Hidden inside a steel cargo container, rusted from a life of shipping at sea, lies a secret luxury home layout that unfolds at the push of a button – opening like an ocean clam to reveal a fully-furnished set of floor plans – as precious and surprising as a perfect pearl.

The flip-open mini-house designed by Adam Kalkin is illuminated from a suspended chandelier and set of built-in table lamps. These lights turn on remotely as the project is opened up (via hidden hydraulics) to reveal a series of semi-divided spaces unlike any residential plan you have ever seen – an open layout that amounts to a combined set of living, lounging, library, dining, sitting and sleeping areas.

Newsletter Sign Up Get the latest design news! Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest design news. Sign Up

One of the containers’ side panels becomes a platform for a kind of floating bedroom-and-bathroom combination complete with a bed, headboard, bench, sink and toilet. Another storage wall slides into place and features a leather couch, side tables and lighting. In the center stands a simple picnic-style table flanked by benches for eating or conversing. Two door panels fold open as a pair of library walls lined with bookshelves. To be fair, this is just a concept – and such an open layout has more than one drastic limitation … but still: imagine the possibilities of sending a modular furniture-filled, ready-to-use residence along land by rail or across the seven seas by ship.