Houzz Tour: A Tokyo Apartment Plays With Light and Shadow
Curved ceilings that meet short walls let every room bathe in the home’s single source of natural light
A couple who work in design-related professions chose this Tokyo apartment for its size and convenient layout. They had been looking for a place with about 540 square feet (50 square meters) and liked that this apartment had several functional rooms, rather than one big space that would not be optimally utilized.
The apartment is in a reinforced-concrete building that dates back to 1969. The owners bought it primarily for its good bones and planned to renovate. Their main concern in terms of design was longevity — instead of following trends, they wanted a home that would continue to serve them well 10 years into the future. Having liked the tranquil, shadowy atmosphere of Shigeo Aoyama and Yukiko Sumitani’s previous projects, they hired the team to work on their interior. They had two main requests: to create fluidity between public and private spaces, and to put in rounded corners. The result is a cleverly divided space that is illuminated throughout by soft ambient light.
The apartment is in a reinforced-concrete building that dates back to 1969. The owners bought it primarily for its good bones and planned to renovate. Their main concern in terms of design was longevity — instead of following trends, they wanted a home that would continue to serve them well 10 years into the future. Having liked the tranquil, shadowy atmosphere of Shigeo Aoyama and Yukiko Sumitani’s previous projects, they hired the team to work on their interior. They had two main requests: to create fluidity between public and private spaces, and to put in rounded corners. The result is a cleverly divided space that is illuminated throughout by soft ambient light.
What was originally two bedrooms is now being used as a bedroom and a study. The workspace is the first thing you see upon entering, followed by the bathroom and then the open-plan kitchen, living room and dining room. The bedroom can be accessed from the living room.
The study has a desk and bookshelves. Everything is neatly organized, just how the owners like it.
The study has a desk and bookshelves. Everything is neatly organized, just how the owners like it.
The couple requested that the room be illuminated with soft indirect light. For this reason, sliding shoji screens were installed about 6 inches away from the two double doors to the balcony. Their translucent paper diffuses the light.
These screens slide to the center to reveal the balcony. The double doors are the only source of natural illumination in the apartment, but since they face south, they let in a lot of light.
Two cozy armchairs by Danish designer Kai Kristiansen sit nearby, alongside an AJ floor lamp, designed by Arne Jacobsen for Louis Poulsen.
Browse Louis Poulsen lighting
Two cozy armchairs by Danish designer Kai Kristiansen sit nearby, alongside an AJ floor lamp, designed by Arne Jacobsen for Louis Poulsen.
Browse Louis Poulsen lighting
On the left is a compact kitchen that consists of a counter with a sink and a stove, designed by ekrea, and a matching island. Both are finished in straight-grain tamo ash.
The owners were especially interested in ensuring that there would be sufficient storage in the home, and they even drew detailed sketches with the exact dimensions of the drawers they would need based on what they were planning to store in each spot.
How to Plan Your Kitchen Storage for Maximum Efficiency
The owners were especially interested in ensuring that there would be sufficient storage in the home, and they even drew detailed sketches with the exact dimensions of the drawers they would need based on what they were planning to store in each spot.
How to Plan Your Kitchen Storage for Maximum Efficiency
The dining table is a Super Elliptical table from Republic of Fritz Hansen.
This Caravaggio pendant light is the work of yet another Danish designer, Cecilie Manz.
The frame of the shoji screen is dark gray, giving it a vibe that’s not too modern but not too traditional.
The frame of the shoji screen is dark gray, giving it a vibe that’s not too modern but not too traditional.
The floor — oak with a grain that resembles arrow feathers — is laid in a smart chevron pattern. It gives the room a more modern look than a regular herringbone floor might have done. The owners like succulents and gray-leaved plants, so new ones are constantly being added.
A corner of the bedroom is visible in this photo. The walls separating the kitchen from the workspace and the bedroom from the hall are about 6 feet high. Keeping these walls lower than the ceiling highlights its curved shape while allowing the outside light to reach the study and the entryway.
The white walls give the bathroom a feeling of cleanliness. The toilet is in the back. The bathroom features a “unit bath,” a Japanese bathroom module made of a single continuous material. The vanity is by Sanwa Co.
The bedroom is just behind the wall on the left. Like most areas of the house, it is also lower than the ceiling, so even the bathroom feels spacious and bright.
The bedroom is just behind the wall on the left. Like most areas of the house, it is also lower than the ceiling, so even the bathroom feels spacious and bright.
In the evenings, the apartment is filled with a comforting light that seeps into every room thanks to the short walls. The atmosphere is surreal: The couple say it’s as though they were in one of James Turrell’s masterpieces.
The rounded corners hide the beams and create a smooth connection between the walls and the ceiling. The curve of the ceiling is based on the shape of the couple’s Super Elliptical dining table.
The bathroom entryway has rounded corners, as do the alcoves. They have sharper curves than the ceiling.
The walls are coated with light gray plaster by Jolypate. Its slightly rough, uneven surface prevents the edges and corners from looking too sharp, and diffuses the light as well. The elasticity of the plaster allows it to be applied to plywood affixed over the first layer of plaster, to create a delicate curve. As an added bonus, it is crack-resistant.
The built-in TV stand, which is in the living room alcove, has cabinets underneath. The owners store some clothing here, among other things.
The owners say that the air of tranquillity and the neat look of their new home have not changed a bit since the renovation was completed in 2015. Everything — furniture, plants, household necessities —has been carefully chosen and neatly arranged to suit the couple’s wishes and lifestyle.
The curved corners create the sensation that one is wrapped in the space. The architects say that when they returned to the apartment for a photo shoot, they still managed to be surprised by the illumination. Despite the fact that only one of the walls has natural lighting — and contrary to the designers’ own expectations — the shading of the home still changes dramatically throughout the day.
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The curved corners create the sensation that one is wrapped in the space. The architects say that when they returned to the apartment for a photo shoot, they still managed to be surprised by the illumination. Despite the fact that only one of the walls has natural lighting — and contrary to the designers’ own expectations — the shading of the home still changes dramatically throughout the day.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A married couple in their 30s
Location: Shinjuku area of Tokyo
Size: 570 square feet (53 square meters)
Architects: Shigeo Aoyama and Yukiko Sumitani of aoydesign