A Home for Enjoying Movies｜Custom Home Examples by Architectural Offices5Picks Author: Qurasuki Editorial Department

In a movie-lover's home, the way spatial designs envelop the time spent watching films shapes the overarching impression of the residence. By integrating elements such as lighting brightness, wall textures, and furniture layout around screens and monitors rather than focusing solely on the viewing area, calm spaces dedicated to visual immersion are born. Expressions range widely, from large screens set within a corner of the living room to dedicated theater spaces. Through spatial continuity that absorbs sound and light, movie-watching can be naturally positioned within the rhythms of daily life. We introduce custom-built examples by architectural firms to explore how the theme of movie enjoyment is expressed architecturally in real homes.

House in Fukushima Abax Architects

An urban residence located in Fukushima Ward, Osaka City. With a narrow street frontage and being surrounded on three sides by high-rise buildings, the site presented a severe environment, so a home equipped with a residential elevator was planned as a "final dwelling." The project initially began as a renovation study but was converted to new construction due to issues with the certificate of inspection/completion. KMEW's Solido was adopted for the exterior walls, placing emphasis on a materiality that can be enjoyed as it ages. Phosphate-treated steel plates were used for the balcony copings and the eave-edge trim, achieving a consistent, urban exterior down to the details.

＋UMI — Renovation Design Contest Jury Special Prize / TDY Remodel Smile Works Contest (TOTO) Excellence Award YIA Ishiue Yoshihiro Architectural Design Office

This renovation transformed a residence overlooking the Seto Inland Sea into a space where the landscape and daily life resonate together. A deck that opens broadly toward the sea was created as an outdoor living area, and the layout was arranged so the presence of the sea can be perceived from the interior at all times. An open kitchen is positioned at the heart of the home, enabling cooking while enjoying the view and conversation. The residence also includes a home theater for film viewing, which can be used as a single expansive space when hosting guests. It is a dwelling that carefully shapes a rich lifestyle lived in harmony with the sea.

House M/M Yoshihara Tamaki Architectural Design

This residence began as a project rooted in the client’s memories of the land where they spent their formative adolescence. Seeking good cross-ventilation and daylighting, the site’s corner position and its frontage on a school route presented the challenge that a simple south-facing orientation would not provide a calm setting. Taking into account site coverage limitations and utilizing the corner-lot regulatory relief, the plan is configured to enclose a courtyard in order to make maximum use of the lot. The living room is arranged to the south while bedrooms and workspaces are placed to the north, yet light and breezes circulate via the courtyard, generating a gentle sense of unity. The courtyard is directly accessible from the living room and the entry, functioning as a semi-outdoor space where occupants can spend time without concern for being overlooked from the street.

House in Koshigaya Mochizuki Architectural Atelier

This home stands on a corner lot in a residential neighborhood within easy reach of the station. With careful consideration given to its appearance from the streets and to privacy, the design introduces a courtyard within the site rather than incorporating the surrounding environment, bringing in light, wind, and greenery. Private rooms, storage, and wet areas are arranged on the first floor, while the living room, dining room, and kitchen occupy the second floor, where a roof with exposed structural rafters envelops the space. The residents’ carefully selected interior furnishings and home theater are also comfortably connected through the courtyard, creating a modern home. The growth of the courtyard planting and the changes over time in the ceiling rafters can be enjoyed as well.

White House Far East Design Lab.

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.