Inside a Japanese-Inspired Home in Nature (House Tour)

Yukari House is a Japanese-inspired home in nature that develops relationships between residents, their home and the surrounding environment. While reimagining an existing structure, Tanev Muir Architects emphasises the day-to-day rituals that determine the character of a space.

Located at the end of a leafy street in Byron Bay, the Japanese-inspired home in nature adjoins the Arakwal National Park. “The park feels ancient when you look at it; it’s full of life and birds and wallabies pass through. It is a very special place and it requires a reflective space,” says Laura Muirhead, architect at Tanev Muir Architects. The design firm encourages reflection by crafting nuanced rooms that allow residents to linger in the moments between activities. “The philosophy of the project balances between shadow and light,” says Peter Tanevski, architect at Tanev Muir Architects. “It can’t easily be characterised as a space that is modernist, open plan and has nowhere to hide, and at the same time it can’t be characterised as being cavernous.”

Expressing a measured approach to interiors, Yukari House is a Japanese-inspired home in nature that comprises a series of rooms both connected and partitioned using joinery. “Rather than open or closed, on or off, we wanted the joinery and the partitions in Yukari House to have a constantly active state,” says Tanevski. In the main living area, the television is concealed inside a timber cabinet with a sliding door, highlighting the movement between conditions as a valuable part of life. Elsewhere, an automated composite glazing system – in which a blind can drop to mitigate heat in summer – features internal timber reveals.

“The kitchen was the most important aspect to our client,” says Muirhead. “We moved the kitchen to the centre of the home; this was integral to its new role housing a space for collaboration, coming together and cooking shared meals.” To enable the clients to face their guests while cooking, a fine, spotted gum table is slotted directly into a monolithic stone island. Positioned in the centre of the space at bar level, the table not only accommodates seated dinners but allows the greatest number of people to circulate the kitchen-dining area.

Throughout the Japanese-inspired home in nature, considered materials and forms are used to enhance spatial function. In the reconfigured bathroom, a modest, rectangular bathtub contributes to a calming environment that speaks to the Japanese concept of bathing. In Japan, completing the bathing ritual can achieve both physical cleanliness and spiritual rejuvenation, and to this end, the Yukari House bathroom is serene. A semi-extruded, stainless-steel basin evoking the image of Kiyomasa’s Well reinforces the Japanese character of the space. Outside, a circular bathtub echoes the curves found in nature and, with a view of the treetops, offers a more open bathing experience.

“I think Australian architecture is changing from a quantitative space – where we talk about the amount of things that are in a house – and we’re shifting to a dialogue which celebrates the qualities and emotional capacity of architecture and space,” says Tanevski of the Japanese-inspired home in nature. “I hope this house is part of that lasting legacy and is a contributor to that change.”

00:00 - Introduction to the Japanese-inspired Home
00:44 - The Philosophy of the Project
01:38 - A Walkthrough of the home
02:36 - Key Design Aspects and Details
04:42 - The Ritualistic Nature of Bathing
05:35 - Incorporating Japanese Culture
06:04 - Creating a lasting legacy

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Photography by Aaron Chapman.
Architecture, interior design and styling by Tanev Muir Architects.
Filmed and edited by HN Media.
Production by The Local Production.

Location: Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia

The Local Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the land in Australia. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our country and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.

#Japanese #Home #Nature

[killakahl]

This is really amazing. The older I get the more I appreciate the look of these calming wood finishes

[mrvk]

I loved this look. You can actually see Japanese inspirations everywhere and yet it's still a modern home. It also feels old at the same time, like it's been there since mid-century, which is a cool vibe for it.

[CourtneyBishopPOA]

The indoor and outdoor tubs are truly so simple, and stunning.

[ChimpoBilly]

The subtle yet bold explanations of this space of living has truly baffled me into thinking this video is not only an introduction into the mind of an artist but an invitation into a world of ever progressing imagery, light and space. A space that can allow for a journey and advocate adventure and yet be grappled and handled and like a mother that just simply cradles the needy youngling. Truly beautiful and breathtaking imagery that is simply smelt and felt through the video sharing platform we call YouTube. Really my heart physically extents, moves, stretches, leaps out to take hold and posses the fulfilment I receive from the mind filling, space accommodating, educational experience I receive from these videos. A truly textural experience.

[time-to-pause]

Beautiful, home. I love the outdoor tub. I miss japan so much this is such a perfect mix of Japanese and western styles. Amazing.

[MariaPNW]

Wow, that indoor tub 05:10!!! Amazing! The entire bath is a spa area. Then the surprise of the outdoor tub is just over the top perfection! I'd be in the outdoor tub often...after a long workout or soreness from new workouts or garden work. Bravo!

[janelte]

I hope you are right about Australian architecture and quantity making way for more quality of spaces and build ... this renovation is a beautiful, elegant example of quality in finishes, light, and experiences for its owners, I imagine. Thank you for sharing it.

[MichaelRistau]

Would have been nice to see more of the landscape!

[nooahchannel]

Beautiful. I love the design of this house.

[francineh.]

Beautiful design! Such an incredibly calming space.

[planecrashcorner]

This video is way too short! I need a much more thorough examination of this amazing house!!

[diegosandoval]

Amazing House, fit, minimal, warmful

[inspired]

💖LOVE IT!💖 Seeing those jalousie windows was a blast-in-the-past for me. I had those in the house I lived in decades ago in Florida. Now living in TX, I never see that style here. They were certainly popular in Florida. I don't think I would return to that window style again simply because they're more time consuming to clean.

Thank you for another great video. I watch them for ideas in concept. Very inspiring. What inspired me in this particular video was the floating aspect of some of your interior designs. And then I absolutely love the bath on the balcony.

Thank you for sharing about the Japanese culture's attitude toward bathing as a spiritual experience. Beautiful.🤩 I was doing a study in my devotions this morning about water. Did you know water has a structural quality about it that gives it memory? It's not "if walls could talk" but more like "if water could talk." Dr. Emoto's experiments prove it to be true! More evidence of water's memory as fact is found in Orin Therapy a/k/a Urotherapy or Shivambu. AMAZING!!

[Throneproperty_th]

It’s amazing how the house blends traditional and modern styles so seamlessly.

[JJones-feng]

Perfectly designed and perfectly executed. Exquisite.

[donnaoz]

wow... the essence says it all. Well done!

[sourdoughed]

This is beautiful but can sometime tell architects they need to specify counter-height stools - not bar-height stools - for island seating! We see it on nearly every project on The Local Project. Everything else is so considered it really stands out

[bethporter]

It's architect talking to architect. Bit like some art curator conversations I've overheard. But of course the difference here is art curators don't conceive the work. It seems like these two at least listened to the client. I'd like to see what changes are made a few years later as this aesthetic can be hard to live up to.

[ximenasinaidzibquej]

Precioso me enamoré de su bañera de madera es tan preciosa y relajante es hermoso.

[davidalanmedia]

What a lovely home. The story and narration is spot on as usual.