The kitchen bookends an open-plan layout that also includes a dining area and living room. Full-height windows help create a sense of spaciousness and open the living areas to the backyard.
The custom cedar tub, fabricated by Dovetail, elegantly fits into the master bathroom.
master bath detail featuring the freestanding soaking tub
The black facade of the Yatabes’ house may turn a darkly futuristic face to its suburban block, but behind it the house is full of light. In Saitama, a tightly packed neighborhood near Tokyo, the black metal screen affords the family privacy without sacrificing outdoor space.
Imai House by Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates
The narrow profile of this home covers just over 750 square feet, but still manages to provide an airy environment.
Photo provided by Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates
Milton Glaser — the hand behind the legendary “I ♥ NY” logo — teamed up with a band of New York-based designers and Architecture for Humanity to create this simple, elegant poster.
As part of the House Vision exhibition, organized by Muji art director Kenya Hara in 2013, architect Shigeru Ban was tasked with designing a housing prototype that relies on furniture to provide structure.
Ohtsuki and Townsend's timber arrives at the site precut with traditional Japanese joinery ends and labeled as to where each piece fits in the puzzle.
Living area
Here is Satoshi Itasaka's iconic Balloon Bench.
Masahiro and Mao Harada of Mount Fuji Architects Studio wanted to break with the traditional definition of a house when they designed this small Tokyo home. They achieved their goal by using the same material for the ceiling, the walls, and the floor, creating a space that flows beautifully.
Photo by Ryota Atarashi.
Designer Sohei Nakanishi created a seaside family getaway in Japan’s Chiba prefecture as a retreat from urban life. The facade integrates a mix of natural materials that reference the home’s surroundings, in addition to a courtyard that sports a bright-citrus accent shade.
Nakada works from an Alvar Aalto table in the living and dining area, adjacent to the kitchen. He saved on some elements, such as the plywood cabinetry, and splurged on others, such as the Finn Juhl chairs and Vilhelm Lauritzen lamp. A skylight beneath the angled roof allows in a sliver of constantly changing light.
At the opposite end of the house, the soaking tub gets almost daily use. The bath and shower fixtures are by Dornbracht
Delicate, and ultra thin porcelain — almost transparent.
Glass & Porcelain
Porcelain and Glass Sake Cups by Misa Tanaka
Porcelain and Glass Sake Cups by Misa Tanaka
Porcelain Bowls by Kiyoko Morioka
The open-plan living room is Standard Studio architect and creative director Jurjen van Hulzen’s favorite part of the home. “Mom can cook, Dad can work or play piano, the kids can play. At nighttime there’s a fireplace and a nice sitting area,” says van Hulzen. “It really just has a super nice energy.”
The old classroom space is now an open-concept living and family room. With a family of five and limited interior space, creative storage solutions were essential to the functionality of the home. Simple birch plywood built-in storage under the stairs provides a place to stash kids’ toys, as well as a platform for playing and sitting. Concrete floors flow through the entire home.
“What often happens in our relationship is I come to Funn with an idea and he makes it into something livable.” —Vincent Kartheiser
A Carrara marble backsplash adds cool contrast and a sense of drama when set against the custom oiled-steel black cabinetry in the renovation of the kitchen in this A. Quincy Jones home in Los Angeles.
Chapel on the Hill is a project that turned a Methodist Chapel near Middleton-In-Teasdale, England into a boutique property that anyone can rent out on Airbnb. Evolution Design kept its dramatic 19th century exterior while turning the inside into a luxurious cottage that can host seven people.