Tiny home in Japan shows how little space we really need

When architect Takeshi Hosaka and his wife left their home in Yokohama, Japan, for Tokyo, they traded one tiny home for an even tinier home. Their new abode, a compact 204-square-foot nook called Love2House, is an exercise in seeing just how much space you can squeeze out of hardly any space at all.

The single-story house is sandwiched between two buildings, but despite its constrained footprint, Hosaka designed the space with a clear layout that separates the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.

Photo: Koji Fujii Nacasa and Partners

Photo: Koji Fujii Nacasa and Partners

Photo: Koji Fujii Nacasa and Partners

Photo: Koji Fujii Nacasa and Partners

A high ceiling slants toward two skylights and makes the concrete interior feel spacious. The cleverly designed roof helps to diffuse light into the space, which won’t receive direct sunlight from its two main windows for three months out of the year.

“In the winter, the two skylights effectively bring soft sunlight into the house and in the summer the house is filled with brilliant sunshine like in a tropical country,” Hosaka tells Dezeen.

The house has plenty of amenities crammed into into the space including a luxurious bathtub, a washer/dryer, and plenty of storage space for the couple’s collection of records.