This 465-Square-Foot Trailer in Malibu Is a Warm and Woody Cocoon

Amy Roberts and Jason Osni relax on the stoop of their trailer home, whose siding Osni refreshed in the color Sand by Kelly Wearstler and Farrow & Ball. He went darker with the window and door trim, outfitting it with natural Douglas fir.

AD’s Small Spaces series is a celebration of small homes—1,000-square-feet or fewer!—with big design ideas. From Manhattan apartments to Milanese micro-homes, each one is proof that you don’t need a sprawling space to show off your personal style.

Jason Osni, the founder of cannabis brand Old Pal, was never supposed to move into another trailer in Malibu. The plan was to have his partner move into his old one, never for them both to move someplace new. “This is Jason’s third trailer in Paradise Cove, and he really only bought it because someone made an offer on his previous one,” says his partner, Amy Roberts, an editorial lead for a food and wellness company. Mind you, Osni didn’t initially take the offer seriously. “He told the realtor he’d only move if he could find him a new project in the same neighborhood. Lo and behold, this one became available a few months later.”

Wood panels warm the walls, floors, and ceilings of the main room, serving as a welcome backdrop for the owners’ collection of handmade and antique ceramics, surf books, and art. Marie and Osni brought in more wood in the way of beautiful oiled-walnut millwork. A patchwork from Suay Sew Shop enlivens the sofa.

That the trailer wasn’t in great shape was altogether a different matter. “It was so old and cramped and tiny that I couldn’t imagine all of us surviving here,” Roberts continues, the “all of us” in question being herself, Osni, and their two rambunctious pooches, Pippa and Mookie. But Osni could. He enlisted neighbor and friend Alana Marie of Alana Marie Interiors and contractor Jeff Spiegel of Heartwood Construction & Design to help him bring it back to life.

As the first home they’ve ever shared, the house is a culmination of many shared interests for Roberts and Osni. “When we started designing this space, we had just decided to move in together, so we were excited about bringing to life things we both love, including wood paneling, lots of shelves, and a calm, cozy feeling. I think we got pretty close to the original vision,” says Osni. The ceiling lights in the kitchen are the Alabax Large Surface Mount design by Schoolhouse Electric.

“Our favorite part is definitely the kitchen. We basically designed the entire space around it,” says Osni, who asked Marie to maximize the kitchen and add a huge island right in the center of the house. Some features of note include built-in shelves, retro-style appliances, and rows and rows of books and baubles that make for happy company. The refrigerator in yellow gray is from Big Chill. The range is a refurbished Viking design.

Smeg 2-Slice Retro Toaster

Antique Terracotta Planter

Sur La Table Bar Magnet

Given the 465-square-foot footprint, the home was always going to be cozy, but what kind of cozy was a question up for discussion. Marie had in mind the kind that involved more light, better layouts, and functional, inviting spaces (the original layout was crowded with tiny rooms and a loft that extended all the way across the top floor, effectively blocking any light). “Jason and Amy love to cook and entertain at home, so it was essential to open up the unit’s cramped, dark spaces and create a more pleasing sense of flow,” Marie shares. Then came the question of which materials would help achieve that flow. For Osni, the answer was the timber architecture of Sea Ranch, California, and the wood-heavy works of sculptor JB Blunk.

Another corner of the main room basks in the afternoon afterglow. An Akari light sculpture by Noguchi floats overhead. The framed art is by Nathaniel Russell.

Noguchi Akari 21A Ceiling Lamp

Slow Roads Nami Boro Quilt

Marie took cues from both, but she and Osni put their own spin on things, opting for walnut wood for the kitchen countertops and cabinets; cedar for the walls, ceilings and floors; and handmade Moroccan zellige tiles for the bathroom. “Contrary to what most people would do in a small space, we maxed out the finishes, covering every wall, floor and ceiling with wood or tile,” Marie adds. The risk paid off because, as Osni says, “you can really feel, see, and smell the effect that this beautiful wood has on the energy of the space. It seems to have a very warming effect on people.” How warm was too warm, though? That was a puzzle for Marie, at least at first, given that the objective was to evoke the mood of a beach retreat rather than that of a mountain chalet.

Marie knocked down the laundry between the bathroom and living area to create a charming workstation that looks like it could have tumbled out of the 1950s. The lamp is a vintage novelty, while the ceramic rings are from Oatmeal Shop. Straight ahead is the bathroom, which gleams in zellige tile by Zia Tile in the shade Glazed Earth.

CB2 Mayon Ceramic Decorative Bowl with Reactive Glaze

Nordic Teak Wood Shower Stool

Bottles, tchotchkes, and a checkered vase by Fizzy Ceramics liven up the bathroom shelf.

Wonder Valley Hinoki Body Oil

Artek Aalto 60 Stool

By treading lightly with finishes, opening up the loft area to more light, and getting clever with storage, Marie channeled the unit’s coastal locale, conjuring up an aesthetic lexicon that suggests the interior of a boat with its clean, functional lines. Marie also eliminated the oddly situated laundry from between the bathroom and living area and turned it into a chic open workstation. As for the furnishings and decor, Marie threw in a mix of colors, shapes, and textures—from an eye-popping blue-denim patchwork on the sofa (Osni and Roberts’s idea) to a delicately curved Noguchi pendant lamp—to create a kaleidoscopic counterpoint to the woody cocoon. She didn’t forget about the exterior either, refreshing the siding in a sandy hue and the window and door trims in Douglas fir timber.

You’d never know that the wall in the bedroom isn’t actually a wall, but rather a closet in natural oiled walnut that camouflages into the shell.

The nightstand in the bedroom is a turned wood curiosity by Hanna Dausch.

Han Studio Penny Pedestal

Quince European Linen Sheet Set

The home is a hat-tip to the original trailers of the site that capture the zeitgeist of the 1950s, but it is also, as Roberts puts it, “a home that feels as good as it looks.” For Osni, of course, the process was as fulfilling as the end result. “It was fun to try to go from designing a house just for myself, like I’d done before, to designing a house for two people and two dogs, and make it work in 462 square feet,” says Onsi, who has since moved out after having children. “It was like putting together a big old puzzle.”

Prior to the renovation, the loft was fully closed in, accessible only through a hole at the top of a ladder. Together, Marie and Osni decided to open up half the ceiling to brighten the space and to establish a visual connection to the main level.

Take aways for renovating a small space:

• You don’t have to shy away from a bold design plan. Find solutions to make what might seem counterintuitive instead.
• Tread lightly with finishes. Consider using one finish throughout, rather than combining a number of different finishes into a compact area.
• Consider storage space other than cabinets. Open shelving allows a place for things to be kept, but doesn’t close an area off with the concealed storage.
• Opt for sconces and hanging lights, rather than lamps or lighting pieces that take up floorspace.
• Think about using every square foot efficiently and for what is best suited for your lifestyle. Figure out ways to use “dead space.” Think in square inches rather than square feet.