The minimal Muji Hut on sale in Japan

A small hut with a minimal but functional design. The Japanese Muji brand has developed a hut of only 9 square metres using the traditional materials and artisanal know-how of Japanese shipbuilding.


If you live in Japan and want a getaway from the chaotic, crowded everyday life, Muji has developed a functional hut with a minimal style that characterises the Japanese lifestyle brand known all over the world. A prefabricated construction that borrows the techniques and materials of the master carpenters of Japanese shipbuilding, namely timber sourced in the country: burnt black cedar with an oil stain finish to resist weather and insects on the outside, and structural plywood with cypress veneer on the inside.
The frame rests on a concrete foundation, minimising the impact on the ground and protecting the hut from ground moisture. The floor has a mortar finish and the asphalt and timber roof is covered with an aluminium surface.
The compact, 9.1-square metre interior can accommodate 3-4 people because of its interior height of 3.77 m and the 3.1 m2 porch in front of the sliding glass doors. Closed on the two short sides, the hut also has another small window opposite the porch for natural ventilation.
The minimal style is exactly what you expect from Muji, and makes it easy to blend into any backdrop - in a garden, by the sea, in the mountains - and to adapt the interiors to the tastes of the owners.
To keep costs and environmental impact as low as possible, Muji sells the hut as a turnkey proposition in Japan only but we're sure that this minimal hut would have lots of fans elsewhere too, even if it were just to put up in your garden.

Christiane Bürklein

Project: Muji
Location: Japan
Year: 2017
Images: courtesy of Muji
Find out more: https://www.muji.com/jp/mujihut/en.html