Far East Design Lab.

Hotel‑inspired Residence｜Custom Home Examples by Architectural Offices12Picks｜The Extraordinary within Everyday Life

Author: Qurasuki Editorial Department

To recreate in the home the sense of generous space and refined moments experienced at a hotel while traveling — that is the aspiration behind hotel-like residential design. The comfort associated with hotels arises from an accumulation of careful design details: a spacious bathroom, a tranquil lighting environment created by indirect lighting, consistent materials and color palettes, and spatial planning that neatly conceals storage. Design offices carefully elicit which kinds of hotels appeal to a client and at what times they wish to experience a sense of richness, then design functional homes that skillfully hide everyday clutter. We present case studies of residences that make each day feel like a small resort.

Hotel‑inspired Residence

House OTF

Far East Design Lab.

A residence planned for a couple raising three daughters. Drawing on memories of their annual summer holidays in Okinawa, the design seeks to enable the family to enjoy extended summers together. The site incorporates a swimming pool and outdoor living areas, bringing the ambience of a southern‑island villa into everyday life. Through the deliberate arrangement of deep eaves and fenestration, the spaces remain comfortable in summer by providing shade and promoting natural breezes. The house is conceived as a place to accumulate time with the children and seasonal memories.

Villa Escargot

Takeshi Hirobe Architects

This weekend house stands on elevated ground approximately 200 metres from the shoreline. On a site backed by a cliff and trees and overlooking Tokyo Bay, an independent volume was constructed from a succession of triangular side walls. Passing through a gradation of light from the entrance and moving through the folded-plate space, the view opens dramatically toward the sea and sky. The interior, including the semicircular wet areas and bathroom, is connected by a sequence resembling a melody. Continuous plywood surfaces with concealed joints accentuate the flowing planes and create an appearance reminiscent of a coiled shell.

Karuizawa Counterpoint

PODA Architects

A villa built on a sloped site in Karuizawa, where an undulating concrete roof, stepped floors, and curved walls bring a time-based experience of strolling through the forest into the interior. Pursuing "freedom and the unpredictable," the house is designed so its interior cannot be easily anticipated from the exterior; the roof transforms along the approach into an arch that covers visitors and the roof over the parking area offers an immediate "mountain walk." The roof’s undulations are reflected in the ceiling, and terraced stepped floors and trunk-like curved walls with niches containing bookshelves, a kitchen, and a fireplace create varied behaviors and shifts in sightlines, allowing one to experience expansive views and a polyphonic landscape.

truth

*studioLOOP Architects

On a narrow, elongated site in Tatebayashi measuring 10 m in frontage by 50 m in depth, we planned a home that makes use of the breeze flowing along the river to alleviate the summer heat. Large openings and a deck with deep eaves are provided on the eastern side, allowing air to pass through while blocking the sunlight and extending the living spaces outdoors. Wet areas and a private deck are arranged on the western side, while dry areas bring light and air into the rooms. The home also features an open-air bath, enabling its occupants to spend time freely while maintaining a comfortable sense of distance within the same space.

Makizukadai House, Sakai

Kumi Inoue Architects

This residence is situated in an elevated residential area in Minami Ward, Sakai City. To maximize the southeast-facing views, an L-shaped plan encloses a terrace. Responding to strict diagonal-plane restrictions and the site’s level changes, the design links a dark pitched-roof volume and a white-walled volume through shifts in level, creating a three-dimensional spatial composition via split-level floors. A semi-basement music room, parking and private zones are arranged progressively, while the top floor houses a living room with expansive views and a raised tatami alcove. The project makes the most of the site’s characteristics, integrating a variety of living settings and rich vistas.

Nishidaikaidō House

Kota Goto Architectural Studio

A residence located in a housing area of Ichinomiya. The site faces a busy road and a kindergarten to the east, so it was necessary to moderate external views and environmental influences. By placing a substantial wall on the east and limiting openings, while arranging a central courtyard and a small interior courtyard, the design screens views from the outside while introducing nature into the house. The exterior presents a calm, reserved presence, whereas the interior opens up to garden-enclosed spaces. Strategically placed eaves attenuate solar gain and rain, and the living room enjoys an undisturbed view of the private courtyard, offering a resort-like comfort.

IMAGINE

KICHI ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

IMAGIN, born from a renovation, is a residence that adds a subtle sense of narrative to everyday life and stimulates the imagination. At the heart of the space is an open-plan kitchen approximately 5 meters in length where the family gathers. A playful shoe room inspired by a Cinderella staircase, a reading space where a geometric desk stands, and a hotel-like master bedroom connect seamlessly. This architecture, designed to introduce delight within functional systems, embodies an aesthetic of living.

House in Minamimorimachi

Abax Architects

This penthouse residence is planned on the top floor of the building. A courtyard is provided at the heart of the dwelling, creating an open outdoor space that functions as a terrace for enjoying barbecues. The bathroom is oriented toward the terrace and arranged so that one can soak in the bath while viewing planted greenery, enabling a resort-like experience within the city. By allowing interior and exterior to connect gently, the design brings a special sense of the extraordinary to everyday life.

A House with a Deck Opening onto the View

AtelierMA

Taking advantage of its elevated site, this home creates a gentle connection between the interior, the exterior, and the distant landscape. Within its simple, box-shaped exterior, an open LDK integrated with a large timber deck unfolds, extending the sightline toward the distant scenery. The carefully arranged bathroom and open-riser staircase draw the flow of light and air throughout the living space. External blinds and horizontal windows subtly adjust the environment, bringing a rich sense of expansiveness and comfortable breathing room to everyday life.

＋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 in Kanazawa, Takaracho

Masahiko Sawamura Architect and Associates

This is a single-storey house located on a hill in Kanazawa City. The client enjoys outdoor activities, so an outdoor living area and a barbecue space were provided in the garden. The living room is fully glazed, but a 1.8 m overhang was provided to block solar radiation. In addition, an indoor golf room was provided as a hobby room.

House of Scales

Hirotaka Sato Architects

This three-story timber residence stands on a hill in Daizawa. The corners of the site are rounded, while continuous solid walls softly divide the highly private interior from the exterior with its public character. Diagonally laid Galvalume steel sheets create a scale-like expression. A rich sectional configuration with six floor levels includes a living room with a 4.2-meter ceiling and wooden sashes that allow the interior and exterior to become one. A Japanese-style room incorporating reclaimed materials, a staircase that brings in natural light, a study, a wood-burning stove, and underfloor heating support a comfortable and expansive lifestyle.