A Residence Inspired by Scandinavian Design｜Custom Home Examples by Architectural Offices5Picks Author: Qurasuki Editorial Department

In a Nordic design home, bright light, wood textures, and simple furniture harmonize calmly, expressed as a comfortable living environment. Combinations of light pouring through large windows, wood-finished floors and furnishings, and pale-toned walls generate soft indoor impressions. Coordinating the entire space to include relationships with windows, walls, and floors—rather than simply placing standalone furniture—makes domestic tools feel like part of the architecture. We introduce custom-built examples by architectural firms to show how the theme of Nordic design homes is expressed architecturally in real residences.

House Beside the Park Yu Architectural Design Studio

An architect’s own house and atelier facing a park. Despite its compact scale—with a total floor area of 28 tsubo—a sense of spaciousness is achieved by flexibly connecting the various spaces. The placement and size of the windows were carefully planned to maximize natural forces such as light and breezes, creating a residence that is comfortable throughout the year. Wood, steel, mortar, and washi paper are harmonized to produce spaces with rich tactile qualities. It is a home where living and work, and functionality and beauty, coexist comfortably.

Renovation of a 128-Year-Old Kominka JYU ARCHITECT

A 128-year-old kura attached to a kominka built in 1897 (Meiji 30) was renovated into a comfortable residence. Damaged beams and a leaning foundation were reinforced, and the heavy, difficult-to-operate entrance joinery was repaired and reused. By improving insulation and airtightness, the interior remains cool in summer and warm in winter. Existing floorboards were repurposed for kitchen surfaces, stairs, and counters, while some wall and ceiling finishes were executed by the residents themselves, retaining the building's memory and character.

friends *studioLOOP Architects

This house for a couple and the mother balances family connectedness with rich, personal time for each resident. The LDK and second-floor loft are integrated, while large openings facing the south garden and windows framing views of the sky draw in natural light and create a sense of openness. A road-bike maintenance space is provided near the entrance. Alongside the cherry tree in the garden, the house will grow over time, adding a new scene to the surrounding townscape. The low-eaves white exterior quietly expresses harmony with the town.

House in Nishiokamoto Abax Architects

A residence located on the hillside of Kobe in an upscale residential neighborhood. The roof is composed to respond to the ridgeline of Mount Rokko, creating a quietly integrated presence within the surrounding landscape. The living room is flanked by a generous south garden and a courtyard terrace, forming an open space that is filled with abundant natural light. Plantings scattered throughout the site will mature over time, enriching the dwelling’s expression with the passage of the seasons. It functions as a tranquil vessel for living where nature and the urban context resonate with one another.

Sasayama House Masahiko Sawamura Architect and Associates

A single-storey house harmonizing with nature that incorporates the mountain directly in front of the site as a borrowed landscape.