When a couple were seeking to simplify their lives and live with less, Seattle–based practice Suyama Peterson Deguchi turned that vision into reality with a beautiful 2,047-square-foot home .
Located on the water's edge in the southwest neighborhood of Fauntleroy, the minimalist abode named Junsei—meaning "purity" in Japanese—beautifully embraces its natural surroundings.
"With the Junsei House, designing for sustainability was not only about material choices or products, but rather about shifting one's attitude and explaining how essential design elements can alter the living habits of occupants," states Suyama.
Respecting the existing site, Suyama and his team left all of the trees in place. They also ensured the trees were fully protected during the excavation process.
"The Junsei House was created with a holistic approach to designing architecture that is sustainable. The home's spaces give one a feeling of completeness, eliminating the need for more things," says George Suyama, the firm’s founder.
Natural light is able to flood inside thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Simple, efficient, and quiet in design, the house is a reaction to today’s technology and offers a refuge in an ever changing, chaotic world," he goes on to explain.
Shop the Look Florence Knoll Sofa Florence Knoll Bassett took a holistic view of interior space planning. As director of the Knoll Planning Unit in the 1950s, her "total design" approach embraced everything about a space – including the furniture.
Mater J67 Chair J67 was designed by Ejvind A. Johansson in 1957 when he was head of FDB Furniture. With a fine balance between light and heavy, feminine and masculine, J67 is a simple piece of wooden furniture that harmonizes function, aesthetics and durability.
Menu Gridy Fungi Shelf Beautiful wall shelving inspired by fungus. The Menu Gridy Fungi Shelf was designed to line your walls like the shelf fungus that grows horizontally on trees. However, this shelf is much more functional.
Working with a limited budget and material palette, the architects thoughtfully designed the home and aimed to do more with less.
The result is a visually clean house composed of a pure vernacular shape, with all functional elements distilled to their basic requirements.
"The structural system allowed the interior volume to be completely empty, creating a pure skin that helps to accentuate the white box containing the service elements and the loft space above," says Suyama.
The floor plans was designed to be fairly open so that the spaces left were flexible enough to be used for a variety of purposes, depending on seasonal conditions of occasions.
Corrugated metal siding was used for the exterior of the house, and natural wood and plywood were used throughout the interiors.
Except for the Rex dining chairs by Rex Kralj and a William Natural Fiber Lounge Chair by Janus Et Cie, the majority of the other furniture and decor items were found objects.
The flat grain of the windows' wooden frames make them appear as it they were carved from the façade.
The window system, which was built on site, repeats the simple vernacular geometry of the exterior.