Tiny homes are nothing new, but the densely packed cities of Japan, particularly Tokyo, sparked the trend of truly slim properties. Today, these innovative, ultra-compact buildings are slotting in everywhere, from the Netherlands to Australia, as a clever solution to urban space shortages. They are redefining what’s possible in city living.
Scroll or click through to explore our curated selection of the most extraordinary skinny homes from across the globe...
While property pages these days can offer up some shockingly tiny homes, not many are so narrow as this particular skinny pad in Conwy, Wales. Squeezed in at the end of a terrace of houses on the North Welsh quayside, Britain’s smallest house is painted a rich red and sits 72 inches wide and just 122 inches high.
While the skinny building is now a tourist attraction, drawing a reported 55,000 visitors each year, 'The Smallest House in Great Britain' was home to a number of residents reportedly from the 16th century until 1900. The Conwy home was originally built to fill a gap in the Conwy walls as housing became more scarce.
The first resident to be listed in the 1841 UK census was a painter, who was followed by a widow, and then a coachman. A family of six even lived here at one point! Recent visitors, however, have been shocked at the size of the building, not to mention its lack of certain essential amenities, and have been sceptical that it was ever a residential property.
The Borrowers-sized bedroom resides on the first floor of Quay House, as it is also known. Closed off to visitors due to structural instability, the first floor can still be viewed via a ladder, and contains a small storage niche. The tiny house does not, however, possess a kitchen or bathroom, which outraged visitors who reportedly took to Trip Advisor to complain about its minuscule size and lack of amenities...
Featuring dark-wooden beams, the miniature home was bought in 1891 for a reported £20 ($24) by landowner and fisherman Robert Jones, who purchased the property with a local resident in situ, another local fisherman also named Robert Jones who, at 6 foot 3 inches tall, was almost as tall as the tiny property was wide. At least he could lie down widthways!
He was said to have entertained guests outside, as the two-storey house is just 122 inches high. Alongside a number of other properties, Robert's skinny home was deemed unfit for human habitation by the council in 1900 and he was forced to move out.
Squeezed into a quiet, residential street just around the corner from Buckingham Palace, this five-bedroom home offers a thin slice of the royal life. Measuring a mere 13 feet (4m) wide, the Westminster-based abode spans the minuscule girth of a Mini Cooper. Property records show the slim pad last sold in February 2023 for £3.4 million ($4.3m).
The Georgian property on Catherine Place may be narrow, but with plentiful windows, crisp white walls stretching across five floors and 3,552-square-foot (330sqm) of living space, the slim house doesn’t feel quite so small on the inside.
The ground floor hosts open-plan living with a modern kitchen and dining room awash with glossy cream floors and cabinetry that sparkle under recessed spot lighting. Patio doors provide access to a private, westward-facing garden beyond.
The living room comes complete with handsome wood flooring and copious space for lounge furniture. Also on the ground floor you’ll find a private garage connected to the street, a utility room and a central hallway.
What's more, you'll also reportedly find your own lift, leading to the basement which houses its own surprise: a fully fitted private spa complete with sauna, hot tub and large shower. A home fit for royalty!
This skinny house captures the sunshine of Portugal in its warm interiors, which spread out across two floors. It is currently available to rent on Airbnb, and is situated in the historical centre of Belém in Lisbon. The hosue itself has been fully renovated, but still captures the romantic, hisoric essence of its surroundings.
There are two bedrooms, which are decorated in a mixture of golds and browns to make guests feel as though they’re already at the beach. Minimalistic accessories and trinkets complete the look. While the home is a cosy 1,076 square feet (100sqm), it's clever layout and light colour palette help it feel far more spacious.
The bathroom amenities are also surprisingly spacious, and feature tiling is a nod to the traditional Portuguese décor found around the city. With fabulous modern finishes which pay homage to the home's heritage throughout, it's easy to forget you're inside a skinny house!
The architects at ODDO have achieved something remarkable with this house. They have squashed a full family house, with space for children, parents and grandparents, into a narrow gap between two buildings in Hanoi.
The house is only 14 feet (4m) wide, but stretches to 115 feet (35m) long, accommodating all of the property’s family and commercial spaces, which are spread across five storeys.
Green spaces are lacking in the busy city of Hanoi, so the designers of CH House wanted to create a mini oasis within the property. Plants and trees grow inside the building in order to create a peaceful living space and relieve stress.
The space is split for two functions: two storeys for commercial work in the shop at the bottom, and the remaining three storeys are set aside for the family. The building is designed to optimise bonds between family members, with most rooms being connected to several others.
This 7-foot wide house in Hammersmith, west London is believed to have once served as a Victorian laundry. Built in the 1860s it's undergone a number of renovations to remove unnecessary walls and now features two roof terraces, one at the back of the first floor and another at the front of the top floor.
The narrow four-storey property has an open-plan scheme that consists of a ground level living room, a kitchen and a garden, as well as three bedrooms located on each of its remaining floors. High ceilings and white walls help to make the space feel roomier than it actually is, as do the sliding glass doors which provide plenty of natural light.
Though the bedrooms are very narrow, each has enough space for a bed and storage unit. Exposed wood-beam supports, wooden floors and white walls brighten up each room, creating a feeling of space. The statement light fixture here also helps draw the eye upwards, rather than focusing on the narrowness of the room.
Described as a ‘Tardis house,’ or a house that feels much larger on the inside than the outside, this elegant but slender townhouse is situated on the coveted Marine Parade overlooking the Kent shoreline.
The 1840 home marries Regency and Victorian styles, and is cleverly designed such that it boasts a larger square footage than its extremely narrow façade might suggest.
The home includes many spectacular period features, including 18th century Delft tiling, a butler’s office, stately fireplaces and large sash windows which offer breathtaking views of the ocean out the front and the garden out the back.
In fact, these windows are one of the key features helping the home to feel more spacious than it actually is.
With four bedrooms, three bathrooms and three entertaining spaces spread across four floors and a total of 1,997 square feet (186sqm), the home makes the most of vertical space.
Each floor has only two rooms, one at the front of the house and one at the back, to make the space feel less horizontally challenged!
This Japanese townhouse was built in the “pencil” style – tall and thin to make the most of narrow pieces of land. This architectural style was popularized in Tokyo, a bustling metropolis where square footage is often in high demand and short supply.
The new build includes three bedrooms, a bathroom, a sitting room and a kitchen, and is remarkably capable of accommodating up to eight people at a time. While the rooms are certainly narrow, the white walls and ceilings and sleek, minimal interior design help prevent the space from feeling cramped.
For those looking to experience authentic Japanese urban living, the pencil house is available to book via Airbnb. Don’t let its skinny profile fool you – with three long storeys, the home provides ample space for a comfortable stay!
Known locally as ‘the skinny house,’ this quirky Dartmouth Tudor has a lot more room on the inside than its narrow façade would suggest. The home is packed with period charm, including flagstone floors and exposed beams, juxtaposed against modern décor.
Its windows boast spectacular views out over the town, river and even to the sea beyond.
The ground floor includes an entrance hall, dining room and galley kitchen, which comes equipped with marble countertops and sleek modern appliances.
Both the dining room and kitchen are flooded with light from glass doors situated on either end of the house, and providing access to the front and rear gardens respectively.
The first floor is comprised entirely of a spacious sitting room, with a high beamed ceiling and picture window framing beautiful views of the lake.
On the second floor you’ll find two bedrooms, including a master with a spiral staircase leading up to a lofted mezzanine level with an ensuite at the very top of the house.
From Boyarsky Murphy Architects comes the cleverly designed and aptly named ‘sliver house,’ which can be found sandwiched in between two terraced brownstones in West London.
The lot had once been used as stable space for the steeds belonging to a Victorian wine merchant who lived in one of the adjoining homes, but had been vacant for decades because of its awkward size.
The entire property was designed with the aim of introducing as much light as possible into the space, while still maintaining privacy from the surrounding buildings.
A simple interior layout, largely white colour palette and large walls of glazed glass help to maximize light, as do ceiling cutouts on lower levels which allow light to filter down from stories above.
Less than 10 feet (3m) in width, Sliver House has been described by architect Nicholas Boyarsky as “a unique response to a difficult infill site.”
The home rises four storeys, with a sunken garden level which is flush with the lower ground at the back of the property where the site is wider, enabling the home to expand into a rectilinear block with a sheltered adjoining terrace and garden.
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