Matthew Hofmann’s journey from designing multi-million dollar homes to creating Living Vehicle™ is the ultimate expression of a personal mantra that he holds close to this day-- “experience is the greatest teacher.”

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LIVE SIMPLY

After three years of working as an Architect at a traditional firm, Matthew realized that designing, and potentially living in a traditional home was not for him.

“By 2009 I knew I was done designing high-end Santa Barbara villas,” he said reflecting back on the early days as a 26-year-old Architect. “As beautiful as these traditional spaces are, they just didn’t inspire me. I believed that there must be a more sustainable way to live… as my grandfather used to say, Less but better.”

Without a preconceived notion of the kind of that home he wanted to live in, or the kinds of spaces he that wanted to design as a career, Matthew set out to pursue a lifestyle that would give him the freedom to be himself. “Living well was at the core of this lifestyle choice,” he explained. “It was simply saying, ‘Yes...’ to a lifestyle that truly felt right.”

This intentional decision led the young architect to his first vintage Airstream project, which he designed, renovated and lived in for over a year on a vacant lot in the hills of Santa Barbara. It didn’t take long before people in the community began to take interest in his story and Matthew soon realized that he wasn’t alone in his vision for a better way of living. Inspired by this experience and motivated to share his lifestyle, he created Hofmann Architecture-- the first licensed Architecture firm to specialize in mobile space design.

BIG LEAPS IN SMALL SPACES

Since its founding in 2010, Hofmann has designed and renovated over 400 custom mobile projects, gaining the firm international recognition as the leading experts in mobile space design. “My team and I had more than one hundred-thousand hours under our belts designing and renovating vintage trailers,” he explained. “I realized that we had this wealth of experience and knew from listening to our clients what design features added value to the mobile lifestyle.”

In early 2015, Matthew and his then fiancé now wife, Joanna set out on a series of extended road trips throughout the US to experiment living full-time in different kinds of mobile spaces. From high-end RVs, to vans and luxury motorhomes, what they discovered was that nothing spoke to their desire to have both freedom and the feeling of home. The term “sustainability” began to take on a new meaning for them and they began to dream up a space that would support a full-time mobile lifestyle on a continuous basis. Upon returning to Santa Barbara, Matthew had an intentional message to deliver to his company:

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“When I say ‘sustainable,’ I’m speaking about more than the current standard of using low-impact materials and renewable energy sources,  I’m speaking about a nomadic space that has the capacity to support life in a continuous way - a mobile space that will allow us to live full-time and feel truly at home. Living Vehicle™ is that space.”

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After nearly two years of development and a year of rigorous product testing, Matthew and Joanna’s vision has come to life. Living Vehicle™ is the culmination of nearly a decade of experience and is designed for those who seek a fundamentally better way of living.

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A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CUSTOMER CARE

As a mobile space that is designed to support full-time use, Living Vehicle, Inc. is committed to caring for all aspects of their customers’ experience. They’ve included free delivery of each Living Vehicle anywhere in the lower 48 States. An Ambassador arrives on site for a full day, custom tailored orientation. The company’s Customer Care Ambassador Wally Hofmann, is Matthew’s father.

“Our vision is to create a situation where our customers can focus their time on living, not repairing stuff,” said the Hofmann patriarch. “We’re focused on taking care of our customer’s experience after their purchase, so customers have my direct phone and email. They know they can count on me to handle any issues promptly.”

The Living Vehicle’s Customer Care program is taking on a preventative maintenance program, too. “We’re providing our customers with all of the tools they‘ll need to learn how to get maximum use out of their Living Vehicle with a searchable online user manual,” added Hofmann. “We’ll also provide customers with exclusive access to the online owner’s forum and a Living Vehicle Store where they can purchase aftermarket items that fit their home on the go.

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FREEDOM TO LIVE YOUR BEST LIFESTYLE

When Joanna and Matthew aren’t traveling and testing out mobile spaces, you can find them on a boat in the Santa Barbara Harbor that they’ve called home for the last 2 years. “Living Vehicle isn’t just another business for us, it’s our lives,” says Joanna. “We live and breathe mobile spaces and design, and are obsessed with creating the most innovative and thoughtful product to help inspire others to live a life they love.”

Hofmann’s Living Vehicle answers the real-world question that their customers are asking in a reflective, intentional way. It’s the same question Matthew was asking in 2009 when he designed his first vehicle home: How do I find freedom – freedom to live my best life?