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 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.

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.”

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.

Photo by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen
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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.”

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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These Serene, Minimalist Apartments in Tokyo Are Filled With Light and Nature