株式会社 SPAZIO建築設計事務所

Homes with Scenic Views｜Custom Home Examples by Architectural Offices17Picks｜A Residence Where the View Becomes Part of Everyday Living

Author: Qurasuki Editorial Department

When constructing a house on a site with expansive views, the core of the design lies in how those vistas are 'framed' and how they are experienced in daily life. It is not enough to simply provide large windows; by carefully considering eye level, the geometry and placement of openings, and the sequence of views perceived from interior spaces, the architectural relationship with the landscape can be orchestrated to maximize the richness of the outlook. Equally important are strategies to secure privacy while preserving views, and measures to respond to solar exposure and prevailing winds. The architectural office discerns the site's potential and proposes homes in which the scenery naturally integrates as part of everyday living.

Homes with Scenic Views

House with Skip Floors

Tatsumi Negishi Architectural Studio

A split-level residence that takes advantage of the site’s changes in elevation. Half-level-offset spaces extend vertically and horizontally, and family members’ presence remains gently connected through an atrium. The open, Japanese‑modern interior fosters natural interaction centered on the kitchen. Thoughtful provisions for enjoying hobbies are woven throughout—such as a tea room integrated with the entry and a high‑capacity bookshelf spanning an entire wall. Additionally, the rooftop provides a dedicated spot for reading and enjoying a beer. A playful home that layers small luxuries into everyday life.

Residential House in Tarumi

In-Ex Design Co., Ltd.

This house, situated on a site a short distance from the station, accommodates a gentle coexistence of residence and office. The street-facing first floor is planned as an office, with spaces that extend to the south garden being flexibly used as a studio, exhibition area, and meeting space. Private areas are compactly arranged, while the garden-facing household/utility space is designed as a comfortable place to linger. On the second floor an open-plan living-dining-kitchen (LDK) overlooking the Akashi Strait is provided, creating a composition in which indoor and outdoor living integrate. The home is designed to accept the mild local climate as well as occasional severe wind and rain, enabling residents to enjoy a way of life unique to this site.

Villa by the Takano River

Echizen Design Laboratory

This house stands on a 100-square-meter site along Kyoto’s Takano River, overlooking the Matsugasaki Hills. Under the stringent conditions of a Special Scenic District, it makes the most of the limited floor area while achieving a spacious, expansive interior. A structural framework that draws on the individual characteristics of reinforced concrete, wood, and steel brings wind, light, sound, and the surrounding landscape into the home. It creates diverse places to inhabit between inside and outside, offering an open and spacious way of living that gently connects the city with nature.

Hybrid House Along the Tokigawa River

H₂O Design Office

This is a glass house with a hybrid structure of steel, timber, and glass, built on a site of approximately 220 tsubo along the Tokigawa stream in the northwestern part of Saitama Prefecture, about 50 km from the city center. It faces the Chichibu mountain range and opens onto an environment where the clear stream and seasonal changes can be enjoyed. The second-floor living spaces are arranged with a circulatory flow, with a design that prioritizes an integrated thermal environment and abundant daylighting. Instead of providing openings in the exterior walls, the building is equipped with an environmental control system that combines horizontal louvers on projecting floors with gravity-driven (stack) ventilation, connected to topside mechanical exhaust.

House in Yokohama

Mochizuki Architectural Atelier

The site is situated on a hill overlooking the city of Yokohama. The first floor accommodates a dining area opening onto a deck that leads to the garden, a carpeted corner living area, a piano alcove integrated into the stair space, and the sanitary/wet service areas. The second floor, connected by a double-height void, contains a bedroom and a child’s room with distant views of Mount Fuji. The interior palette comprises white-painted walls and pale-toned carpeting, with teak and lauan used for the woodwork, resulting in a crisp yet softly modern finish.

House in Chigasaki + Max Clean Studio

Takayoshi Nakamura Architects & Associates

This three-story home features a spacious integral garage that supports both the owner’s hobbies and work. Large enough to accommodate two cars and one motorcycle, the garage also serves as a space for vehicle coating and maintenance. The second floor contains a bright LDK with an open-to-below space, while movable partitions allow it to be integrated with the bedroom to create an expansive living area. Enoshima can be seen in the distance from the third floor, offering rich views and a sense of openness despite the home’s residential setting. Skillfully making use of the limited site, the house combines functionality with comfort.

te to te — House in Ryugasaki

e do design architects

A residence for a family of three located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Ryugasaki City, Ibaraki Prefecture. The design is characterized by a composition that combines three distinct volumes—the entrance volume, the private-room volume, and the living-dining-kitchen (LDK) volume—while embracing the rich surrounding environment. The spatial relationship to the exterior is carefully calibrated to protect privacy while nurturing connections with nature and family. Through a double-height stairwell, the individual spaces are gently linked. True to its name, “te to te (手と手),” it is a warm vessel for living that weaves bonds between the family and its surroundings.

Karuizawa Terrace

Mitsuhiro Kojima Architects

This villa for an art collector is sited on a north-facing slope. The rooms are linked in a bead-like sequence so that each movement presents a different view; the intent is to enable an embodied experience of nature rather than merely observing it. Window shapes and proportions vary from room to room, each framing a distinct landscape. In addition, the staircase connecting the first and second floors is deliberately located outdoors, creating a circulation path that ensures contact with nature as part of everyday life. The result is a quiet retreat where one can engage deeply with the natural environment, perceiving changes in light, breeze, humidity, and sound through the senses.

Shimogamo House — Condominium Renovation with Terrace

Tokuhiro Norimatsu Architect

This residence has been reconfigured around a simple, monochrome interior palette. The existing layout was re-evaluated, and while providing a bedroom, two children’s rooms, and a study, the dining kitchen was relocated to a position adjacent to the terrace. By carefully adjusting partitions while capitalizing on the character of the structural frame and openings, an open space was created that allows unobstructed sightlines to the Kamo River landscape beyond the terrace. Centered on a living room for spending time with the family dog, the home provides a comfortable setting where the family naturally gathers.

Renovation of a Vintage Condominium

Hirotaka Sato Architects

This is a gut renovation that carries Japan’s first high-rise condominium, located in Minato-ku, into the present. While making use of the existing architectural value, glass blocks and mirrors create an expansive space in which light and sightlines flow continuously. The textures of materials such as Italian stucco, shell-lime plaster, and walnut are carefully layered, while the existing wood veneer and marble have also been reused. Vacuum glass and a unique ground-source heat pump further reconcile the memory of the architecture with comfort and environmental performance.

House in Nishiokamoto II

Abax Architects

This residence is situated on the Yamate hillside of Kobe, along the Sumiyoshi River. While maximizing Kobe’s characteristic views of mountain and sea, a split-level (skip-floor) plan is adopted to respond to the site’s changes in elevation, and the building is simply articulated in timber construction. By sitting close to the topography, unobstructed sightlines are secured, creating a three-dimensional space where different vistas can be enjoyed on each tier. It is a home that directly incorporates the appeal of a location where the natural environment and the urban presence intersect into everyday living.

House in Kotani

Kurashi no Jōzōsho

House in Hamadera

Coo Planning

This residence is located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. While maximizing the greenery of the shrine to the south, the design aims for an expansive spatial quality reminiscent of a Parisian apartment. A three-dimensional composition of split-levels and high ceilings imparts a generous sense of openness to the home. Bookshelves fitted across the full extent of the east and west walls become the focal point of daily life, and light, breeze, and greenery entering through cross-mullioned windows and skylights enliven the spaces. Together with the textures of the materials, the house deepens in character as the family’s time accumulates.

Wind Leave

Far East Design Lab.

This residence is sited on the slope of an elevated hillside with views to the sea and mountains, and is conceived for a multi‑base lifestyle. Prompted by the increase in remote work, it was planned as a new base that accommodates both work and leisure. In addition to a study designed for focused work and dedicated spaces for meetings, the house provides flexible areas for family and friends to stay. The building employs natural materials such as timber and is situated to integrate with the landscape. Openings and vistas are composed according to programmatic requirements, allowing occupants to enjoy unhurried time with framed views of the sea and mountains.

House in Saito Aohoku

ARCHIXXX Satoru Shinno Architectural Design

This home is located on a sloping site in a newly developed new town. Making use of the difference in elevation, terraces were provided for each room on the second floor and for the bathrooms, bringing the expansive views characteristic of a sloping site into everyday life. A soundproofed hobby room in the semi-basement accommodates a wide range of activities, including concerts, golf practice, and a play area for the children. It is a home rich in activities, allowing the family to make the most of their weekends without leaving the house.

House in Hirakata

Kumi Inoue Architects

This is a two-family residence sited on an elevated site in Hirakata City. The parent household relocated to an annex, and a new home for the child household was planned on the former main-house site. With the theme of sharing the abundant greenery and views not only with the family but also with the neighborhood, a segmented composition combining volumes of varying scale was adopted. This generates a diverse range of expressions in the exterior spaces and cultivates a gentle connection with the street. From the open-plan living/dining/kitchen with large glazed openings one can enjoy verdant vistas, and the layout—allowing the parent household to move back and forth easily—carefully shapes a new spatial relationship between the two households.

KAN

JYU ARCHITECT

This apartment renovation maximizes the views from the 10th floor. Situated on a site blessed with city views to the east and Mount Fuji to the southwest, the layout of private rooms and the kitchen was reorganized so that the landscape can be enjoyed in everyday life. The shared space opens widely toward the views, the previously underutilized east deck was regenerated as an outdoor room connected to the kitchen, and movable partitions were introduced to reconcile openness with flexible use, creating a living environment that balances spaciousness and adaptability.