1.2 meters, this is the maximum width of a real house called Keret House, located in Warsaw, Poland. That's right, only 1.2 m. You are not mistaken. It's so narrow that you could just fry your hand to touch the walls. The transition from end to end is like a narrow slot between two buildings. Some have even compared it to a matchbox. Because the feeling inside is strangely and oddly cozy. This house is essentially designed as a work of art with the aim of maximizing the dead space between two old buildings, and although it seems tight, there is still enough room for living, even in a different style.
If you want to have a similar version in Central Europe, the amount you will spend can be up to 120,000 - 150,000 US dollars. A considerable figure for a space that requires calculation when turning. But Keret House is just a starting point in an interesting journey that takes us to super-thin, yet extremely expensive houses in the world. These are not just strange works to look at for entertainment, but proof of limitless creativity, where every square centimeter of land is maximally utilized. Where narrow space becomes a unique advantage, and where thinness makes people spend a lot of money.
List of the strangest works in the world.
The first is the Flatiron Building (New York, America): take a trip to Manhattan, where the Flatiron Building looks like a giant ship turning waves in the heart of the city with a native racer of just 6.5 million. Completed in 1902, this 22-story building was once one of the tallest buildings in New York with a sturdy steel frame designed to utilize the strange triangular plot at the intersection of 23rd Boulevard and Boulevard. Although Flatiron is still not an ideal place for those who love wide space to dance, it remains a dream for investors.
The second is Steinway (New York, America): driving through the noisy streets of Manhattan, we arrive at the Steinway Tower, a building like a needle in the sky with a width of 16.8 m, making it one of the thinnest residential buildings in the world. Completed in 2016, this 60-story tower is a symbol of luxury, where each floor contains only one or two luxury apartments, priced at 18 million US dollars or more. Not to mention the monthly management fee that could buy you a nice car.
Minimalist yet elegant design with floor-to-ceiling glass windows brings impressive panoramic views of Central Park. But living at a height of 400 m, where the wind can make the building shake, it is true that the experience of living in a pencil can be a bit wobbly.
The Steinway Tower may be a dream for the American elite, but across the Atlantic in London, there is a thin house that makes people exclaim with its magic. Next is the Thin House (London, England). Flying across the English Channel, we arrive at the Thin House in the expensive area of South Kensington, where the thinnest part of the house is only 1.8 m wide, looking as if someone took a giant knife and sliced a regular house in half. Built in the late 19th century, it was originally a stable but later transformed into a fully furnished living space with a living room, kitchen, and tiny bedroom. The estimated value is 1.5 million pounds. A figure that makes many exclaim that it would be cheaper to sleep on a bench in the park. But with real estate prices in London, where every square meter of land costs more than gold, the Thin House is still a good buy. This tiny house not only captivates with its eccentricity but also stands as a testament to how to maximize space in a super expensive city.
While narrow houses may embody space-saving in the UK, in Poland, an even narrower house pushes the boundaries of creativity. Karet House (Warsaw, Poland). Heading to Warsaw, we admire Karet House, which is called the narrowest house in the world, with a maximum width of 1.2 m and the narrowest point of only 70 cm. Designed by Jakub Szczęsny in 2012, the house is wedged between two large buildings, utilizing space that no one thought could be built on. Inside, everything is maximally minimalist. A toy foldable bed, a tiny desk, and a bathroom where you have to dance to take a shower without hitting your head on the wall.
This is not an ordinary house, but an art project where short-term placement artists come to find inspiration. The value of Karet House lies not only in the hundreds of thousands of dollars but also in the story that inspires the impossible into reality. Polish users joke that living here is like 24-hour yoga because you have to continuously bend to move.
If Karet House is a testament to creativity exceeding the limits of Poland, in France, a building brings an artistic perspective that is the House of Erwin Wurm (Le Havre, France). Arriving in Le Havre, France, we meet the Erwin Wurm House, a work that is not a house but a sculpture by Austrian artist Erwin Wurm. With a width of about 2.5 m and a length of nearly 6 m, its curved shape is distorted as if someone had been compressed. This house looks like it came out of an animated film, displayed as an outdoor art exhibition.
The Erwin Wurm House attracts thousands of visitors each year who are willing to pay to take photos with this dancing house. Its value lies not in real estate but in its cultural impact, as it makes people reflect on the concept of housing and living space. The estimated value of this project is around 200,000 euros, equivalent to more than 215,000 US dollars, mainly due to its artistic uniqueness. To live in such a house, you probably need a dose of dizziness and a super artistic soul. The Erwin Wurm House is an architectural joke in Europe.
In Japan, creative creativity is astonishing. This is the Promenade House in (Shiga, Japan). Crossing the ocean to Shiga, Japan, we stop at the Promenade House, a house with a width of only 2.7 m but stretching up to 27 m. Like an endless corridor, more than an ordinary house. Designed by Kouichi Kimura Architects; the Promenade House takes advantage of natural light and open spaces to create a sense of spaciousness. Can you touch both walls if you fry? The interior is simply arranged, with rooms connected together like a walkway as its name suggests. The estimated price is several million dollars due to its smart design and prime location. Living here, you can feel Japan's creativity in turning limitations into opportunities.
Moreover, in China and Japan, thin houses, like paper, have also caused a frenzy. In Thach Gia Trang, Ha Bac, China. The 16-story triangular building is only the thinnest at 2 m, as called by locals. In Tokyo, Japan, a trapezium with the thinnest point, just as wide as a person's shoulder, attracts attention with its bright yellow tiles. Also in Japan, a pancake or Kamennori with an area of several square meters looks like a paper model rather than a solid house.
These small constructions cost millions of dollars due to their location and uniqueness, proving that sometimes fragility is also a form of luxury. Despite their small size, these constructions are fully equipped, optimized to every centimeter, making anyone who looks at them admire the incredible inventiveness, fragile yet sufficient to empty the buyer's wallet.
These ultra-typical houses are not just places but symbols of creativity, challenging all limits of space. From the soaring Steinway Tower in New York to the tiny Karet House in Poland, each project tells a separate story that we must admire and chuckle at the wonder of human imagination.