The site is found in Muko City, Kyoto Prefecture, an area which has become increasingly popular among young families.
We planned a new wooden two-story house on a well-shaped site which overlooks a rustic landscape of fields in a residential area located off the main street.

The resident at the time of request was a family of four, consisted of a couple of late 30s and two children. Their wish was to ensure lighting and ventilation, as well as to contrive the security aspects.
For the window of the living room on the first floor, we were requested to block the line of sight from the road across while maintaining a bright, wide space that allows much natural light into the house. In response, we calculated the balance between the distance and height and installed a wall in front of the house.
An intermediate space was created in between the outside and the combined living room, dining room and kitchen as a result. This space became the sphere of various activities and added more colors to the house: playing in the snow in the winter, some small activities in the spring and fall and water activities in the summer. The position of the wall, where it can be seen straight from the kitchen, also creates a perfect sense of distance between the wall and the inside.

On the second floor are the private areas of the parents’ master bedroom and children’s room for the near future. The inner terrace connecting to the master bedroom reduces the burden of housework when the children are still very young.

By setting rules for the composition of the house itself and simplifying the space, the space feels larger than its actual size. We created a living space that accommodates various purposes and needs with arrangement and composition of furniture along with the growth of the children and the changes in lifestyle.

Since the family has a limited time together at home with irregularly working parents, we designed this house with the hope that all family members will be able to spend a warm and delightful time when at home.