This was a renovation project for Mr. Wataru Hatano, a Japanese paper craftsman and writer.
The residence is a 100-year-old traditional Japanese house standing in the midst of a peaceful neighborhood where deer and wild boars occasionally make an appearance.

We organized the volume and flow line to fully convey the charm of Mr. Hatano’s own Japanese paper which was to be used as the main finishing, and devised the design plan for this house by seeking the appropriate presentation of Japanese paper in order to pick up its every expression via careful adjustment of the position and size of the opening, instead of focusing only on brightness.

To demonstrate the possibility of Japanese paper in today’s livelihood, it is incorporated into the design of the dressing room, bathroom window and wet area which are uncommon to have paper in their design.

For the plasterer finishing of the exterior wall, the mud wall was dyed to match the aging of the building and its structure uses walls bearing no exposed pillars. We aimed to create an appearance that blends with the changing times by modelling the house on the current residence design while inheriting the conventional elements.

The question was, how should we exhibit the charm of Japanese papers in a house where its creator himself lives? In answer, we gave the house a straightforward structure to create a space unique to Mr. Hatano who has the best understanding of the characteristics of the material, taking care of the entire paper-making process from growing paper mulberries, processing them into Japanese papers, coloring and manufacturing products to interior construction.

We hope that this house, which invited new ambience into its design while retaining the characteristics of a 100-year-old traditional Japanese house, will be cherished with much love.