Shinnohon House K – A Contemporary Family Home from Japan’s Suburbs

This project from Japan involved the rebuilding of an existing suburban home. Based on the surrounding properties, it looks to be a significant rebuild, as it’s not clear if any of the existing home remains.

The house is set in a city in Ishikawa Prefecture and was completed in 2016 with the help of local architecture firm, Yuichi Yoshida & Associates. It’s been dubbed Shinbohon House K.

The property is set on a site measuring 753-square-feet (70-square-meters) and is flanked by other residences. The other properties in the street are standard suburban homes, which makes Shinbohon House K stick out like a sore thumb. Its boxy appearance and contemporary cladding bring a new aesthetic to the street.

The contemporary finish continues through to the inside of the home. The floors, walls, ceilings, and even some of the furniture pieces, are finished in white. It all adds up to a very minimalist, and – thanks to a large number of windows and patio doors – a very bright home.

The exterior is quite misleading, in that it makes you think it’s larger than it really is; the house is imposing next to the other properties, but the floor plan reveals it’s quite a compact home. The first floor contains an entrance hall with a garage to one end, and a bedroom (complete with an en-suite) to the other.

The next floor up contains two more bedrooms and a Japanese style bathroom, where the toilet and bath are separate from one another. There’s also a relatively spacious hallway on this floor, and a sun room. Incorporating rooms like the sun room is a bit of a challenge given the built-up surroundings, but they’ve managed to maintain the owner’s privacy through orientation.

The final floor of the home is a large open plan living room, dining area and kitchen. This floor features walls lined with windows, and, given that it’s taller than most of the adjacent houses, they had to worry less about maintaining privacy. There’s also a staircase to a rooftop terrace.

For more Japanese homes check out this contemporary apartment that’s been designed for people and cats. Or, Olioli House, a modern family home that’s been inspired by nature.

Via ArchDaily
Photos: Kenta Hasegawa