01 Aug KERET HOUSE, THE NARROWEST HOUSE IN THE WORLD
Keret House is located in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, and is considered the narrowest house in the world. With a width of only 122 cm, the construction can easily go unnoticed by the uninitiated. However, its design has attracted international recognition, becoming a symbol of creativity and maximum optimization of interior space.
Keret House, two-story art installation
Keret House was built in 2012 by the architect Jakub Szczęsny for the Polish Foundation of Modern Art. Hard to notice from the outside, the house is relatively hidden in the narrow space between two large buildings. The construction is classified as an “art installation” because it does not comply with Polish building standards, although it is used as a residence.
The interior of the house varies between 122 centimeters and 72 centimeters at its narrowest point. The iron structure has two floors, a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living room, all in almost miniature dimensions. It has two windows that don’t open, sunlight streaming in through the translucent glass panels that make up the walls.
The entire interior is painted white, and the building’s electricity is obtained from a neighboring building. The home has custom water and sewer technology and is not connected to city-supplied water systems. The entrance is via retractable stairs which, when closed, becomes a living area. Despite its small size, Keret House is fully livable and it even has Wi-Fi and a TV.
Keret House, the house of artists
The house was designed from the beginning as a space that inspires and challenges the imagination, a creative studio for an artist who needs privacy and solitude during the creative act.
Conceived more as a small retreat for artists and writers, the construction was named Keret House from the design stage, as a tribute to the Israeli writer Etgar Keret, known for his short stories, graphic novels and screenplays for film and television, whose Polish parents survived the Holocaust.
Although it is not permanently inhabited, the house is sometimes open to visitors, and the luckiest of them have the chance to have the writer Etgar Keret as a “guide”.
In 2019, Keret House was named one of the most iconic houses in the world and included in a list of international projects honored by the architecture portal Iconic Houses.
The house is not exactly friendly for those who suffer from claustrophobia. But it can be a valuable source of inspiration for minimalist and functional interior design solutions.