*studioLOOP Architects
House with Outdoor Living Space｜Custom Home Examples by Architectural Offices24Picks
Author: Qurasuki Editorial Department
Living rooms are often imagined as family gathering spots, yet their role extends beyond interiors. Outdoor living homes create spaces expanding the entire residence by connecting indoor and exterior boundaries softly. Continuous large openings, decks, and terraces cause dining and relaxation to extend naturally outdoors, bringing seasonal and weather changes close at hand. Surrounding scenery and garden relationships heavily influence residential impressions. A major characteristic is planning spaces as unified living arenas encompassing external spaces rather than concluding within building interiors. Outdoor living residences exhibit ingenuities connecting architecture and nature. We introduce how such spaces take shape in custom homes by architectural firms.
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.
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.
A residence for a family of three—a couple in their thirties and their son. The design capitalizes on a wooded site with views of Mount Asama to the north, employing a spatial organization that integrates interior and exterior. Service areas (wet rooms) are arranged to face the south and a small inner courtyard to ensure a bright, well-ventilated environment. The Japanese-style room, intended to accommodate tea gatherings and overnight guests, is separated from the living/dining/kitchen area and located adjacent to the service zones. A second-floor study is conceived as a family space for enjoying the views, realizing a home that embraces life in close relationship with nature.
This is a two-family house in a quiet residential neighborhood. Three concrete boxes containing utility rooms such as the bathrooms are arranged with intervals between them on the north side, while a large box with parking for two cars is placed along the road on the west side. A structural frame made of steel-plate ribs is extended over the gaps between them, reaching the maximum building coverage ratio. By carefully designing the staggered arrangement, voids, and spaces between beams, the house allows the parents and children to live independently while remaining aware of one another and maintaining a comfortable distance from the neighborhood.
This house in Toda City, Saitama Prefecture responds to an environment of surrounding factories, warehouses, and heavy traffic by adopting a closed composition toward the street. An internal courtyard brings in daylight and natural ventilation while maintaining separation from the exterior, creating a calm residential environment. By engaging with its context, the dwelling produces a rich, inward‑focused living realm.
This courtyard house achieves both tranquility and a sense of openness despite being located in a residential neighborhood. Mortar-finished walls enclosing the site gently screen views from outside while guiding natural light into the interior. The walls continue seamlessly from the courtyard into the house, creating rich patterns of light and shadow as they receive the changing light throughout the day. The living-dining-kitchen area opens broadly onto the courtyard, creating a configuration in which the interior and exterior are softly connected. Even in a densely built-up residential area, the house provides a tranquil place where the view extends upward toward the sky.
Approximately one hour from Tokyo, this residence is situated on a generous, verdant suburban site. Designed by a German–Japanese couple as their new home for the post‑retirement phase, the project integrates the garden and house while preserving existing mature trees so that each window frames a distinct view. The main house is a simple single‑story pavilion that opens broadly to the garden; deep eaves and a terrace create a gentle transition between interior and exterior. The program also includes a dedicated garage for restoring classic BMWs, providing a base for hobbies and social exchange.
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.
This is a multigenerational two-family garage house on a corner lot at an intersection facing a schoolyard. Taking the cherry trees and other vegetation in the schoolyard as a borrowed landscape, the house secures a sense of openness while maintaining an appropriate distance from the surrounding town through privacy fences, a garden, and a wooden deck. The built-in garage serves not only as parking but also as a play area for the children and a DIY space. Movable partitions allow the house to adapt to the family’s growth and changes in lifestyle, creating a home that can be passed down and lived in comfortably across generations.
This residence is located in a residential neighborhood near a major road. A courtyard brings light and air deep into the house while incorporating the greenery of the park extending along the street frontage. The spaces are gently divided with the eye level of floor seating in mind, while carefully designing the sense of distance between people, the wind, and furniture and other objects. Rather than clearly separating the spaces with walls, the house gives architectural form to invisible “intervals”—light, air, and subtle presence—creating a quiet sense of connection.
Nestled in a lush, quiet residential neighborhood, this home embraces a private courtyard. Upon entering, the courtyard and LDK unfold before you. The first floor features a kitchen overlooking the garden, a double-height dining area, a living room with a built-in sofa set one step below, and the wet areas. The second floor includes a piano and library space, along with private rooms. Inorganic ceramic siding panels are used for the exterior, while the interior is finished with cypress ceiling boards and shikkui plaster. It is a gentle and sophisticated home that supports a natural way of living.
This house introduces a courtyard into a densely built-up shitamachi site, as though the upper floors had been carved away. Even in an environment where opening the house to its surroundings is difficult, it creates an “interior exterior” that brings in light and air, filling the living spaces with abundant brightness. The stairs and passageways surrounding the courtyard continue like one large stair hall, and living rooms and bedrooms emerge as its landings are expanded. Within a highly insulated and airtight enveloped space, finely textured walls and built-in furniture are layered together in a home that makes meticulous use of every limited dimension, like a product.
This three-story split-level house brings light and air to every floor while incorporating views of Bandai Pond. The first floor includes private rooms conceived as individual “huts” for each of the three children, while the second floor contains a kitchen and dining area, along with two living rooms that can also accommodate guests. The third floor features a yoga studio with views and an indoor balcony, while the rooftop can be used for barbecues. In addition, a terrace surrounds an old crape myrtle tree that has long been cherished on the site, creating a composition from which the tree can be viewed from various parts of the house.
This home for a young couple and their children stands in a residential neighborhood on the southeastern foothills of Mount Shigi. In accordance with the regulations of the landscape preservation district, its simple house-shaped exterior, stripped of superfluous elements, makes an impression within a streetscape that might otherwise appear uniform. The first floor is an open-plan space with views across the garden and deck. A woven floor covering in the tatami area adjoining the LDK creates a sense of unity throughout the space. Connected to the second floor through the void, the home allows its occupants to live with a sense of the family’s presence wherever they are.
This house in a residential neighborhood near Osaka embraces family life around a central courtyard. Planned from the selection of the site onward, it uses the roads to the east and west and the courtyard to bring light and air deep into the home. The living room, with a ceiling height equivalent to one and a half stories, connects three-dimensionally with the children's rooms and loft, allowing the family to live with a sense of one another's presence. A large tree on the neighboring property can be seen beyond the small courtyard garden, while the wooden latticework and cedar-board cladding create a gentle expression with a distinctly Japanese character.
A mixed-structure residence with a reinforced-concrete basement and a two‑storey timber construction, located in an upscale residential neighborhood in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture. The double‑height living room, which serves as the heart of the home, faces a large south‑facing garden and forms an open space where interior and exterior are gently connected. The exterior is composed simply, and the interior is kept uncluttered by restraining unnecessary elements. By carefully refining materials and composition, the dwelling achieves a coexistence of tranquility and refined quality.
This residence is intended as the couple’s final home, for a pair who relocated from Tokyo to an area near the wife’s parents’ home. Centered on a courtyard that preserves privacy while allowing a direct sense of nature, performance aspects such as daylighting, natural ventilation, seismic resistance, and thermal insulation were carefully planned. The courtyard connects to the living, dining, and kitchen (LDK) and to the animals’ spaces, richly embracing the passage of the seasons and family time. It is a home like a 'nest', wrapped in safety and comfort, accommodating life with a parrot and an owl and attentive to future home-based work.
This house was conceived from a site condition with an approximate 1.2 m level change and the owner's passion for cars and motorcycles. The approach from street level gently guides you toward the courtyard while offering views of the garage; beyond it, the living spaces unfold in a striking composition. The courtyard, positioned between the garage and the living/dining/kitchen (LDK), blurs the boundary between interior and exterior and expands the stage for daily life. The interior is unified in achromatic tones except for the texture of wood, providing a backdrop that accentuates the presence of cherished belongings. It is a residence filled with abundant living spaces in which both inside and outside are fully and deliberately inhabited.
Set on a corner lot surrounded by fields, this home brings the surrounding natural environment into everyday life. Walls with “openings” are set within a U-shaped outer shell, gently filtering outside views while admitting light and wind. A three-dimensional courtyard emerges between the shell and the building, enriching and expanding the living space. The fields and woods are framed through the wall openings and brought indoors like large paintings depicting the changing seasons. Through the courtyard and the openings, the home offers an intimate awareness of nature.
Seeking a lifestyle with views of the forest, the residents spent approximately two years searching for land before finding this home, with a natural woodland spreading across its eastern side. Rather than simply looking out at the forest, the design is centered on opening everyday life itself toward nature. The layout allows residents to encounter a different view each time they move through the home, via the entrance earthen-floored space, split levels, and an open-riser staircase. A wood-burning stove, a cozy nook, and quiet spaces that make the most of natural wood cultivate moments of feeling close to nature. Equipped with high thermal insulation performance and solar power generation, the home continues to deepen its richness with the changing seasons.
A single-story residence in which a couple, their two children, and their dog live. With the theme “a home where the family can share time together,” the plan adopts a layout centered on a courtyard. While creating an environment where the dog can move about freely, the design achieves an integrated space in which family members can sense one another’s presence. Light reflected off the white walls and the introduced greenery brightly enliven the courtyard, creating a comfortable environment with breezes passing through. The house gently connects to the surrounding nature and neighborhood, and carefully nurtures the richness of daily life—such as meals on the terrace and time spent with the dog.
This house was rebuilt when the children became independent. Priority was given to a functional circulation, comfortable natural ventilation that does not rely on air conditioning, a thermally comfortable winter environment, and the authentic texture of natural materials. The site faces a southwest road with a managed woodland to the north; it takes in stable light and breezes from both south and north, and while using appropriate partitions to secure privacy and heating/cooling efficiency, the design emphasizes a sense of unity for the family.
This is a residence for which we assisted beginning with the site selection. The client had long working hours and wanted a timeless space for relaxing with plants in their leisure time. Making use of the site’s characteristics, the living room, a deck for enjoying wine and outdoor meals, and a garden of flowers and greenery were arranged as a continuous spatial sequence, blurring the boundaries. Interior and exterior are unified, creating a home in which plants are an integral part of daily life.
Located on elevated ground at the top of a steep slope, this house balances expansive views with comfort. A T-shaped circulation route is incorporated into an open volume running parallel to the landscape, creating deep, layered places to dwell as well as a buffer zone that receives and filters surrounding sightlines. The guest room, dining area, and living room unfold around the kitchen counter, while differences in ceiling height and shadow create diverse relationships with the landscape. The second floor contains bedrooms and children’s rooms, along with an observation platform that commands an exclusive view.
A bathroom with views and a direct connection to the swimming pool. The densely wooded cliffside can be seen to the right of the photograph. From the infinity-edged large bathtub, the swimming pool and flowing pond were arranged as though forming a continuous sequence in which the water surface gradually steps down. The large bathhouse maintains visual separation from the living room enclosing the courtyard, while opening in an L-shape toward the untouched woodland and pool, offering the openness of a semi-outdoor bath. This opening can also be closed.
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