Cheerfully packed together like heard of baby giraffes, these so-called Spiral apartments in Matsuyama, Japan, are comprised of four dwellings that shoot several flights up from the ground, connected by a single, dramatic spiral staircase. Designed by cheerful local firm Be-Fun Design, the super-skinny homes house a dining room and tiny kitchen on the first floor, with more private upstairs areas devoted instead to bedrooms, a study, and, somewhat incongruously, the living room way at the top. While the interiors are a lovely display of minimalism perfected—think bare wooden floors, white cabinetry, low-slung furniture, and the bare minimum in terms of walls—the, well, fun-factor wares off a bit after checking out just how cramped each floor is. Cute? Sure. Practical? Not as much as, say, a regular-shaped home. Take a look:
· Be-Fun Design builds a row of four super-skinny houses in Japan [Dezeen]