Leftover coffee grounds fuel this small holiday cabin created by American food chain Dunkin’ Donuts, which features interiors styled by actress Olivia Wilde and was listed on Airbnb for $13 per night.
The Home That Runs on Dunkin’ is powered by a biofuel blend of 80 per cent oil extracted from coffee grounds, and 20 per cent alcohol to help it burn efficiently.
Dunkin’ Donuts enlisted US energy company Blue Marble – which has a branch that focuses on natural alternatives – to develop the environmentally conscious fuel for its branded home, which it unveiled in New York’s Madison Square Park earlier this month.
The property has since been relocated to Nahant, Massachusetts, where it was available to book on holiday-rental site Airbnb for a two-night stay between 16 to 26 October 2018 costing just $13 (£10) a day.
“The Home That Runs on Dunkin’ brought the brand’s slogan, America Runs on Dunkin’, to a whole new level,” said Tina Meyer-Hawkes of Dunkin’ Donut’s parent company JM Smucker Company.
“But we wanted to go even further and give fans from across the country the opportunity to enjoy all the tiny home has to offer, with a two-night rental.”
Spots are now booked up, but the lucky few who managed to gain a spot will enjoy a fully functioning home completed in a “modern, chic aesthetic”.
It features a simple, open-plan arrangement to make the most of the limited space and bright interiors designed by Wilde. These contrast the dark weathered metal and stained wood cladding on its exterior.
“The tiny home is truly unique, from the architectural layout, to the interior design, and the generator is powered by spent coffee grounds,” said the American actress – who joins a number of celebrities that have turned their hands to architecture and design. Among them are Kate Moss, Kanye West and Brad Pitt.
The cabin features a kitchen in the middle, with a set of folding glass doors that open onto a small patio for guests to enjoy their morning coffee. The wooden deck folds down from the side of the house to rest on metal supports, and so can be packed back up when the house needs to be moved.
White subway tiles line the walls of the kitchen, to match the rest of the interior covered in white-painted wood.
A step leads up to the dining room, which occupies a cantilevered volume at one end and is painted bright orange. Wilde paired this hue with pink to provide accents like kitchenware, plant pots and textiles throughout the residence – matching the Dunkin’ brand colours.
At the other end of the cabin, the bed is slotted on top of the bathroom and accessed by a ladder.
The Home that Runs on Dunkin’ follows an ongoing trend for tiny residences in the US, as homeowners seek ways to save money and live simply.
Examples include a mobile residence based on a classic American RV, a high-tech micro dwelling equipped with smartphone-controlled systems and a tiny cabin with a climbing wall up its side.
Dunkin’ Donuts is currently undergoing a rebrand that involved dropping “Donuts” from its name, as the Massachusetts company expands its offering beyond sugary snacks and hot beverages.
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