Modern Homes in Tokyo

Masahiro and Mao Harada of Mount Fuji Architects Studio wanted to break with the traditional definition of a house when they designed this small Tokyo home. They achieved their goal by using the same material for the ceiling, the walls, and the floor, creating a space that flows beautifully. Photo by Ryota Atarashi.

Tamotsu Nakada enlisted his friend, architect Koji Tsutsui to design his 793-square-foot home on an equally tiny lot. By chopping the downslope of the roof diagonally, Tsutsui made the interior of the so-called Bent House feel more expansive, and allowed sunlight to stream inside.

The ceilings of the two houses were at slightly different heights, an incongruity Nakasi played up for visual punch. He exposed the beams in the higher ceiling and painted them white to match the smooth finish of the lower one. The desk beneath the window is from Muji.

Three-year-old Ran Sugiura peers out the front door of her Tokyo home, a concept-driven yet surprisingly livable piece of architecture that her parents describe as uniquely well suited to the family’s flexible “futon lifestyle."

Shibata made the 10-person dining table using $130 sawhorse legs from Maruki Wood Products Company topped with a sheet of birch plywood. A hole in the sliding wall fits over the table, enabling it to be used in both the library and the meeting room. malki.jp A movable wall clad in wainscoting on one side slides along tracks in the dining-room ceiling, dividing the room into a meeting space and a library. The Shiro Simple Modern Pendant lights can be easily removed and reattached after moving the wall. vanilladesign.jp