Tiny houses getting smaller

Hyperallergic - The latest product of Japan’s tiny house obsession is the Muji Hut, just unveiled at Tokyo Design Week. In collaboration with top architects and designers — Konstantin Grcic, Jasper Morrison, and Naoto Fukasawa — Japanese bigbox retailer Muji has created a trio of diminutive prefab huts. They’re an example of how contemporary designers and architects are reinventing the prefab house, once considered cheap, as part of a larger effort to make shelter more affordable and environmentally sustainable.

With just enough space and amenities needed for a low-key getaway, these huts are not for the claustrophobic or high-maintenance. But they’re ideal for minimalists — priced starting at $25,000 a pop, the huts can be easily installed nearly anywhere, from forests to riverbanks, offering a cozy “escape from the hustle and bustle of the city,” as Muji puts it on its website, where they’ll be available for purchase starting in 2017.