In October 2015 Japanese home design brand MUJI introduced three concept cabin designs at the Tokyo Midtown Design Touch event. And the internet went wild. The pre-fab designs were perfect representations of expertly engineered Japanese minimalism—an exercise in refinement so well executed one glance produced a calm yearning for a simpler life. Or something like that.
Now, after years of development, MUJI has turned the most popular concept from prototype to real, attainable “product.” The single room MUJI Hut design comes as a kit, ready to be assembled anywhere—be it backyard, beachfront property, or remote plot of forestland.
At just 9 square meters, the interior space is modest, though the covered porch adds additional room to stretch. The large front window slash industrial strength sliding door illuminates the space—a small rear window helps too—and a wood burning stove heats the space while offering a place to cook/boil water as well.
All wood included in the kit is sourced from Japan. The hardwood exterior paneling is hand charred and oil stained—a preservation technique borrowed from traditional Japanese shipbuilding—to enhance antiseptic properties and general durability, while the cedar wood clad interior is left untreated, offering a blank canvas for owners to do as they please.
Now here’s the heartbreaker: there's no toilet. And worse, MUJI Hut is currently only available Japan. Global distribution will have to wait. In the meantime, maybe try taking the above information, and the hut’s plans provided by MUJI, and find an architect of your own?
