A Home to Live with Design (16 Photos)｜Custom Home Projects by Architecture Firms and Builders

A Home to Live with Design
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A Home to Live with Design

Living with design means treating layout, materials, furniture, and lighting as a cohesive whole, bringing architectural beauty into everyday life. Custom furniture and bespoke kitchens fit seamlessly into the space, organizing daily functions with elegance. Thoughtful window placement, light distribution, and sightlines reveal subtle spatial changes throughout the day and seasons. Selecting favorite chairs, lighting, and artwork creates a personalized landscape. We present homes that balance visual beauty with practical, daily ease.

View project photos for A Home to Live with Design.

Follow your intuition to save photos that catch your eye. Explore spatial designs to uncover implicit preferences you haven't yet put into words.

Find Architectural Projects for A Home to Live with Design

To allow the tatami room fittings and the robust, generous character of the old structural frame to coexist with contemporary living and performance.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
Washroom. Preserving privacy from the facing condominium while framing an old cherry tree through a high window.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
Ceilings in hemlock, walls in German lime plaster, floors in teak herringbone, and joinery in oak.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
View of the staircase from the second floor.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
Large custom‑built island kitchen. The gas cooktop has three inline burners.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
The plan was reorganized so the kura adjoins the kitchen and dining; the kura is used as a hobby room.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
Looking up from the dining. When the kura was detached, the end of the main house was extended by one span, which altered the roof geometry.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
A niche formed from the void at the corner of the winding staircase.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
The kura, which had been awkwardly attached to the main house by an extension and had suffered water ingress, was detached and restored to its original form.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
Return view of the flag‑lot approach. Planting and stonework reconfigured.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
Responding to the characteristics of the existing building, the living spaces are arranged in a D–K–L sequence: dining, kitchen, then living.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
Second‑floor Japanese‑style room. The built‑in closet (oshiire) was converted into a workspace and a loft.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
Bathroom sequence connecting the washroom to the bathing room via the laundry.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
A newly created entrance resulting from a plan revision. The sliding door and glass transom were repaired and reused.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
A purpose‑designed doma (earthen‑floor entrance). The floor is paved with variegated tiles. The shikidai (entrance platform) was repurposed from the existing front entrance.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone
The approach: the added shed was removed and existing garden stones were reused and rearranged.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Beam

Island Kitchen

Traditional Japanese House

Exposed Beam

Renovation

Japanese House

Natural Materials

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

SeismicRetrofit

SeismicAssessment

ThermalUpgrade

Kura

Herringbone

A Home to Live with Design

View project photos for A Home to Live with Design.

Find Architectural Projects for A Home to Live with Design

To allow the tatami room fittings and the robust, generous character of the old structural frame to coexist with contemporary living and performance.

Washroom. Preserving privacy from the facing condominium while framing an old cherry tree through a high window.

Ceilings in hemlock, walls in German lime plaster, floors in teak herringbone, and joinery in oak.

View of the staircase from the second floor.

Large custom‑built island kitchen. The gas cooktop has three inline burners.

The plan was reorganized so the kura adjoins the kitchen and dining; the kura is used as a hobby room.

Looking up from the dining. When the kura was detached, the end of the main house was extended by one span, which altered the roof geometry.

A niche formed from the void at the corner of the winding staircase.

The kura, which had been awkwardly attached to the main house by an extension and had suffered water ingress, was detached and restored to its original form.

Return view of the flag‑lot approach. Planting and stonework reconfigured.

Responding to the characteristics of the existing building, the living spaces are arranged in a D–K–L sequence: dining, kitchen, then living.

Second‑floor Japanese‑style room. The built‑in closet (oshiire) was converted into a workspace and a loft.

Bathroom sequence connecting the washroom to the bathing room via the laundry.

A newly created entrance resulting from a plan revision. The sliding door and glass transom were repaired and reused.

A purpose‑designed doma (earthen‑floor entrance). The floor is paved with variegated tiles. The shikidai (entrance platform) was repurposed from the existing front entrance.

The approach: the added shed was removed and existing garden stones were reused and rearranged.