If you were in Navy Yard this weekend taking in a Nats game, you may have seen a small, rectangular box parked on a stretch of grass with people coming in and out.
No, this wasn’t some new microbrewery or rosé garden. It was actually a tiny home.
But don’t call the Kasita a mobile house, says COO Benji Miller. It’s actually a modular home, meaning that while you can move it if need be, it’s not designed to be transported from place to place.
The Austin-based brand was in town for the weekend to spread the gospel of small-scale living. The 400-square foot homes are artfully designed, with the kind of neutral-hued, minimalist aesthetic you’d see in a trendy hotel.
Every inch of space is carefully used—a sofa can be turned into a bed, stairs pull out to reveal drawers, and cabinets are hidden under the floor and behind the walls.
This philosophy extends beyond the home, too. Sure, you can put your Kasita in a backyard, but they’re also designed to make use of pieces of urban land that otherwise may be too small for development. (They can get stacked on top of one another to create apartment-style buildings, too).
“The initial thought was to make better use of space in a unit, then it expanded to making better use of the space of a city,” says Miller.
Prices range from $89,000 to $129,000, depending on which amenities you choose. You can have your Kasita equipped with Sonos speakers, an Amazon Dot system, appliances, and automatic blinds, or just opt for the barebones structure.
While the majority of homes sold have been on the West Coast and in Colorado and Texas, the company is making a push for a bigger East Coast presence, and hopes to find DC buyers soon.
Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. Her work has appeared in Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Petworth.
