MUJI Launches Minimalist Prefab Cabins

MUJI has launched a trio of pre-fabricated cabins for city dwellers to temporarily escape the hustle-and-bustle of urban life for a small, ready-made hut in the countryside. The company is offering three different styles, designed by Jasper Morrison, Konstantin Grcic, and Naoto Fukasawa.

MUJI is known for its minimalist household products but has recently entered the residential housing space with its “vertical house” designed to fit into Japan’s narrow urban spaces.

The MUJI HUTs were introduced at Tokyo Design Week 2015, which ran from October 24 to 28. The cabins will be available in 2016 and are slated to be priced between 3,000,000 and 5,000,000yen ($24,300 and $40,600).

Aluminum Cabin by Konstantin Grcic

The Aluminum Hut was designed by German designer Konstantin Grcic and utilizes the loading platform and other components from a large truck.

Perhaps the most minimalist of the three MUJI Huts, the aluminum version resembles a tall, narrow shipping container and has the look-and-feel of MUJI’s stripped down furniture and household products.

The front panel can be propped up to create a covered porch or folded flat against the top half of the cabin.

Unlike the other two models, it does not have a bathroom or kitchen and is meant to used very simply as a sleeping space or maybe even as a small office; but it may make sense  as a weekend home, if situated near one of Japan’s many hot springs!

The structure is small enough to be erected anywhere in Japan without any special building permits.

Cork Cabin by Jasper Morrison

The MUJI Cork Hut was designed by British designer Jasper Morrison. It is meant to be used as a ready-made, small weekend home and is supposed to big enough to accommodate four people.

The exterior walls of the cabin are covered with cork panelling, with a sliding glass door entrance and small rectangular windows at the front and back.

The large tatami-floored main room features a fireplace and stove and two separate areas for a kitchen and bathroom.

Wood Cabin by Naoto Fukasawa

Japanese designer Naoto Fukusawa designed the third of MUJI’s hut series.

Fukusawa’s Wood Hut is a black wooden cabin with a pitched roof and large sliding glass panels. (He also recently created  minimal kitchen appliances for MUJI). Like the Aluminum Hut, it is meant to accommodate about four people.

The wood cabin has a cast-iron stove, trestle bed and a small kitchen area. An enclosed wood-panelled section houses a large, deep bath perfect for soaking. Wooden blinds provide privacy in the bath area.

You may also be interested in: Design-it-yourself Vertical House for Japan’s Tight Urban Spaces and One of the World’s Tiniest Prefab Houses Goes on Sale in Japan