Text description provided by the architects. Located in the far west side of Japan in Hiroshima Mukojima area of Onomichi City, the house overlooks the Seto Inland Sea to the southeast with a modest climate. A husband-and-wife team of fashion designers purchased this plot in order to build a house that contains their atelier space.
The first floor is mainly reserved for their workspace, while the second floor consists of their living quarters. A greenery-filled courtyard and stunning view of the ocean bring the rich natural surroundings of the house into focus. Japanese cedar boards that were locally-sourced were used for the simple exterior finish. The clapboard-like façade was affixed using a traditional Japanese method that allows the exterior skin of the house to change its appearance according to the location of the viewers and the time of day.
A fresh lawn and flowering dogwood trees were planted to create a pleasant courtyard. There is an old well just next to the garden that had been dug a long time ago. It provides a source of water for the plants, while the stones piled up on top of the well also create part of the overall landscape. It was our intention to both activate surrounding site conditions and preserve its memories in order to enhance architectures there.
