When a young family requested a home in which they could “feel green,” Satoshi Saito of SAI Architectural Design Office took the directive to heart.

“A home that feels green is not just a home where you can see the green from anywhere, but a home where the residents actively use the external space and grow together with the green,” says Saito. “Taking a nap under a tree, touching a leaf, planting a tree or flowers, spending time directly feeling the wind, and smelling greenery is less common now in urban societies. I thought that I could create an original experience of this rich life that is being forgotten.”

Melt House, as the project is known, is located at the foot of a mountain in a residential part of Osaka and set on a narrow site that’s just 18 feet wide. To make the best use of space, Saito boldly brought the garden inside. Placed at the center of the house, the double-height, courtyard-like area acts like a multifunctional room.

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The courtyard joins the two wings of the home. One houses a traditional, Japanese room with a double-height living room and second-floor loft . The other contains two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and the open kitchen and dining room. “The plan brings plenty of natural light and ventilation into the house, even though it is a long and narrow building,” says Saito. “By placing the dry garden between the dining room and the living room, you can use it daily and live with greenery.”

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Project Credits:

Architect of record: SAI Architectural Design Office

Structural design: Ippei Yasue

Engineering: Ikesyo Corporation

Landscape: Inamoto

Photo credits: Norihito Yamauchi

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This Minimalist Japanese Home Pivots Around an Indoor Garden