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Houzz Tour: An Ingenious Layout Creates Space in a Small Home
This architect coaxed more floor space out of a tall, narrow property with a flexible, multi-level design
In a quiet residential area in the centre of the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan, stands the Milk Carton House. It’s home to architect Masaki Miyamoto and his wife, Naoko, who works in clothing design. A convenient commute into the city was their top priority, so after getting married, they bought a small plot of land five minutes from the nearest railway station.
They asked Tomoko Sasaki of TENHACHI Architect & Interior Design to design their house. Sasaki is a childhood friend of Naoko’s and a member of Masaki’s lab in graduate school. “She simply fulfilled our childhood pact that she would design my house someday,” Naoko says.
They asked Tomoko Sasaki of TENHACHI Architect & Interior Design to design their house. Sasaki is a childhood friend of Naoko’s and a member of Masaki’s lab in graduate school. “She simply fulfilled our childhood pact that she would design my house someday,” Naoko says.
Sasaki, instead, designed a two-storey but four-layer structure with two lofts and varied ceiling heights. This setup reduced costs, leaving more options for interior finishes.
Her proposal did not include a balcony, garage or entrance hall, but increased the overall floor space to 70 sq m. “The different levels on each storey add interest and connect the spaces, with the next area sometimes obviously visible, sometimes subtly hidden from view,” Masaki says.
“I based my proposal for making the living space comfortable on incorporating environmental elements (such as the light and ventilation) as much as possible,” Sasaki says.
Her proposal did not include a balcony, garage or entrance hall, but increased the overall floor space to 70 sq m. “The different levels on each storey add interest and connect the spaces, with the next area sometimes obviously visible, sometimes subtly hidden from view,” Masaki says.
“I based my proposal for making the living space comfortable on incorporating environmental elements (such as the light and ventilation) as much as possible,” Sasaki says.
The entrance opens into a workspace with an exposed concrete floor with a mortar finish. Although it’s usually considered impolite to wear shoes inside the house in Japan, they may be worn in this kind of space, called a doma. The flooring here therefore identifies this as a transitional zone.
The ceiling is about 3.4m high, and this height is emphasised by large windows, exposed ceiling beams, hanging houseplants and lighting.
The ceiling is about 3.4m high, and this height is emphasised by large windows, exposed ceiling beams, hanging houseplants and lighting.
The desk can be folded away to create even more space. The walls are made of larch plywood, and the floor has a mortar finish. At a friend’s recommendation, the couple registered the room as a rental space for events and photo shoots. “It wasn’t what I had expected, but it’s good that it’s so versatile,” Masaki says.
Love this house? Find an interior designer on Houzz today to help kick-start your own home makeover.
Love this house? Find an interior designer on Houzz today to help kick-start your own home makeover.
At the back of the doma stands a unit coated in a textured white paint. It goes well with the wood walls, and reflects natural light to brighten the space.
The top of the box serves as a bedroom, while the inside is divided into two spaces. The entrance in the foreground leads to a guest toilet. The back door leads to a private utility space, as well as the master bathroom and pantry. The two are separated outside the box by the glass door in this image, which can be locked to cordon off the private zones when the doma is rented out.
The top of the box serves as a bedroom, while the inside is divided into two spaces. The entrance in the foreground leads to a guest toilet. The back door leads to a private utility space, as well as the master bathroom and pantry. The two are separated outside the box by the glass door in this image, which can be locked to cordon off the private zones when the doma is rented out.
The guest loo features a basin, a linen closet and a toilet, the latter located just behind the door in the background of this image.
This is the private space at the back of the box. The utility room is shown here: it’s equipped with a cupboard, a sink and a washing machine. Just outside the right frame of this photo is the pantry, which can be entered either through the first door on the right in the foreground of this photo, or directly through the back door of the home. Next to it, opposite the washing machine, is the home’s master bathroom, which has a bath and shower.
Guests enjoy the feel of the stair handrails, which are round wooden bars afixed with wooden nails.
The loft on top of the ground-floor box serves as a bedroom. In the foreground of this photo is the linen and utility cupboard, which is made up of load-bearing walls. The loft is large enough to accommodate two low beds. The flooring is structural plywood. The nail heads have been sanded down so that the occupants can safely walk barefoot.
A skylight illuminates the stairs. Halfway up the staircase is a two-piece washroom.
Upstairs, the kitchen is tucked underneath a loft. The heights had to be planned carefully to make sure the occupants wouldn’t hit their heads on the stairs. The architect also put a lot of thought into making sure the kitchen would always look tidy when viewed from the living/dining area.
The worktop is made of fibre-reinforced cement board. The kitchen was custom-made from Ikea cabinet carcasses framed with larch wood, and even the dishwasher is covered with an Ikea front. Sasaki chose a hanging cupboard framed in the same wood, to create continuity in the design and show off the grain of the butt-end of the larch.
The worktop is made of fibre-reinforced cement board. The kitchen was custom-made from Ikea cabinet carcasses framed with larch wood, and even the dishwasher is covered with an Ikea front. Sasaki chose a hanging cupboard framed in the same wood, to create continuity in the design and show off the grain of the butt-end of the larch.
The drawers under the stairs have extra built-in supports to bear the weight of people climbing on them.
The house has a distinct palette of three colours: white, wood and grey. As Sasaki puts it, it has a “modern yet soft and natural” look that reflects Naoko’s character.
The frames of the windows and the bookshelf on the edge of the second-storey loft also show off the butt-end of the wood. The shelf ends in a board on the left. Although this was structurally unnecessary, it makes the shelf look like furniture.
The frames of the windows and the bookshelf on the edge of the second-storey loft also show off the butt-end of the wood. The shelf ends in a board on the left. Although this was structurally unnecessary, it makes the shelf look like furniture.
The photo shows the raised living room area. The hatch leads to storage space for sports gear and household goods, and the side doubles as another bookshelf. Naoko already owned the sofa; it was reupholstered in grey.
The wall finish was an important decision, because it’s not hidden by wallpaper or paint. Sasaki used larch plywood to cover the structural plywood, as by law in Japan structural plywood needs to be held up by unsightly screws every 100-300mm.
The carpenter’s skill is apparent in the fine details of the woodwork. The urethane paint finish was applied over three days by the couple themselves, with help from friends.
The carpenter’s skill is apparent in the fine details of the woodwork. The urethane paint finish was applied over three days by the couple themselves, with help from friends.
The cantilevered staircase was produced with the help of a professional who specialises in reinforcing steel. They added risers to stop dust from falling on the worktop, and triangular plates to protect the wall from damage.
The skylight on the second floor is equipped with a sensor that closes it automatically when it starts to rain. As it’s warmer here than on the first floor, the couple sometimes sleep here in the winter. “I like that we can stay anywhere we want in the house,” Masaki says.
Shaped like a milk carton, the exterior has a facade covered in Galvalume steel (steel coated with a zinc and aluminium alloy to stop it from rusting). The side wall is finished in Jolypate, an acrylic wall finish that’s durable and fire- and mould-resistant. This creates continuity and highlights the home’s shape.
In the process of creating the diagonal sides, the couple were very impressed to see the construction workers skilfully creating the shape “as though they were folding a piece of origami”.
In the process of creating the diagonal sides, the couple were very impressed to see the construction workers skilfully creating the shape “as though they were folding a piece of origami”.
Masaki and Naoko Miyamoto
Masaki says that people who come to visit tend to get the impression that the house looks like a piece of furniture: “Owing to the unified wood-centred design and colour palette, the line between furniture and architecture is blurred.”
Maximising the useable area through open-plan rooms without set function gives this home flexibility and a cosy atmosphere.
Tell us…
What clever design ideas do you like about this house? Let us know in the Comments section.
Masaki says that people who come to visit tend to get the impression that the house looks like a piece of furniture: “Owing to the unified wood-centred design and colour palette, the line between furniture and architecture is blurred.”
Maximising the useable area through open-plan rooms without set function gives this home flexibility and a cosy atmosphere.
Tell us…
What clever design ideas do you like about this house? Let us know in the Comments section.
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Who lives here? Naoko and Masaki Miyamoto
Location Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Plot size About 25 sq m
Total floor area About 72 sq m
Date completed 2018
Architect Tomoko Sasaki of TENHACHI Architect & Interior Design
Structural engineers Tetsuya Tanaka Structural Engineers
Construction Fuji Solar House
Photos by Akihide Mishima
The plot is narrow and subject to height restrictions, so the couple asked Sasaki what their options were. Both builders who were contacted first proposed centring the ground floor on a longitudinal staircase, with a living/dining/kitchen area on the first floor and a bedroom on the second, with floor area totalling 64 sq m.