Kumi Inoue Architects

Modern Residences｜Custom-built homes by architecture firms9Picks｜An Honest Expression of Contemporary Architecture

Author: Qurasuki Editorial Department

The term "modern" admits a range of interpretations, but in residential architecture common characteristics include restrained, lucid forms, the integration of function and aesthetics, and an honest expression of structure. Designs that emphasize horizontal lines, orderly generous openings, and flat decks that connect interior and exterior impart a sense of openness and a refined presence to the home. The architectural practice, while responding to site conditions and the client’s lifestyle, seeks to express the essential beauty of modern architecture in forms rooted in contemporary living. We present examples of modern residences that are not bound by trends and that can be lived in with lasting attachment.

Modern Residences

Kotonoha

Mitsuhiro Kojima Architects

This residence, built on a site surrounded by abundant trees, is themed around living in close harmony with nature. Evoking the scene of fallen leaves overlapping, four roof planes are brought together, under which the family’s living spaces unfold. The roofs gently envelop the spaces while, through gaps between walls and roofs, they direct sightlines and awareness toward the surrounding natural elements—trees, sky, and ground. By drawing the shifting qualities of light and breeze into everyday life and arranging spaces so occupants can perceive seasonal and temporal changes, the design achieves a rich living environment in which family and nature are calmly connected.

koku — House in Ami

e do design architects

This residence was created as a trinity of client, carpenter, and designer. The client, who runs an electrical contracting company and works on site himself, was deeply involved in the electrical wiring and lighting design, reflecting his craftsman’s exacting standards throughout. Just as the carpenter carves the timber and gives shape to the house, the very time of building the house is inscribed in the dwelling. Completed with the beginning of a new family, this place will continue to richly record the memories and passage of time fostered in daily life.

Sakura Tree

Naoko Matsumoto Architects & Associates

This is a plan to reconstruct a cherished piece of land into two residences. The lot was split into two, and houses with rental portions were placed on each parcel. The composition allows the parent household and the child household to maintain an appropriate distance while still feeling a connection through their shared site. Within the constraints of a limited lot we carefully created a sense of openness and arranged living environments so that each household can enjoy a comfortable life.

House of the Cityscape

Yosuke Tomiya Architectural Design Co., Ltd.

We worked together from the outset, beginning with the search for a suitable site, and ultimately found this home on an elevated site overlooking the cityscape of Sapporo. Rather than simply framing the view, the design focuses on creating the moment of encountering the cityscape itself. The entrance intentionally withholds the view; only after ascending the stairs does the cityscape and sky suddenly open up before you in the second-floor living, dining, and kitchen area. The home brings into everyday life the changing expressions of the city—from the morning light through the evening glow to the nighttime view—while maintaining a comfortable distance from the bustle of the city and offering a calm, tranquil way of living.

Renovation of a Circulatory Maisonette | Sarasa House

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

Renovation of a single unit in a multi-unit residential building designed by architect Takeo Endo. The project preserves the distinctive maisonette configuration and its looped circulation, while addressing aging building services and upgrading thermal insulation and acoustic performance. Respecting the familiar floor plan that the occupants had lived with for many years, the design carefully resolves existing shortcomings. The proposal advocates a “grafting” approach to renovation—one that inherits and develops the original design intent.

Allo Musica

Tada Architectural Design Office

A small music hall planned on a site along the Hokusei Line of the Sangi Railway for a married couple of clarinetists. Located within the grounds of an existing residence, the design secures the maximum possible floor area while achieving a rare timber construction in Japan with a high sound-insulation performance of 50 dB. The acoustic environment was carefully refined to accommodate concerts and music lessons. As a place where people who love music gather to share beautiful tone, it functions as a space that richly connects daily life and culture.

Shimizudani House

ARCHIXXX Satoru Shinno Architectural Design

This urban residence is home to three generations: a grandfather, a married couple, and their two children. Band-like walls encircle the perimeter in a double-skin-like configuration, giving rhythm to the exterior while skillfully screening the interior from the gaze of passersby. Light spills through openings formed by diagonally cutting the corners, adding a soft expression to the otherwise potentially austere exterior. Two courtyards are provided inside, bringing gentle light into each room while promoting the natural circulation of air through the chimney effect.

House Living with the Sky

Archiplace

This dwelling, designed for a couple in their thirties and their child, adopts a simple, modern and natural aesthetic. To comply with strict area and height regulations, part of the volume is sunk as a semi‑basement, above which a two‑storey timber structure is arranged. A split‑level configuration from the semi‑basement up to the loft produces a sense of spatial expansiveness and an efficient domestic circulation. On the south side a walled deck terrace provides an outdoor space that integrates with the living‑dining‑kitchen, admitting light and ventilation so occupants can feel connected to nature despite the urban location.

House in Minamiashigara

Tenkosha First-Class Architects Office

This is a residence for a young married couple and their two cats. In response to a newly reconfigured streetscape undergoing land readjustment, the composition is closed to the outside while opening inward. A U-shaped plan contains a courtyard with a "kakuremino" tree placed at its center, creating a gentle buffer from the street. A deck on the second floor provides separation from the surrounding environment while ensuring adequate daylighting. The interior is organized in a Japanese-modern style, prioritizing calmness and refinement rather than antiquarian qualities. It is a home whose character deepens with time.