The project began with an inquiry: “There is an 80-year-old single-storey house on our property that is currently unoccupied — can it be renovated so my daughter's family can live there comfortably?” During the process we considered demolition and rebuilding to allow greater design freedom, but ultimately the client wished to retain and reuse the cherished building where possible. Accordingly, we proceeded with a full renovation.
The daughter, an avid cook who wished to spend much of her day in the kitchen and to carry out activities from cooking to reading and writing entirely within that space, requested a kitchen tailored to those needs. We therefore proposed a kitchen that functions as a multi-purpose, highly functional hub rather than a mere cooking area. By varying the floor levels between the living room, the tatami room, and the kitchen, we also created conditions that make it easier to maintain eye contact with small children from anywhere in the house.
In a space that retains the columns, beams, and transom panels that mark the passage of time since the client’s father spent his childhood there, a projector casts images onto the walls and an Alexa responds when addressed. The result is a home that carries living traditions across generations, transformed in form yet honoring its past.
Structural system: Wooden single-storey building
Total floor area: 100.32 m²
