When Hiroyuki Unemori set out to design this 51sqm/549sqft Tokyo residence for his close friends, he wanted to do more than simply maximise the small footprint; he wanted to create a world away from the world, a place to call their own within the city.
“Since it is a very small house, I wanted to make it feel spacious. It’s not just about being bright or having big windows, but about giving form to the idea of living in your own world within the city”.
“I don’t just create a big place, I also try to think about small things at the same time … I believe that thinking about the extremes of space, such as brightness and darkness, openness and closedness, can expand the range of human cognition”.
When Hiroyuki Unemori, founder of Unemori Architects, set out to design this 51sqm/549sqft Tokyo residence, he wanted to do more than simply maximise the small footprint; he wanted to create a world away from the world. “Since it is a very small house, I wanted to make it feel spacious. It’s not just about being bright or having big windows, but about giving form to the idea of living in your own world within the city”. Unemori created just that: A mini sanctuary in the city for his close friends, a couple the same age as him, who moved to Tokyo from their countryside hometown (though they plan to eventually return).
Large wave galvalume steel sheets and molded cement plates form the structural framework of the home’s geometric exterior, which looks like several rectangular blocks stacked against and atop one another. The big windows soften and refine the industrial aesthetic of the grey steel façade, just as the terracotta-coloured tiles underfoot add a touch of warmth and earthiness. Even though the home nearly reaches the bounds of its lot, Unemori saved room for a small shed, which, aside from its practical use for storing camp gear, contributes to the overall charm of the exterior by its slightly askew angle. Another practical feature can be found in the small aluminium awning that shelters the two wired glass entry doors.
As you step inside, the split-level entryway immediately defines the spatial experience as you have a line of sight into both the upper and lower levels of the home. This concept behind this design feature, reminiscent of mid-20th-century American suburban homes, is to maximise the footprint by removing the need for placing a staircase elsewhere. The skip-floor arrangement not only adds visual interest but also enhances the flow and functionality of the space. Instead of a traditional Japanese genkan – or even a lower shoe cabinet – the shoe storage is found in a raised unit extending out from the dining area to maximise utility and create a sense of continuity. Because the entrance is street level and the doors are glass, Unemori installed a large pale green curtain with eyelet details for privacy as needed.
Unemori’s idea of “living in your own world within the city” really starts to come to life on the main level where the living, dining, and kitchen areas coexist. The illuminated room has a number of large windows strategically placed to be above the view of any onlookers from outside. The ceiling height ranges from 1.9 to 4.7 metres to create various zones throughout the room, with the 6-person dining table nestled beneath the highest point and the suspended sofa is tucked under the lowest area. Clever innovations like a hidden air conditioning unit and an innovative duct system for air circulation ensures the space is comfortable and ever-adapting to seasonal variations.
The downstairs is divided along either side, with two small corridors containing a vanity and a shower respectively. There are public baths nearby, so the owners felt they didn’t require a tub. It is a testament to the focus that practical use was given in the design as a whole, taking into consideration the need for sufficient storage, or even, for example, that future tenants may want to modify the existing single bedroom into two separate ones. For Unemori, designing a small residence is about more than just optimising a physical structure; it is about playing with tools like “brightness and darkness, openness and closedness” to enrich how a space is experienced – allowing for enhanced intimacy and privacy in an urban setting.
