Homes Embracing Natural Light｜Custom-built homes by architecture firms9Picks｜A Residence Where Light Changes Over Time

Homes rich in natural light enable occupants to sense the passage of time and seasonal shifts indoors, imbuing daily life with vitality. Daylighting strategies encompass a multifaceted approach: planning openings based on the solar exposure characteristics of each orientation; employing skylights and high-side windows to deliver light deep into the plan; utilizing light courts; and selecting finish materials with attention to reflection and diffusion. Furthermore, designing eaves and overhangs that block summer solar gain while admitting low winter sunlight is essential to a comfortable luminous environment. Against the backdrop of site conditions and lifestyle requirements, explore these architectural firm case studies in which light transforms beautifully from morning to evening.

A wood-framed, three-story courtyard house planned on a narrow site enclosed on three sides by neighboring buildings in a densely developed inner-city residential area. Taking advantage of a limited southwest-facing opening, a courtyard and deck terrace are arranged to screen views from the exterior while admitting daylight and natural ventilation, thereby creating a comfortable living environment. The project is conceived as a fully separated two‑generation residence for a dual‑income, music‑enthusiast couple and an aunt who lives with her beloved cat.

Located in a residential neighborhood of Asahi Ward, Osaka, the house occupies a site that faces neighboring properties on all sides except the street frontage. With houses also lining the opposite side of the road, the design intentionally omits openings on the primary elevation. The exterior is clad in black Galvalume steel sheeting, executed in a long-run single-seam profile. Viewed through a steel sliding entrance door, the interior—centred on larch plywood—presents a contrasting palette, its character animated by varying expressions of natural light.

This residence, which incorporates an attached design atelier, employs thick timber cladding on the exterior finished in white, and maintains a reduced overall height to harmonize with the surroundings. Changes in floor levels and ceiling heights articulate the atelier, private zones, and communal areas while maintaining spatial continuity. A loft, roof balcony, multiple access points, and generous landscaping create a strong interior–exterior relationship and sense of extension. The staircase is treated as a key element of spatial composition and is expressed through a variety of configurations.

A residence for a family of four that balances the openness characteristic of suburban neighborhoods with the need for privacy. By placing a daylight-filled stairwell at the core, the floors are softly connected and each level enjoys bright spaces with a close relationship to the sky while minimizing views from the outside. A roof balcony on the third floor allows for kitchen gardening; the first floor includes a fully sound-insulated theater room that doubles as a guest bedroom. The vertical and horizontal composition and window placement combine to realize both openness and comfortable private spaces.

A residence conceived for a neighborhood characterized by rows of older houses. The building is organized into two volumes of differing scale: a lower volume oriented toward the street and a taller volume positioned toward the rear of the site, thereby moderating the building’s presence and reducing any sense of enclosure along the streetscape. A courtyard placed between the two masses, together with a landscaped approach that extends inward from the street, draws greenery into the public realm and gently links the dwelling with the surrounding community. The project introduces renewed spaciousness and amenity to the streetscape.

A new-build project on a flat 93-tsubo (approximately 307.6 m²) site in Shiroyama, Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Due to a narrow entrance and a steep approach, the existing building was demolished after the access was widened. As a countermeasure against potential collapse of the western cliff, the design provides an increased setback and an elevated foundation to ensure safety, and the building is sited centrally on the plot. A large persimmon tree at the center of the site has been preserved. Apitong timber is used for the exterior cladding and the wood deck; the living room features a double-height void and fixed glazing, ensuring a continuous visual and spatial connection between the garden greenery and the first and second floors.

Second-phase renovation of a prewar nagaya (traditional terraced house) in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto. Interior and exterior finishes installed by the previous occupant were stripped away, and DIY-built additions were partially demolished to restore the garden. The formerly dim pair of tatami rooms was converted into a spacious living room clad in Japanese cedar (sugi) boards, reprogramming the dwelling for family use. Daylight entering from east- and west-facing openings and from above the staircase is diffused by the white-finished walls and ceilings, filling the interior with a bright, airy atmosphere. The earthen walls were retained at the intermediate plaster coat, newly installed plywood and floorboards were left unfinished, and existing columns, beams, wooden joinery (doors and windows) and the staircase were refurbished and reused.