House with Wooden Window Sashes｜Custom Home Examples by Architectural Offices22Picks Author: Qurasuki Editorial Department

Windows serve as openings to invite in light and breezes, yet their materials profoundly alter the impression of a home. In a home with wooden sashes, the windows acquire the soft, unique expression of wood, playing a comfortable role in connecting the interior with the outside scenery. The texture of natural materials harmonizes easily with furniture and flooring, and the windows themselves often stand as a distinct presence as part of the space. Moreover, through the combination of light falling on the windowsill and greenery outside, the home becomes a place where the changing of seasons is easily felt. Because windows occupy a large surface area within architecture, the choice of sash material influences the atmosphere of the entire space. In homes with wooden sashes, a diverse array of expressions highlights the charm of the material. Through real examples of custom homes by architectural firms, we decode how these spaces are shaped.

IH House Yosuke Ichii Architects

This house replaces a thatched-roof residence more than 100 years old, set within the old streetscape of southern Higashi-Osaka. The formal tatami rooms where relatives gather and the family LDK are arranged in an L-shape around the entrance, separating the circulation paths. The approach creates a contrast between the Japanese space framed by vertical lattice screens and the modern space opening up beyond hollow bricks, while the gardens present different expressions on either side. The tokobashira made by shaving down and reusing the existing house’s main structural post, together with the light, airy large roof that has become a new symbol of the neighborhood, conveys the continuation of the site’s history.

Residence with a Central Courtyard Tatsumi Negishi Architectural Studio

A residence planned around a central courtyard, designed to be lived in harmony with nature. The layout ensures the presence of the signature tree can be perceived from any point within the house, and the greenery unfolding beyond the windows adds a tranquil accent to daily life. The garden views, which present different expressions depending on the vantage point, change with the passage of seasons and time, imparting a rich sense of depth to the dwelling. Within spaces where interior and exterior are gently connected, this is a quiet, comfortable home in which the nuances of the four seasons can be experienced close at hand.

Residence Living with Weeping Cherry Trees Archiplace

A residence for three generations—a family of five—located in the hilly and upland interior of Hiroshima Prefecture, where gentle mountains and pastoral fields spread. In the garden is a large weeping cherry that, as a regional symbol, is loved by the family and neighbors; in the cherry season acquaintances and friends visit for viewing, hold banquets and stay overnight. How to incorporate, harmonize with, and pass on this cherry—which has witnessed the family's growth and life, connected people, and lived with the town's changes—into the new home became a major theme.

House in Tsujido Higashi Kaigan Tada Architectural Design Office

Located on a flag lot a five-minute walk from the beach in Shonan–Kugenuma, this residence is for a couple and one child. Although originally planned as a two‑storey house, it was proposed as a small single‑story dwelling to prioritize a lifestyle that comfortably connects with the abundant natural surroundings. On the south side, the living room is equipped with large operable timber doors to draw the southerly breeze into the interior. Particular attention was paid to materials—solid Japanese chestnut flooring and a bathroom clad in Towada stone—while finishes were kept restrained to balance costs. The home provides a variety of everyday places, including a raised tatami platform and underfloor storage.

Kotonoha Mitsuhiro Kojima Architects

This residence, built on a site surrounded by abundant trees, is themed around living in close harmony with nature. Evoking the scene of fallen leaves overlapping, four roof planes are brought together, under which the family’s living spaces unfold. The roofs gently envelop the spaces while, through gaps between walls and roofs, they direct sightlines and awareness toward the surrounding natural elements—trees, sky, and ground. By drawing the shifting qualities of light and breeze into everyday life and arranging spaces so occupants can perceive seasonal and temporal changes, the design achieves a rich living environment in which family and nature are calmly connected.

Kamakura Plus Far East Design Lab.

This residence is situated within Kamakura’s verdant surroundings. The site lies at the end of a narrow lane in a tranquil location with mountain views extending to the north and south. To capture these natural vistas, large two‑story‑high windows are provided on the north and south elevations, allowing views of the garden and surrounding greenery from the first‑floor living/dining/kitchen (LDK) and the second‑floor bedroom connected via a double‑height void. On the street side, wooden lattice doors are installed and curtains provided internally, enabling layered control of privacy through the modulation of sightlines and daylight.

Tea House Yoshihiro Ito Architect & Associates

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.

House in Koshien Abax Architects

Retaining the stone wall that embodies the memory of the town intact, this residence is constructed of reinforced concrete. Through two small courtyards it adroitly admits light and breezes while screening views from the exterior to ensure a high degree of privacy. By employing materials with a soft tactile quality, the dwelling composes calm, gentle interior spaces within a robust structural envelope.

KMK Takeshi Hirobe Architects

Built on an urban corner site, this home was planned as a courtyard house that gently connects the interior and exterior around a central courtyard. Large openings, a void, and continuous tiled flooring heighten the sense of openness, while fittings made with washi-paper mesh and white wall surfaces that softly receive light delicately adjust the home’s distance from nature. The generous first floor, where the family gathers, and the second floor, enveloped in tranquil light, are linked by gradations of light, creating a rich living environment in which nature can be felt close at hand despite its urban setting.

Tsujido House Takayoshi Nakamura Architects & Associates

Tsujido House is a residence in a residential neighborhood of Tsujido, where the double-height space and loft create a three-dimensional sense of spaciousness. With sightlines extending from the LDK to the second floor and loft, the compact home achieves a generous sense of openness. Light and air are drawn throughout the house, creating a comfortable living environment. Abundant wood lends warmth and softness to the interiors, while tile accents add a measured sense of refinement and tension, bringing together warmth and sophistication.

Matsuyama–Edamatsu House Masahiko Sawamura Architect and Associates

A generous resort house that takes advantage of the site's changes in elevation.

voice *studioLOOP Architects

Located at the northern edge of a residential subdivision and surrounded by neighboring houses, this home seeks to balance openness and privacy. Full-height windows are provided along the southern side of each floor, while on the first floor, the interior engawa and exterior deck extend continuously toward the garden. A deep roof and side walls screen sunlight and views, while the second floor brings in light through a terrace protected by walls and openings to the east, west, and above. By connecting the spaces through voids and openings, the presence and voices of family members naturally circulate throughout the house, creating a home where they can feel connected wherever they are.

House in Toda KASA ARCHITECTS

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.

Gakubuchi House Atelier Mana

This home is located on a north-sloping site in a quiet residential neighborhood. While ample daylight from the south could not be expected, the northwest corner lot offered a broad sense of openness and expansive views. The site was therefore enclosed by a large wall, with a garden placed at the northwest, where the light is strongest. The rooms were arranged so that the garden could be viewed from the living spaces and terrace, and several picture-frame windows were set into the wall. Framing the surrounding scenery as it changes with the seasons and the passage of time, they gently connect the family’s everyday life with the neighborhood.

House in Higashi-Ikoma — Two-Family Residence with Three Gardens Tokuhiro Norimatsu Architect

At the early-spring ground-breaking ceremony, I couldn’t help but smile when a migratory bird alighted on the ceremonial sand mound. This is a two-family residence built on a site fronting roads to the east and west, with views of the Yata Hills to the east and Mount Ikoma to the west. We organized the plan around three gardens—the front garden, the inner courtyard, and the rear garden—setting them as the core organizing elements of daily life, and designed a deep, layered dwelling that cherishes greenery, orchestrates sound, and invites people to gather. While carrying forward the family’s past time, it weaves the life to come. Envisioning that day’s Daurian redstart perched on a garden tree, we have shaped a tranquil home.

House at the Foot of Mount Takao Mochizuki Architectural Atelier

We designed a single-story building on a 150-tsubo south-sloping site overlooking Mount Takao, combining a home, the wife’s midwifery clinic, and a garage. Its defining features are a generous exterior that appears to hug the ground and interior spaces that allow residents to feel the richness of the surrounding natural environment. The layout incorporates circulation suited to the three functions, while ensuring views of the mountains from every room. A large gabled roof envelops the home, creating a place where the family can live freely while experiencing the changing seasons.

House in Hikone Kumi Inoue Architects

This residence is situated in a calm residential area near Hikone Castle. Although it faces a busy road, a configuration alternating large and small building volumes with courtyards was adopted to realize a quiet, enriched way of life. The “alley” that runs through these elements is not merely a circulation route; it gently connects with the living spaces and courtyards, bringing depth and variation to the spatial composition. Sightlines, wind, and light pass between the buildings and courtyards, creating a variety of places to inhabit within a serene stillness. A succession of sloped ceilings clad in bamboo translates the roof’s articulated expression into the interior, and the soft tactile quality of natural materials envelops the entire residence.

An Addition in Snow Country Hirotaka Sato Architects

This residence is an addition to an existing main house in snow country, providing a dining space where the family can gather and two bedrooms. By directly extending the pitch of the existing roof, the addition maintains continuity with the main house and creates a calm overall appearance. The large openings framed by solid steel columns can be fully opened, enabling flexible use according to the seasons and the way of life. The skylights and mirrors spread light throughout the interior, bringing brightness and a sense of openness to the home in snow country.

LOLO — Grand Prize, Kitchen Space Idea Design Contest YIA Ishiue Yoshihiro Architectural Design Office

This residence is organized in a ring plan centered on a large central courtyard. The courtyard, enclosed by two-storey-high walls, screens views from the outside while channeling light and breeze deep into the interior. The living-dining area is nestled between a lush outer garden and a courtyard with a deck, creating a luxurious space where the changing seasons can be experienced up close. A corridor that circulates around the courtyard enriches everyday circulation with varied vistas and establishes a comfortable rhythm to daily life. The design also includes a bath court and a rooftop deck, achieving an open, nature-connected way of living throughout the home.

Hamadayama Residence Naoko Matsumoto Architects & Associates

A residence that values an openness where sightlines extend toward the sky and the feeling of greenery close at hand. Measures were implemented so that planted landscaping at ground level can be enjoyed even from the second floor, bringing the presence of nature into daily life. Attention was paid to materiality, including solid American black cherry flooring and lime-plastered walls that receive light softly. The living room features the flicker of an ethanol fireplace, and there is a raised platform workspace; while fundamentals such as circulation, storage, and performance are addressed, the house condenses numerous thoughtful refinements to cultivate rich family time.

House in Endo Kurashi no Jōzōsho

Responding to a site enclosed by residences on all sides, this dwelling brings light and greenery into a U‑shaped courtyard at its heart. Employing an east‑facing garden strategy to capture morning light from the east while securing daylighting from the south, the design achieves a sense of openness that belies its total floor area of 26 tsubo (approximately 86 m²). A deck level with the living room provides a pleasant, outward extension of the living space. Trees such as Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) and olive animate the seasons, completing a home in which the family can peacefully spend the years together.

House at the Foot of Mt. Fuji Troom

Embraced by the rich natural surroundings of a vacation-home development, the house is composed simply of two offset boxes placed on the shoulder of the existing slope and covered by a large roof. Taking advantage of the changes in elevation across the site, a covered terrace offering bird’s-eye views and a serene space with a high ceiling are arranged on the north side. Meanwhile, the south side features an intimate, light-filled space emphasizing horizontality and connected to a garden for leisurely walks. Together, these spaces create a variety of settings where the city-dwelling clients can spend time in nature with people close to them.