Houzz Tour: Picture-Perfect Views Decorate a Modern House
Panoramic windows frame the majestic scenery of the Japanese countryside and the charm of a private garden
This home’s 23-foot-wide front window frames the scenery of the Izumo Plain, a rural area on the southwest of Japan’s main island. The panorama includes a far-off mountain range, and it changes with the seasons and ambient light. It could be called a living painting. A second picture window opposite offers a cozier, more down-to-earth view of the owners’ private garden. This stunning natural “artwork” plays the starring role in the home’s decor, with other features deliberately downplayed to direct the gaze outside.
Although the view of the plain to the northwest was mostly unobstructed, the heavy traffic on the road in front of the house posed a challenge. “The owners asked me to design it in such a way that they would be able to enjoy the scenery without seeing the road; in other words, to see but not be seen,” Murakaji says.
She solved this problem by placing the house as close to the road as possible and raising the floor of the main living area almost 3 feet above the ground. Inside, the panoramic window is at waist level, so cars and passers-by aren’t visible from the sofa or the dining table. Only the tranquil landscape is in view.
The house is protected from the wind by a hedge of ‘Kaizuka’ juniper trees planted along the road. These are neatly trimmed to window level, accentuating the facade from the outside without obstructing the view from within.
The house is protected from the wind by a hedge of ‘Kaizuka’ juniper trees planted along the road. These are neatly trimmed to window level, accentuating the facade from the outside without obstructing the view from within.
Most of the interior is a single room that functions as a living room, dining room and bedroom. It is quite spacious — something you wouldn’t expect from a building with a total floor area of less than 750 square feet.
The layout is simple, with almost the entire interior visible from the front door. However, the bedroom is, in fact, separated from the main space by a drop in floor level of a little over 2½ feet.
The layout is simple, with almost the entire interior visible from the front door. However, the bedroom is, in fact, separated from the main space by a drop in floor level of a little over 2½ feet.
The bedroom is at ground level, below the living room. It is surrounded by walls, making it seem as if it were underground. Short staircases connect the two levels.
The bedroom window opens to the terrace and the private garden, where blueberries and Juneberries grow. Rather than highlighting spectacular scenery, the view from this side underscores the idle flow of life. The garden is bordered by a patch of sunflowers, planted by the couple to improve the soil.
The two views are present in every part of the room and make the small home seem spacious.
A large storage unit in the center of the main space separates the living and bedroom zones. It can be accessed from both sides. On the living space side, an open shelving unit about 2½ feet high stores books, CDs, kitchenware and other useful things. On the bedroom side, it’s a closet that’s just over 5 feet high.
Doors in the closet lead to storage under the living room floor, making full use of the building’s limited dimensions.
Open-Plan Living: Partition Your Way to Comfortable Spaces
Doors in the closet lead to storage under the living room floor, making full use of the building’s limited dimensions.
Open-Plan Living: Partition Your Way to Comfortable Spaces
A curtain is embedded in the ceiling right above the closet. The massive dining table, which the couple had already owned, is a Super-Elliptical table from Fritz Hansen, designed in the style of Arne Jacobsen. Although quite massive, it fits just fine and serves as the center of the couple’s life.
The kitchen and the bathroom were built separately off the eastern side of the room, so they wouldn’t encroach on the main space and would keep the neighbors from peeking in. Since the owners wanted to be able to watch TV while cooking, the kitchen has a pass-through into the living room.
Both windows consist of a combination of sliding and fixed panels. In the northern window, the sliding panels are at the sides and the middle panel is fixed.
The sliding panels are bigger in the bedroom window, to allow the couple to carry their bicycles through with ease — they both love cycling. Murakaji says she made the window as tall as possible to bring in more light.
The sliding panels are bigger in the bedroom window, to allow the couple to carry their bicycles through with ease — they both love cycling. Murakaji says she made the window as tall as possible to bring in more light.
There is also a convenient concrete terrace beneath the southern window. It can function as a table or a bench. The owners, who love gardening, sometimes take breaks on it while working in the garden or use it to dry harvested herbs.
The husband’s father, who lives nearby and grew vegetables here before the house was built, often drops by during his walks. The homeowners sometimes invite relatives or friends over for dinner to take in the spectacular views.
The husband’s father, who lives nearby and grew vegetables here before the house was built, often drops by during his walks. The homeowners sometimes invite relatives or friends over for dinner to take in the spectacular views.
The long horizontal line of the house, with its charred cedar exterior and windows that seem to float, blends perfectly into the countryside.
Structural design: Tatsumi Terado Structural Studio
Construction: Ishikawa Construction Co.
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Structural design: Tatsumi Terado Structural Studio
Construction: Ishikawa Construction Co.
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: Izumo City, Japan
Size: 739 square feet (68.7 square meters)
Architect: Shoko Murakaji of Harunatsu-Arch
“I wanted to make use of the site’s natural advantage, the majestic view to the northwest,” says Shoko Murakaji of Harunatsu-Arch.
The homeowners, a married couple in their 30s, chose the architect when they came across her Villa921 project on Houzz. What impressed them most was that Murakaji was able to make a compact single-story home seem more spacious than it was by skillfully incorporating the surrounding landscape into the design. They were certain that she would be able to turn their dream into a reality as well.