmussen
‘My sister has been an interior design blogger for 10+ years, and she has an impeccable eye for colour and timeless form. She has always inspired me and encouraged me when I have hairbrained ideas. I can come up with something bonkers, and she will ask, "but how are you going to make that?". Photo: Benjamin Rasmussen
Located in Bakersfield, California, the 200-square-foot tiny home had three lives over time; a former pool pump house, a changing room, and an unfinished bathroom. Each with different ceiling and floor heights. Owner and furniture designer Ash Dipert removed several walls and moved the front door to create a more liveable space while still including a room to get changed for the pool.
‘The pool house had a wall separating the main living quarters that had a topographical "step-up" because the three outbuildings were built at different times over the decades,’ says Ash. ‘Knocking out that wall left a step up in the ceiling that had to be addressed, so I made it a curve.’
As such, colour and curves dominate the Cali Micro Apartment — inspired by the designers’ childhood in Papua New Guinea. The brother/sister duo had first worked together for a line of wood home goods under Jeran’s brand Oleander and Palm four years ago; they knew their style would be complementary for Ash’s home in the garden of their parents’ property.
The love of colour is evident in the project, but surprisingly, as is Brisbane’s The Calile Hotel, where Ash stopped in on the way home from a trip to PNG. ‘I was able to visit the Calile Hotel in Brisbane, and I was blown away with all of the arch motifs and the attention to detail with fine finishes of brass and pink hues,’ says the designer.
Alongside the colourful vernacular of PNG and the terrazzo of Australia, Ash was inspired by an antique stained-glass window. The colours of the window — pale pink, forest green, mustard, and terracotta — feed into the home’s design. ‘The antique stained-glass window I purchased to be installed in the space also informed many of my ideas of a repeating shape to be used throughout the build,’ he adds.
‘My favourite part of the design is the kitchen unit. Just the two pulldown elements in the wall took the most skill and patience in the build. The clearances and features in the cooktop and cutting board are always a surprise when I'm giving someone a tour,’ says Ash Dipert. Photo: Ash Dipert & Jeran Mcconnel
Most elements of the tiny home are custom-made by Ash Dipert. Photo: Ash Dipert & Jeran Mcconnel
“A big inspiration comes from travelling around the world and stopping off at Aesop stores in large cities over the years and admiring the fine finishes and design language of making a retail store a visual destination.”
‘One of the most challenging things was installing and fabricating flush trim skirting boards and trim in a wall that was already pre-existing – it's a small detail that many won't see or even understand, but I feel it maximizes every square inch of the usable space.’ Photo: Ash Dipert & Jeran Mcconnel
‘I always loved Swiss army knives and multitools as a kid; they really blew my mind and I think I might have made the Swiss army knife kitchen unit,’ says Ash Dipert. Photo: Benjamin Rasmussen
“We grew up in Papua New Guinea – they rarely use earth tones as far as a colour choice for paint or advertising. If they decide to paint something or wear something (even traditional dress), most likely, it’s going to have a lot of colour.”
Most elements of the tiny home are custom-made by Ash Dipert. Photo: Ash Dipert & Jeran Mcconnel
Colour and curves dominate the Cali Micro Apartment. Photo: Ash Dipert & Jeran Mcconnel
Using his experience as a furniture designer, most elements of the tiny home are custom-made by Ash — the U-shaped light fittings, brass shower knobs, and curved mirrors. Though Ash brought on the Australian company Concrete Collaborative for the pale-pink terrazzo semi-circular vanity and a long stretch of curved terrazzo counter in the kitchen.
Secrets await in the tiny home’s kitchen beyond the pink tile backsplash; two pulldown compartments reveal an induction cooktop and a knife block and arched cutting board (Ash’s first venture into curves!). ‘I was tired of seeing 90-degree angles in the homeware space, and it just felt too easy. I wanted a challenge, and I wanted the consumer to feel that the product they're buying is not only beautiful, but complex,’ he says.
‘From the moment you pull down the cutting board, the complexity unfolds right in front of your eyes,’ Ash continues. ‘It has trigger release lighting, magnetic knife block and magnetic removable bespoke rainbow cutting board. It's something I've never seen before, and I wanted to push the boundaries of what was possible with modern construction techniques.’
Self-supplied solar energy runs the tiny home and also has a high-efficiency electric on demand hot water heater. The Cali Micro Apartment is a refreshingly fun project full of surprises in such a small space — revealing the innovative nature of tiny homes!
Alongside the colourful vernacular of Papua New Guinea and the terrazzo of Australia, Ash was inspired by an antique stained-glass window. Photo: Ash Dipert & Jeran Mcconnel
Self-supplied solar energy runs the tiny home and also has a high-efficiency electric on demand hot water heater. Photo: Ash Dipert & Jeran Mcconnel
Every inch of the small space has been thought through and maximised. Photo: Ash Dipert & Jeran Mcconnel
Colour and curves dominate the Cali Micro Apartment. Photo: Benjamin Rasmussen
