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 hospitals. 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.
Tiny homes — also known as accessory dwelling units, or ADUs — are popular across the US. Several states, including California, Vermont, and New York, even offer grants to help homeowners build them on their properties. For some, ADUs provide a more affordable path to homeownership. For others, they offer an income-generating opportunity through rentals or a practical way to create additional living space when the square footage in a main house is limited.
“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.
Each Niwa unit has essential features, lighting, and 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.
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 — wood charred using a traditional Japanese method 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 wants the people who buy its homes to reconnect with the outdoors.
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.
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 US deliveries cost around $9,000.
According to Koto’s website, installation for each unit may take four to 14 days.
The collection comes in four sizes: small, medium, large, and extra-large.
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 cabins’ interior design is simple yet stylish.
The interior finishes of the Niwa units typically feature wood and soft, earthy tones like browns and greens.
This medium-sized Niwa cabin comfortably fits up to six people when used as a sauna.
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.
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 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.
