You can walk up one curved staircase and down another in this family home in Kitakami by Japanese architect Yukiko Nadamoto.
Both stairways ascend from the double-height living area, leading to first-floor bedrooms that are linked by a stepped bridge.
The wood-framed home is rectangular in plan but the living area resembles a jigsaw-puzzle piece thanks to the curved internal walls.
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Photography is by Seiya Miyamoto.
Here are some more details from the architects:
House in Kitakami
This house, located in a quiet residential neighbourhood in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture, was built for a family of four.
The client wanted a home that consisted of “a single, unified space that would accommodate the separate, individual activities and pursuits of each family member, rather than an open, continuous space that integrates the living room, dining room, kitchen and terrace into a single room.”
These requests played a major role in our design process.
Architects: Nadamoto Yukiko Architects
Location: Kitakami, Iwate, Japan
Project architect: Yukiko Nadamoto
Structural engineer: Umezawa Structural Engineers
Structure: Wooden Structure
Project Year: 2010 - 2011
Floor area: 141sqm
Click above for larger image
Click above for larger image
I expected myself to get a bit ..maybe bored by this typical Japanese architecture we see so often these days. But still, I'm not! White, wood, and very little use of objects and furniture is so attractive and serene. And I very much like the round shapes in the plan. But I still ask myself, or maybe the people who live in it..do they really have that little stuff?
It is beautiful as a showroom, but to live, may not be.
How long until a child falls? Maybe yesterday?