These Serene, Minimalist Apartments in Tokyo Are Filled With Light and Nature
Kinuta Terrace is a 36-unit, 1980s apartment complex located in a residential neighborhood in central Tokyo. The developer of the complex recently engaged Tokyo-based Keiji Ashizawa Design and Copenhagen’s Norm Architects to reimagine two of the apartments as model units to provide potential residents with styling ideas and design inspiration.
The minimalist interiors are filled with natural lighting and a sense of the outdoors in an homage to Scandinavian and Japanese design. The apartments are also ideally suited for a furniture collaboration which stemmed from the project.
The apartment complex features an integrated courtyard that gives residents a direct connection with nature—a precious resource in a city as dense as Tokyo.
The Kinuta Terrace apartment complex has a lovely integrated courtyard which gives residents direct garden access and a strong connection to nature—something which can be hard to find in the middle of a city as dense as Tokyo.
Inspired by this connection with the outdoors, the first goal of the renovation was to infuse the apartments with "as natural an atmosphere as possible," bringing a feeling of the outdoors into the home while still providing a sense of privacy. The designers reconfigured the layout of the apartments to create larger, open living spaces infused with natural light. They also chose an understated material palette defined by natural tones, juxtaposing rustic concrete walls with light oak flooring.
All of the furniture and bespoke elements in the apartments reference the connected courtyard—in their design language as well as through their material composition.
The furnishings—many of them custom made—are a mix of light cypress, pale grays, and beige. "We truly believe that modern urban dwellers need to reconnect with nature on a much deeper level than what we are used to," explains Frederik Werner, designer and associate partner of Norm Architects. "Natural materials that patinate and age with beauty, textures that embody tactility and connect us with the products and spaces we surround us with—these are the details that are so important for us as human beings and make for longer-lasting products and timeless aesthetics."
Double-height spaces and large windows invite light and air into the apartments. The Kinuta A-S01 sofa is a simple, multifunctional form finished with oak and fabrics from Kvadrat.
The Kinuta A-CT01 coffee table pairs a thin pane of black-tinted glass with a cypress wood frame. It matches the height of the sofa and references a traditional Japanese short-legged dining table. As such, it can also be used while sitting on the floor.
For the furnishings, the designers teamed up with Karimoku, a leading Japanese manufacturer of wooden furniture. The partnership led to the birth of the Kinuta Collection, a 12-piece line of bespoke furniture that’s now available under a newly developed brand, Karimoku Case Study. The collection is currently only available at the AXIS Gallery in Japan, however it will eventually be sold worldwide. The pieces range from a pale gray sofa with a cypress frame to a coffee table topped with a thin pane of black-tinted glass. Many of the designs feature thoughtful details inspired by elements from Japanese temples and gardens.
The Kinuta A-DT01 dining table was inspired by "the crude beauty and roughness of the demolished Kinuta apartment interiors prior to their restoration." The structure of the table is meant to reflect the apartments’ geometric design.
Repetitive patterns create a soothing sensation, with staircases, rails, and wall panels mimicking elements of the courtyard. This architectural approach is also echoed in the furniture pieces. Photo by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen
While the renovation is a celebration of material richness and minimalist design, it also traces a connection between the Japanese and Scandinavian design traditions. "It seems like there has always been a mutual fascination and appreciation between these two countries—especially when it comes to the use and respect of natural materials, but also in each of our culture’s inherent [tradition] of creating sanctuaries—both physically and mentally," says Werner. "These sanctuaries get ever so important with the large-scale urbanization that we see around the world—and Tokyo is the perfect example. If you think about it, our sanctuaries are always comprised of natural elements, peace, and calm."
A negative space in this table’s joinery allows light to shine through.
Playing with a balance between light and heavy elements, the dining table is "dimensioned like the branches of a tree—making it appear paper-thin from some angles and more robust where it needs to be."
The Kinuta N–SS01 bookshelf is inspired by umbrella and shoe racks near the entrances of Japanese temples and Shrines.
The designers carefully considered light, transparency, and shadows while creating the interiors.
A look at the exterior, which also plays with light, shadow, and negative space.
Kinuta Terrace’s garden.
Related Reading:
Spotlight on Multidisciplinary Danish Design Studio, Norm Architects
10 Zen Homes That Champion Japanese Design
Project Credits:
Architect of Record: Keiji Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects
Builder/ General Contractor: Fine Arts
Landscape Design Company: Hashiuchi Landscape Design
Interior Design: Keiji Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects
Furniture: Karimoku Furniture Inc.
Other: ReBita, Inc
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