A Home with a Custom-Built Bathroom｜Custom Home Examples by Architectural Offices4Picks Author: Qurasuki Editorial Department

Traditional custom bathrooms (zairai-yokushitsu) finished with tile, wood, or stone allow bathrooms to be crafted as single spaces, unlike unit baths. Impressions vary by wall/floor materials, tub shapes, and window placements, marking personal expression areas. Compositions sensing garden scenery through bathroom windows or creating serene atmospheres via material combinations leverage building relationships. Visual elements like tile colors, grout lines, and wood textures enhance enjoyment. Treating bathrooms as relaxing spots rather than wet areas reveals connections to overall residences. From real examples of custom homes by architectural firms, we introduce how traditional bathrooms express spaces through materials, windows, and tubs.

House in Koshigaya Mochizuki Architectural Atelier

The site is a corner lot at the intersection of two streets close to the station; the design responds to both street-faced visibility and privacy considerations. Rather than incorporating the surrounding context, the plan creates an internal courtyard as a residual space within the lot to admit light, ventilation and greenery. Private rooms, storage and wet areas are located on the first floor, with the living, dining and kitchen arranged on the second floor; the ceiling leaves the structural rafters exposed beneath the roof. A Shimatone-riko (Japanese ash) is planted in the courtyard, and, together with the residents’ interiors and a home theater, the individual rooms are interconnected via the courtyard.

Irita Beach House Far East Design Lab.

Taking advantage of a location a five‑minute walk from the sea, this residence was designed to enjoy a resort‑like everyday life. Returning from the beach and heading straight to the bathroom, or enjoying barbecues and parties on the terrace, enables a lifestyle in which interior and exterior spaces connect naturally. On the first floor, centered on a courtyard terrace, the living, dining and kitchen (LDK) and the bathroom are arranged in a U‑shaped plan to create an airy, open interior. In addition, the floors, walls and parts of the terrace were finished by the owners themselves through DIY, deepening their attachment to the home. The house embodies a seaside lifestyle that continues to mature over time.

House in Higashitezukayama Abax Architects

This three‑story steel‑framed urban residence is built on a narrow site 5.2 m wide and 24.7 m deep. Plantings from the nursing‑care facility garden to the south are incorporated as a borrowed landscape, allowing a sense of abundant greenery to be perceived despite the urban setting. A courtyard and stairwell are located at the center of the building, configured to channel light and ventilation into each room. Bamboo is planted in the courtyard; on rainy days water collects shallowly to form a reflecting pool, creating a tranquil scene. The dwelling subtly integrates the presence of nature within the density of the city.

Steps V Hirotaka Sato Architects

Although it is a two-story wooden house, its five floor levels gently connect the spaces throughout the home. A void, loft, underfloor storage, and terrace are integrated into the changes in level, creating a rich sense of spaciousness and functionality within a limited volume. By connecting the first floor continuously to the rooftop, the house achieves a cohesive way of living in which the presence and voices of family members naturally reach one another. The exterior walls are clad in yakisugi, while thermal-storage radiant floor heating provides both comfort and energy efficiency.