The family house in Muko, Kyoto, by FujiwarraMuro Architects, founded in 2002 by Shintaro Fujiwara and Yoshio Muro, is a reconciling oasis of Japanese zen with Scandinavian decor influences.
A poetic treatment of light is the sweet spot of this house, glowing with all the exquisite simplicity of an haiku.
The exterior of the house appears as a fan shaped building, following the semi-circled inflection of the road it rests on.
Huge, vertical louvres donate it a pleated appearance and allow for a natural filtering of the light, so that the movements of the sun can deeply penetrate its interiors all year round, while a variety of shadows are cast over the single-roomed space at different times of the day.
The louvered boardsalso conduct the flow of the artificial light to the outside of the house.
The golden lights of the interiors emanate a warm glow which contributes a cozy feel to the otherwise plain and simple surroundings.
On a fine day, a blue sky at dusk can make for a perfect mélange of blue and gold, water and earth, sea and sun.
When it comes to the interiors, the view can soothe a disquieted mind with a general overwhelming impression of peace and harmony. Luminous because of the tall sleek windows, but also because of the choice of materials and shades, soft colors, light wood and polished surfaces give an impression of cleanliness and purity. A smooth surface to slide on bare-footed.
An open space combining living room and dining room occupies the ground floor, and a bedroom filled up by a double bed is enclosed in its rear end.
A staircase leads to the upper floor, where lies a children bedroom, on a floor which is set back from the wall so that it leans on the level below in a balcony-like manner.
Another staircase leads up to a third floor with bathroom and washroom and further proceeds upwards to a rooftop terrace, thus completing this layered, perfectly balanced architectural space.
