Two missionaries made a life changing discovery while serving the poor and neglected in a tribal region of Guatemala. Needing a place to live once they returned to the states, they began realizing from their journey over the past several years that their needs could be met in a much smaller space, using less material resources and having a much smaller ecological impact on the wooded piece of property they were given years ago in rural Shelby County, Alabama. The once loud resounding call from the “Mac Mansion”, and it’s involvement in achieving the “American Dream” had been silenced by their 500 sq.ft. dwelling in Central America. Challenged to design a dwelling less than 500 sq.ft., the quest began to minimize the footprint and maximize the function of everything else as well as utilizing green building practices to remove their new dwelling from the “grid”. Using locally found and accepted materials of concrete, plywood and corrugated metal, we began pressing towards a modern version of the one room log cabin. Incorporating large overhangs and retractable glass walls extend the living area onto the surrounding deck and create opportunities for passive cooling. Desiring a “room” for sleeping, but not solely devoted to that purpose alone, it became evident that a piece of furniture was to be designed that would allow for the retraction of a bed and also serve as an office. Thus the genesis of the “Somnus Desk” (sleep desk) was born.