This is a single storey house.
Originally we were planning to build a 2 storey house here
but my wife was reading a book about life in the Edo period
where families of 4 lived in an area of just 9sqm.
So we thought a single storey house with an area of 18 or 19sqm
would be possible for the 2 of us to live in.
In the area there are many 3-10 storey apartment buildings.
It's a quiet area.
It is close by to Tokyo Dome
a sushi restaurant, a temple and a church.
This house is 19sqm
Although it is small.
We designed it so we are able to enjoy reading books
listening to music and doing our hobbies.
We wanted to be able to do all of this in this small house.
In terms of the shape of the building.
Since there are 10 storey apartments in front and behind our house.
We didnt want people to see the inside of the house
so we made a high roof with a skylight.
The light from above shines throughout spring, summer and autumn.
At the entrance of the house there are about 300 records
and a CD player on a shelf
On the wall, we used a variety of concrete separator P-con hangers
which we use to hang our personal items.
In the living space there is a glass door.
When the glass door is opened
we can sit by the footpath
read books and have some snacks
The dining table is custom made.
The legs of the table are from my wife's mother's old sewing machine
The bench was also custom made.
At the end of the bench, we made pockets for our pens
and other small items that we often use.
There is a window above the dining table.
The window is made from an opening in the concrete.
We use the shelves to put the cups that we like
our toaster, jars and other items.
For the lighting, we chose aluminium shaded lamps.
We can clip them onto the shelves and fix them to the walls.
They also come in many sizes.
They can be used in many ways which is great for small spaces.
Along the other wall there is a washing machine between the concrete dividers.
Above, there are some wooden shelves.
I keep my amp, speakers and record player here.
The kitchen is in the middle of the house.
The kitchen is made from stainless steel.
There is a sink
a glass rinser
a gas stove with a rangehood above
Under the stove there is a fish grill
and a hidden dishwasher in the middle.
On the kitchen wall, there are hangers for chopping boards
Its fun to hang other items here too.
In the middle of the kitchen is trolley on castors that is used on airplanes.
Above we have an oven toaster.
At the entrance to the toilet is a cascading bookshelf.
We designed the shelf to fit the depth of our books.
The toilet is really simple.
The space is a bit narrow but has a toilet and a sink.
The bed is queen sized.
There is a small niche by the bed
These shelves were also designed to fit our books.
On the other side of the wall, there are 2 hanging areas
and 5 shelves to store our clothes.
You can enter the shower via the bedroom.
After your shower, you can exit through another door to the outdoor terrace.
Between the bed and the terrace are 3 sliding doors.
When opened, the bed and terrace becomes a comfortable space.
There is an outdoor bath on the terrace.
So you can enjoy a bath outisde in the middle of Tokyo.
There is a small garden by the footpath.
Its a part of our land.
We enjoy looking after our many plants here.
When designing a small house
I look to create a house with big lines or big open spaces
For example, Love2 House has a high ceiling
with a dynamic skylight
In big cities, there are still small pockets of nature.
So then you can enjoy both nature and the city.
I think that's what makes the city a good place to live.