Small House Bliss

Small house designs with big impact


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House in Ujinahigashi by MAKER

small house in Ujinahigashi by MAKER

This small house in Hiroshima might not attract much attention from passersby were it not for the blue roofing material applied to the walls, making for an eye-catching facade. Taking a closer look, they might notice the apparent lack of windows other than at the entrance, which is positioned deep inside the garage. Looking through the photos though, what really caught our eye was how expansive the living space seemed despite its small size. That sense of expansiveness can easily be attributed to the soaring roof that expands the main living space over twenty feet vertically to the ridge and a further nine feet horizontally over the bathroom. Of course we’ve seen lots of small houses that use high ceilings to make small spaces feel larger, but here the effect is particularly striking.

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Matsubara House by Hiroyuki Ito

Matsubara House by Hiroyuki Ito of O.F.D.A.

This small house in a residential neighborhood of Tokyo has an unusual angled facade that gives the house a different appearance when approached from either side. Architect Hiroyuki Ito of O.F.D.A. Associates designed the floor plan as a rough hexagon. By doing this, the main windows at the front and back are angled to the sides rather than directly facing the houses opposite, improving the views from inside and allowing more light to enter. The angled front facade also let the architect push the house closer to the street while still integrating with the larger frontyard setbacks of the neighboring houses.

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Refugio Pangal, a modern cabin in Chile by EMa

The Pangal Cabin by Etcheberrigaray+Matuschka Arquitectos (EMa)

This small cabin sits on an arid hillside in Casablanca, a grape growing region of central Chile about an hour’s drive northwest of Santiago. It has expansive views of the valleys and ravines below. The clients wanted an unpretentious refuge that would be efficient to build and to use.

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“Seven”, a tall and narrow house by APOLLO Architects

"Seven", a small house by APOLLO Architects

Tokyo is home to many small houses shoehorned onto even smaller lots. Today’s small house sits on a lot so small, it previously served as a single parking space. With only 29.92 m2 (322 ft2) of buildable area, architect Satoshi Kurosaki of APOLLO Architects had no choice but to build up, creating a home with four levels plus an attic space. All those levels are connected by a switchback stair that rises up through the center of the house. The name “Seven” actually refers to the number of flights in the staircase.

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Habuka mountain retreat by Satoshi Irei

Habuka mountain retreat, a small timber-framed house by Satoshi Irei

This small house occupies a clearing in the forest near the Habuka ski area in the Japanese Alps. The wedge-shaped home was designed by architect Satoshi Irei to be used as a ski cabin. The Habuka mountain retreat is a modest dwelling but it is well-built and provides its occupants with warmth and shelter from the winter weather. It features an exposed timber-frame that was finely crafted by builder Mori no Koubou.

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K House by D.I.G Architects

K House, a small house in Japan by D.I.G Architects

K House is perched on a steeply sloped site overlooking the city of Nagoya, Japan. The site offered great views but was a challenge to build on, with hardly enough flat space to park a car, let alone a house. D.I.G Architects solved the problem by tucking the house partly into the hillside, leaving the rest to cantilever dramatically over the slope below.

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The Low-Impact “Hen House” by Rural Design

The Hen House aka 15 Fiscavaig on the Isle of Skye by Rural Design

This unique small house can be found on the western coast of Scotland’s Isle of Skye. It was designed by the architects from Rural Design Architects to fit in with the vernacular crofters’ cottages and barns of Skye while having its own modern identity. The owners also wanted a low-impact house that would make efficient use of water and energy resources. Building a small house, just 72 m2 (775 ft2) in this case, goes a long way toward achieving that goal.

The house has a shallow-pitched shed roof and a boxy shape that narrows towards the sea, reducing its exposure to the frequent high winds. It is clad in locally sourced Scottish larch boards. The architects raised the house on concrete piers to minimize disturbance of the site. Neighboring residents dubbed it the “Hen House” during construction due to its supposed similarity to the local chicken coops. A small wooden bridge leading up to the entrance door completes the chicken coop imagery.

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A striking contemporary float home by Steeltec37

Contemporary float home at the Lausitz Resort by Steeltec37

This eye-catching small house floats on a lake in the Lusatian lake district of Saxony in Germany. Its unique curved roof resembles a sail under wind, fitting imagery for a floating home. It is one of two floating homes available for vacation rentals at the Lausitz Resort.

The house was constructed largely of steel by Steeltec37, with a steel structure and steel exterior finishes. Floating homes are often flooded with light due to the reflection of sunlight off the water and the lack of any vegetation near enough to offer shade. Steeltec37′s solution was to install sliding slatted screens (made of steel of course) for light control.

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