Clayton Cottingham is building a mobile home to address his homesickness and desire for a handcrafted living space. He will use timber framing and apply the same craftsmanship used in his furniture designs. The mobile home will allow Clayton to travel while exploring different communities. He has created models and custom furniture pieces to develop his process and vision for the thoughtful and caring space he aims to create.

1. BUILDING
MY HOME
Clayton Cottingham
Spring 2019

2. Building my Home
Clayton Cottingham
Spring 2019
Rhode Island School of Design
Department of Furniture Design
Instructors: Meg Callahan and Christopher Specce

3. Abstract
Homesickness, a distaste for prescribed ways of living, and a desire
to live closer to the land, leave me wishing for a place to call my own.
From early on in my life I’ve dreamt of building my own house. There
is a special quality of handmade houses that nurture and care. I am
interested in bringing the same of level of craft and care I put into the
objects I make into a space that will care for me. Domestic spaces, and
the craft traditions that are used within them, serve as the inspiration
for my work. I am applying my own vernacular and ideals to creating
a space and cohesive collection of objects. My house and these objects
are meant to be used and gain importance through their prolonged
use. Though I am inspired by the spaces I grew up around, and when I
couldn’t find the qualities of a home I long for, I decided to build one
myself.
Introduction
How does architecture and the spaces we inhabit influence the health of
individuals, communities, and the environment? I will investigate mo-
bile vernacular architecture how it differentiates from more place-based
architecture. The work I create are objects of accommodation, allow-
ing for varied experiences and change. I want my work to stray from
predetermined notions of design and use, and questions the agency
of the object, maker, user. Combining my interests of craft traditions,
architecture, community engagement, environmental justice, and food/
agriculture. Through this project, I hope to imagine alternative means
of housing, ideas of home, and break out of dominant western societal
norms of living.

4. Rational
Redefining how we design means redefining how we live. Empathet-
ic and democratic design can be used as a counter movement to our
current situation. Reflecting on climate change, overpopulation, class
inequality, resource depletion, and consequences of a capitalist system
dictates how we imagine futures and the design solutions that inhabit
those. The overall well being of a society needs collective opinions in
deciding how a city is formed and how one lives in that environment. To
bridge this gap between the environment and ourselves I believe we need
to look closer at how we live within a place and the health of the built
environment. By doing this we can design resilient living spaces that fos-
ter a healthy lifestyle for ourselves and the ecosystem. Architecture can
be used as a tool for community engagement and community building.
By thinking holistically, we can approach these complex problems we
face with better solutions. I see the potential of collaboration and multi-
disciplinary action to effectively create positive change. I wish to rede-
fine and expand environmental conservation work to include the built
environment, culture, and tradition to create resilient communities.
Method
This space acts as a catalyst of change in my life for pursuing my inter-
ests and ideals in a genuine, healthy way. This mobile home will allow
me to accomplish my goals and give me the freedom and mobility to
explore (ideas, spaces, experiences). Living in this mobile living space
will allow me to see the effects of thoughtful design on my own life,
facilitate interactions with individuals / communities, and break out of
conventional living standards. I will apply the same sensibilities of craft
used in my furniture making to creating holistic buildings, spaces, and
environments. I also plan to host social/work events where I will engage
the community with the building of my trailer and food-based events.
This combines socializing with a practical goal. Events like this fulfills a
practical need and reinforces community through a very visible expres-
sion of mutual aid.

6. Research
I will look at examples of vernacular architecture around the world and
how they came to fruition in response to place. In addition to this, I am
interested in researching contemporary multidisciplinary design collec-
tives, artist/activists, grassroots efforts that better the health of commu-
nities through architecture and design. As well as looking at examples of
small spaces, identifying the qualities and aspects that are successful.
Outcome
I hope to discover new methods of working with communities and
different avenues of engagement. With the trailer home I am excited in
seeing the different reactions of individuals and communities to it as I
travel around. I will see how living in it affects my health, living habits,
and the opportunities that it creates.

7. Self Evaluation
I am bringing timber framing methodologies into a new context, some-
thing that is mobile and lightweight. This has been a valuable learning
experience so far and if anything, it makes me want to pursue this again
in the future. I would love to build something that isn’t on wheels be-
cause there have been so many limitations. I want to do some sort of
apprenticeship with a homebuilder/timber framer/mason/carpenter to
learn more about this craft and have hands on experience. Within my
practice, craft traditions and production methodologies strongly influ-
ence my designs. So, I could have benefited with more building experi-
ence prior to starting this project. I also wish I could have involved the
community more than I did. I am hoping on hosting some food events
when the kitchen is operational.
My Criteria
Have I …
☺ contributed to the communal development of this space?
☺ included my peers in my process of making?
☺ asked for guidance when I need it?
☺ established a healthy design/making process?
☺ been aware of my positionality and how it relates to my work?
☺ developed an understanding of why I do what I do?
☺ communicated my ideas and research surrounding these objects?
☺ allowed for inquisition and change, while still being committed
to this idea?
Building models is an integral part of my process, helping me to flush
out ideas and allowing me creative freedoms. I hope to translate the
delicate feeling of these models into the final space. I also hope they can
stand by themselves as inquisitive objects.
Tiny Tiny Home, Stoneware clay, 6.5”x4”x5”, 2018
House Scale Model, Western Red Cedar, Poplar, 6”x12”x8”, 2018

9. //My house is built out of trees, cut up and dried, other materials lie
within.
//My house is for me and others who feel the same.
//My house is a roof above my head, a floor beneath my feet,
warmth from the cold, shade from the sun, a place to lie down,
a shower to wash off, storage for my things, a kitchen to cook
in, and a table to eat at.
//My house isn’t like other buildings; it comes from my heart.
//My house goes where I go, it follows behind.
//My house is a home.

10. Folding Chair 2018
I am interested in the temporality of communal events and looking
at the objects that allow for these experiences to happen. A folding
chair often allows for accommodation, curating experiences, and
transforming spaces to strengthen communities. I wanted to bring
my craft sensibilities to an object that is normally disregarded in
relation to its surroundings, elevating the experience it is apart of.
Materials
Sycamore
brass hardware
hemp cord
Odie’s oil
Dimensions
18”x36”x17”

12. Corner Cabinet 2017
This Cedar corner cabinet is inspired by built-in furniture that
merges with the architectural environment and by objects that
blend into their surroundings. It is an exploration of soft-wood
construction and combines a variety of fine furniture techniques
while considering the inherent properties of the material. As a
piece of furniture, it emphasizes the importance of choice with
what is held inside.
Materials
Western Red Cedar
brass hardware
canvas
aluminum Z-Clips
shellac
Dimensions
25”x27”x18”

14. Folding Bench 2017
This folding bench explores the idea of nomadic furniture. The use
of durable materials makes it able to withstand the outdoors. I am
interested in objects that are versatile and accommodate for varied
experiences and contexts.
Materials
Hard Maple
hand-dyed waxed canvas
brass hardware
paracord
Poly-Whey
Dimensions
43” x 32” x 33”

15. “We are so familiar with the features of our homes – the
rooms, fixtures and myriad little decorative details – that
we have forgotten how to look at them. We might explore a
church, read a book or watch a film, and attempt to decode
its symbols and references, but we rarely look at our homes
with the same critical eye. Yet from the most ordinary apart-
ment to the most extravagant mansion, every home is a deep
well of meaning. From windows to wardrobes, fireplaces to
door knockers...” (Heathcote)
Custom Hardware 2019
With these cast hardware pieces, I hoped to show the level of detail
and consideration that will be brought to the interior. Having these
handmade elements at a point of interaction will be an important
aspect in how myself and other connect with the space. These little
details along with the other objects that inhabit the space show the
love and effort that went into this home. I am hoping that when you
are in the space, you feel cared for. The same care I felt in the homes
I grew up in.
Materials
cast bronze

16. Lantern 2019
I want to bring a delicate reinterpretation to the handheld lantern.
Using a glass jar as a diffuser and copper formed to mimic a fluted
pie pan, I am drawing from the same vernacular of the kitchens I
grew up in. Where I was surrounded by cooking, baking, and pre-
serving. I imagine I will use this light by carrying and hanging it in
and around the house.
Materials
copper
frosted glass jars
battery powered LED array
Dimensions
8”x8”x12”

17. Contextualization
I hope to recontextualize craft traditions and their place within the home.
I pull from my own experiences of the domestic and my homesickness,
the longing to feel the same level of love and care that was brought to
those spaces. Those places have grown to be nostalgic through time.
I am also expressing a distaste with conventional prescribed ways of
living; these thoughts fall in line with some of the same ideals as the
counterculture movement of the 1960s-70s. I am mostly interested with
the desire to live intentionally within communities closer to the land, our
food production, and investing in our home spaces. In pursuit of healthier
ways of making/living, I am interested in bringing a material conscious-
ness and interest in craft traditions into my work. We are in need of al-
ternatives to conventional ways of living. We are facing an environmental
crisis where resources and communities are constantly placed under the
violence of capitalism. Marginalized communities either face the threat of
displacement via gentrification or environmental injustices. This system
also devalues traditions and harms the environment in the ideals it ped-
dles. What I’m doing and making is largely possible due to my privilege
I have within this system. I am interested in the importance of localized
making, growing, living as a way to combat capitalism and climate change
while building community.
Reflection
In hindsight I would have hoped to have more objects to show along side
the house. However, I believe my previous work was created in line with
these ideas and feel like they supplement the lack of things made this
semester. I will continue creating objects to fill this space and to further
building my vernacular. More than anything I am eager to live within this
space; with the objects I’ve made. This house, my house, will promote
a healthy way of living for myself. I am excited for the future this house
holds for me and where I will go with it.
“In architecture, as in food, local is an idea whose time has
come. Of course, the idea of an architecture that responds to
site; draws on local building traditions, materials, and crafts;
and strives to create a sense of community is not recent.”
(MacKay-Lyons)

20. Boericke, Art, et al. Handmade Houses: a Guide to the Woodbutcher’s Art.
Idea Books, 1975.
Rough, rugged, and slapped together. There’s a special quality of homes
that are built by people with little no prior experience and learning as you
go. A home is more special when its inhabitant is involved in the making.
Crosbie, Michael J. The Jersey Devil Design/Build Book. Peregrine Smith
Books, 1985.
Jersey Devil was a group of architects that started the “design/build”
movement and after college started doing residential commissions where
they would camp on site in tents, airstream, and cardboard grottos while
building the things they designed. There is a clear distinction and under-
standing of knowledge in why these building looks the way they do.
Gabor, Mark. House Boats: Living on the Water around the World. Ballantine
Books, 1979.
There’s something special about living on the water and the vernacular
these homes share. They are made for the same environments and con-
ditions; this links them together in both their visual aspects and the how
these homes are lived in.
Gotkin, Michael, and Don Freeman. Artists’ Handmade Houses. Abrams,
2011.
These homes are very inspiring to see. A house that is handmade and
considered just as much as the things the artist makes brings out a special
quality and delicacy in these spaces.
Heathcote, Edwin. The Meaning of Home. Frances Lincoln Ltd., 2012.
Brings a critical eye to the domestic and homes. Looks deeply into why
things are the way they are and the emotional importance of it all.
Kahn, Lloyd. Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter, Scaling Back in the 21st Century.
Shelter
Publications, Inc., 2012.
Inspiring to see many examples of similar sized spaces, usually built in
a DIY fashion. Important to know I am not alone in this endeavor and
there is a large community of people doing similar things.
MacKay-Lyons, Brian, and Robert McCarter. Local Architecture Building
Place, Craft, and Community. Princeton Architectural Press, 2015.
Interested in bringing the same ideals of food consumption/production
to my making practice. This idea of local vernaculars and architecture is
something that I think is important in terms of investing in the health of
places, spaces, and communities we live in.
Moore, Charles W., et al. The Place of Houses: Charles Moore ; Gerald Allen ;
Donlyn Lyndon. Holt, 1979.
This book gives examples that demonstrate how individual houses can
express the care, energies, and dreams of the people who live in them, and
can contribute to a larger sense of place.
Pearson, David. Earth to Spirit: in Search of Natural Architecture. Gaia
Books, 2000.
Building with natural materials and simple processes create buildings that
are healthy and comforting. Looking at the lessons of the past and how to
integrate them with modern technology to create in a more meaningful
way.
Register, R. Ecocity Berkeley: Building Cities for a Healthy Future. Calif.
North Atlantic Books, 1987.
Thinking about infrastructure and all the unhealthy ways it divides, pol-
lutes, oppresses the land and people. While this book is dated, it imagines
healthy alternatives to some of these systems that would create healthy
communities and environments.
Williamson, Leslie. Handcrafted Modern. Rizzoli, 2010.
I am hoping to achieve some of the similar qualities that these homes em-
body, a “domestic modernism.” Homes that are created by architects and
designers for themselves show warmth and consideration.