NEVER TOO SMALL: Family of 5’s Simple Home, Japan 45sqm/483sqft

Located in a small peaceful town one hour south of Kyoto, the single story House in Heguri is a simple, minimalist home for a family of 5. Designed by Yousaka Tsusumi from Arbol Design, the striking exterior features 4 towering wooden sliding doors that extend to both ends of the site, and individually open or close depending on how the family wants to use the space. When opened the doors reveal a house clad in galvanised steel with plenty of access to the outdoors, including a covered porch area at the entrance used by the family as a year-round outdoor living space. The central living and dining area are raised on a wooden platform and connect to the kitchen via a large, cleverly designed kitchen island/ dining table with different seating heights on either side. A series of internal sliding doors branch off the central living space to the home’s two bedrooms and utility zone, which includes a separate toilet, bathroom and large laundry.

#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign

Eps 134.
Project Name: House in Heguri

Produced by New Mac Video Agency
Creator: Colin Chee
Director & cinematographer: Nam Tran
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Editor: Nam Tran

[n-on]

I love this, i love that you actually see the family living and showing how they use the space. But i also like that it's been recorded in their native language with captions ❤️❤️

[gracefulkimberella]

It's nice to see the low budget options this home shows. I like that they didn't change the sheet cover in the laundry room and they left the outdoor box just a box. The second bedroom closet was well organized without slide outs, drawers, baskets or containers. Just simply folded stacks of fabric. This is the basics. Raw, simple, pleasing. I love it!

[ohyesitsmeira]

I think this space is simple and functional for a family with young kids, but as soon as they hit the pre-teen stage they'll need more privacy. Hopefully the family can expand upwards and add a second floor with more bedrooms.

[tuppence]

Aesthetically pleasing. Love the sliding, slatted large wooden doors at the entrance. The swing is pure delight. While I like the idea of the three children sharing a bedroom in the future - that second bedroom looks small to accommodate a triple bunk.

[nonotthaone]

Finally, a video in which the architect fluently explains the design philosophy in their native tongue rather than having to conform to the English-speaking format. NTS should encourage designers/architects to articulate their ideas/design language in their native tongue more! Not only this will allow a better flow of the video but also more nuances can be discovered in their design relating to the culture/location.

[shanicemah]

Kuddos to NTS for listening to the comments and putting captions on for non-native English speakers! Made the video flow a lot more naturally, it really is in the small details. Also loving the warm cozy vibes of this home <3

[nicholeayt]

Love this one. One of my absolute favorites. Minimal but not bleak. It just emanates peace. Lovely family too.

[vyvienvp]

Something wonderful about the Japanese sense of priorities, aesthetics, and keeping things simple.

[panpap]

Although it looks too small for a family of 5, I very much like the vibe of this place and the beautiful area.

[Shaz]

I really loved the video, the sense of peace and at the same time energy that the house had, and the final note about how we need to reconsider the things we own. Thank you 🙏

[nancada]

The space is great!!! The modern sliding doors show old world charm of shoji screens. Incredibly functional! The small outdoor area is the best part.

[subswithoutvids-dwdv]

I love the simplicity of Japanese design. I hope I will have this kind of house one day.

[liameiliana]

i love how this house is showing its tiny untidiness of having so many goods (so typical of Japanese household) yet still beautiful. The selection of plates, buckets, is also very down to earth. The house is living together with the family as a home, so many potential growing space for children to grow with, and japanese wood work is always the best. I love this so much. Thank you for inspiring me, i hope i can have a house like this in the future.

[raerae]

Ah, I used to live quite near to Heguri, maybe 30mins in my car. It's such a nice place to have a family! This is a beautiful home, I love that it's focused on shared family spaces. A yard like that for kids in particular is such a luxury in Japan and it's fasinating to me how much space they devoted to the outdoors/outdoor living.

Very simple, cosy and beautiful. I'm sure they're all very happy there.

[invisiblyconfused]

The difference in being able to tell a space that is fully utilized for daily functionality vs aesthetic. The love and attention to your home and use of every nook and cranny is appreciated, thanks for sharing!

[culo]

I'm not prepared to house 3 children in this small of a space, but for a single individual or childless couple this seems nearly perfect. I love this as the first floor of a two-story home for a larger family though. A second floor with 2 rooms, maybe a playroom/den and a simple bathroom would make for an excellent home around 1000 SQ FT.

[HallaDita]

The last statement from the architect makes you really think "..we are often overflowing with "things". There is an emphasis on making more room to store them. We need to reconsider the things we own. Go back to just the basics and live more minimally."

[obidean]

This is one of my favorites simply for its simplicity. While many other small spaces looks great but they almost crossing the line of being a little bit excess with the fancy design, cool materials and all. This space is cool on its own with the humble design approach.

Props to the owner 👍🏼

[fdepth]

From the moment the wooden panels were being slid open, I was hit with the home and garden's beauty but thank you NTS and lovely family for steeping this feature in love and realness. The under bench/table reveal is one of the realest and most familiar scenes I have ever seen. All set to the background of little voices coming from little japanese children was blissful. Ironically, as the talented designer started to say, things are really only that.... but it's people using or interacting with them in between walls, floors and ceilings that make them living breathing homes. I almost imagined b-roll in fact of the family sleeping together, with one or two small bodies sleeping at an impossible angles with their feet in the faces of the ✌💗🙏

[nofurtherwest]

The big opening to the patio really expands the livable space.
And the inside is quite well organized considering they have 3 kids. Not easy to do!