UK-based architecture firm Koto makes cabins that are available in the US for the first time.
The Niwa collection of minimalist tiny homes comes in four sizes, from 67 to 403 square feet.
The sleek cabins, priced from $52,000 to $187,000, could be used as a backyard office or a sauna.
Call it a cross-cultural connection: Koto, a UK-based tiny-home firm that fuses Scandinavian and Japanese design, is now delivering to US customers.
Founded in 2017, Koto specializes in cabins, modular homes, and sculptural small-scale architecture for residential and wellness-focused spaces, including hospitality. Its flatpack collection, Niwa, is a series of sustainably crafted cabins that can be delivered as panels and assembled on-site.
"Our designs are like Ikea," Koto cofounder Jonathan Little told Business Insider. "But instead of a box, they go into a container. They can be shipped around the world and installed pretty much anywhere."
The Niwa comes in four sizes: small (67 square feet), medium (135 square feet), large (269 square feet), and extra large (403 square feet). Prices range from $52,000 to $187,000, with additional costs for custom features and upgrades. It is the brand's first modular design that is available worldwide.
Following a consultation, customers can purchase a design license from Koto, priced between $938 and $2,152. This cost is not included in the cabin price and is refunded after the cabin is purchased. While clients are responsible for securing permits and hiring local contractors for site prep and installation, Koto offers support throughout the process. It can also be hired for concept site design and landscaping.
Each Niwa unit is constructed in a European factory and shipped to the US in panel form. Depending on the location, it is delivered via truck, helicopter, or boat.
Koto began shipping Niwa units — which can be used as backyard offices, saunas, gyms, guest houses, Airbnbs, or anything else — to the US in April. It has already built units for customers in Massachusetts and has other planned installations in Los Angeles.
"We're seeing such a diverse requirement for our cabins, both from private individuals all the way up to hotel owners," Little said.
Take a look inside the three Niwa models available in the US.
The design of the Niwa cabins channels clean, contemporary minimalism.A medium-sized Koto cabin.
Joanna Kossak
Each Niwa unit features essential components, including lighting, as well as a heating and cooling system. Depending on the size of the unit ordered, a bathroom or kitchenette can also be included.
Koto designed the Niwa collection of tiny homes with nature in mind.A Koto tiny home.
Edvinas Bruzas
Niwa units are designed to blend into their surroundings and support both on-grid and off-grid living.
Koto builds its cabins using natural materials. The structure is built with sustainably sourced timber. Meanwhile, the exterior cladding is made from Shou Sugi Ban timber — wood treated with a traditional Japanese charring method that makes it fire-resistant.
Koto builds its cabins using natural, sustainably sourced materials. The main structure is made from responsibly harvested timber, while the exterior features Shou Sugi Ban — a traditional Japanese method of wood charing for added durability and fire resistance.
Interior finishes vary by unit type; studio cabins and units people can sleep in typically feature oak or birch plywood, while saunas are finished with hemlock, spruce, or cedar.
Koto aims to help people who buy its homes reconnect with the outdoors.The NIWA collection is designed to blend into nature.
Trent Bell
Little told Business Insider that Niwa's nature-centered design was inspired by his own move from busy London to Norway, where the pace of life is slower, and there's a greater emphasis on the outdoors.
"London has a real fast-paced life," he said. "You work a lot of hours, then go home, rest, and do the same thing the next day. Moving to Norway was the opposite. It was like, yes, get your work done, but be outside with your friends and family, be in the woods in nature."
Each cabin can be installed in under a month.Another angle of the medium-sized NIWA cabin.
Trent Bell
Niwa cabins typically take eight to 12 weeks to manufacture, with shipping adding another two to four weeks, depending on the destination.
Shipping costs vary by location, but the company estimates that US deliveries cost around $9,000.
According to Koto's website, installation for each unit typically takes between 4 and 14 days.
The collection comes in four sizes: small, medium, large, and extra-large.The cabin on the far left is a large-sized NIWA model, while the one on the far right is a sauna.
Courtesy of Koto
According to Koto, the Niwa small unit, which measures about 67 square feet, is ideal for use as a studio or sauna. The ceiling height ranges from 5.9 feet at its lowest point to 11.8 feet at its peak.
The design license fee for this unit is about $940, and the base price starts at $55,286.
The small-sized Niwa unit can be used as a backyard sauna.The small-sized Niwa unit.
Courtesy of Koto
The small Koto cabin is compact and fits neatly into the backyard.
Koto's sauna is part of the boom in wellness design.A close-up of the interior of the Koto sauna.
Courtesy of Koto
As affluent homeowners' interests move beyond traditional wellness amenities like gyms to more cutting-edge, spa-like upgrades, home saunas have become the latest "It" amenity in home design.
The cabins' interior design is simple yet stylish.A kitchenette in a NIWA cabin.
Simon Bevan
The interior finishes of the Niwa units typically feature wood and soft, earthy tones, such as browns and greens.
Cabins with bathrooms feature sleek finishes.A shower head in a Koto bathroom.
Edvinas Bruzas
The cabins feature modern hotel-like fixtures, rather than the bare-bones feel of a typical backyard cabin.
This medium-sized Niwa cabin comfortably fits up to six people when used as a sauna.Walkways can be installed around the cabins.
Edvinas Bruzas
A medium-sized Niwa measures about 135 square feet and can include a kitchenette, a small bathroom with a shower, and a bed. It's best suited for a single-room sleep cabin, studio, or sauna.
According to Koto, the cabin makes an ideal private office or garden studio. If used as a sauna, it features upper and lower benches with tiered seating for six to eight people. The sauna also includes a separate changing area.
The licensing fee is $1,603, and the cabin's base price starts at about $72,957.
Koto also sells furniture for its cabins.An interior of a NIWA cabin featuring Koto furniture.
Edvinas Bruzas
Customers can also purchase furniture packs from Koto for an additional price. These packs, which range from $7,119 to $9,379, include items like lights, couches, desks, chairs, tables, and shelves.
The large Niwa has space for a full-size bathroom.The cabin on the right is a large-sized NIWA.
Courtesy of Koto
The large Niwa cabin offers enough space for a living room, a kitchen, and a full bathroom with a shower. Like the smaller models, it's ideal as an office or sleep cabin and can also be used as a gym, according to Koto.
The unit measures about 269 square feet, has a licensing fee of $2,156, and starts at $116,100.
The extra-large Niwa comes closest to a traditional ADU structure.A NIWA home built near the sea.
Olco Studios
With 403 square feet of space, the XL Niwa cabin is well-suited as a self-contained studio, gym, or guesthouse. Its generous size makes it the closest match to a traditional ADU within the modular flatpack collection and the best option for long-term stays.
Its licensing fee matches the large model at $2,156, with pricing starting at $187,000.
"I think this one is closer to the ADU market, while the slightly smaller models are better suited for Airbnb or hotel use," Little said.