The search for the perfect modular cabin is one that unites architects, aesthetes, lovers of rural isolation, cottage core and off-grid minimalism in equal measure. For those lucky enough to have the perfect plot in mind, the new Niwa cabin from specialists Koto, could be the most straightway way to shape the ultimate wilderness space.
The Niwa cabin by Koto
The Niwa cabin by Koto
A modular cabin to make your own
A collection of four cabin sizes, all utilising the same modular, flat-pack design, Koto’s Niwa series starts with a compact 2.5 x 2.5m, described as ideal for a sauna or a small garden studio. The medium cabin measures 2.5 x 5m, offering enough space for an extra bedroom, while the large 5 x 5m cabin can double as a studio space or completely self-contained standalone accommodation. The maximum height is 3.6m.
The Niwa cabin range by Koto
The largest cabin in the Niwa range is the XL, with a footprint of 5 x 7.5m. Koto suggests this space could serve well as a fully kitted-out gym or accommodation space. Koto will build the cabin on the desired plot, with an experienced team who can put the pieces together and deliver a turnkey service.
Inside the Niwa cabin
Inside the Niwa cabin
The cabin range shares a similar aesthetic, with an asymmetric pitched roof and charred timber cladding. Generous glazing floods the interior with light and the tall ceiling adds to the sense of space. Koto use sustainably sourced timber and the structures are designed to sit lightly on their site without the need for expensive earthworks (although you’ll need to source and provide your own foundations, electrical and services, as well as sign off the legals).
Inside the Niwa cabin: Koto can also supply furniture
Inside the Koto cabin
Promising a lead time of ‘a few months’, with prices that start at £50,000 all in for UK delivery and installation of the small model, the Devon-based company reckons that once delivered, a cabin will take between four and 14 days to assemble and commission. The company also offers optional furniture packages to take care of every last detail.
The Niwa cabin by Koto
While it's manufactured in the UK, Koto hopes the Niwa cabin range can be shipped worldwide, with a kit form that allows the entire structure to be containerised for easy transport. Two or more cabins can also be combined courtesy of the modular design format, allowing for much larger structures to be assembled, depending on local planning laws.
The Niwa cabin is designed to sit lightly on its site
An even larger cabin, the XXL, is in development, promising two independent bedrooms and a bathroom. Interior options include oak or birch plywood for the studio and sleep cabins. Saunas are treated differently on account of the moisture and temperature; Koto uses hemlock, spruce or cedar wood.
The Niwa cabin by Koto
Finally, there’s a choice between hooking up the cabin to the electrical grid or enquiring about off-grid options that are in development for those who have the space for a low-key, high-design spot of self-sufficiency.
From left, the small, medium and large Niwa cabin designs from Koto
Niwa cabins by Koto, available spring 2025, Koto.co.uk
-
The Stuff That Surrounds, episode three: Inside the home of architect Glenn SestigIn The Stuff That Surrounds, Wallpaper* explores a life through objects. This episode, we’re invited inside an architectural gem – just what you'd expect from one of the most distinctive voices in the field today
-
Germane Barnes just transformed a humble Indiana parking garage into an enormous sub-woofer systemWith Joy Riding, the Miami-based designer’s installation at Exhibit Columbus, Barnes celebrates togetherness by evoking Black car culture
-
The best Ruth Asawa exhibition is actually on the streets of San FranciscoThe artist, now the subject of a major retrospective at SFMOMA, designed many public sculptures scattered across the Bay Area – you just have to know where to look
-
Tour this compact Kent Coast jewel of a cabin with StudiomamaJack Mama and Nina Tolstrup take us on a tour of their latest project – a small but perfectly formed Kent Coast cabin in Seasalter, UK
-
Boutique London rental development celebrates European courtyard livingLondon design and development studio Wendover unveils its newest residential project, 20 Newcourt Street, comprising nine apartments; we toured with co-founder Gabriel Chipperfield
-
A refreshed Fulham house balances its history with a series of 21st-century interventionsA Fulham house project by Bureau de Change creates a 21st-century domestic haven through a series of contemporary interventions and a deep connection to the property's historical fabric
-
The Monthly Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s favourite July housesFrom geometric Japanese cottages to restored modernist masterpieces, these are the best residential projects to have crossed the architecture desk this month
-
Visiting an experimental UK home: welcome to HousesteadThis experimental UK home, Housestead by Sanei + Hopkins, brings together architectural explorations and daily life in these architects’ own home
-
A house in Leamington Spa is a domestic oasis infused with contemporary sensibilitiesThis house in Leamington Spa, by John Pardey Architects, brings together flood risk considerations, a conservation area's historic character, and contemporary sensibilities
-
A garden explaining carbon capture in nature? Head to Kew in LondonKew unveils 'Carbon Garden', a new offering at London's Royal Botanic Gardens that's all about carbon capture within nature; and how plants and soil can be leveraged to help us battle climate change
-
An old war barracks is transformed into a charming Dorset Beach HouseNestled in its coastal setting, a redesigned barracks home in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty becomes a contemporary Dorset beach house by Architecture for London
