Soft hues and dark framework decorate this compact hair salon in Osaka by Japanese studio Hidenori Tsuboi Architects. More about Pastel colours and subtle grids break up open-plan hair salon in Osaka
Metal curtains can be drawn across the windows of this three-and-a-half-metre-wide house in Osaka by FujiwaraMuro Architects, which features a split-level layout with multiple staircases. More about Steel chain curtains cover skinny Osaka house by FujiwaraMuro Architects
Japanese studio Sides Core has created a space inside a hair salon for the owner's books, art and music (+ slideshow). More about Sides Core redesigns minimal hair salon to include library
Japanese architect Ninkipen! has completed a house in Osaka Prefecture, featuring a metal surface that appears to be peeling up from the structure (+ slideshow). More about Gandare house by Ninkipen! has a metal skin that appears to peel up
Osaka studio Process5 Design created this weekend retreat in western Japan to accommodate activities that are usually impossible in a city house (+ slideshow). More about T Weekend Residence by Process5 Design lets residents dine and bathe in sea breeze
There is room for just one customer at a time in this minimally furnished Osaka hair salon, which Japanese studio Sides Core claims was inspired by the principles of mountain climbing (+ slideshow). More about Minimal hair salon by Sides Core accommodates just one customer at a time
Assorted glass blocks give varying levels of translucency to the facade of this showroom and storage facility for an antiques dealer in Osaka, Japan (+ slideshow). More about Glass blocks create multi-tonal facade for antiques showroom by Jun Murata
Long horizontal windows step around the matt black facade of this family home in Osaka by Alphaville Architects to frame different views of the nearby Yodo River (+ slideshow). More about Windows spiral towards the roof of Osaka house by Alphaville Architects
Oak boards cover the chamfered entrance to this hair and beauty salon in Osaka, renovated by Okuwada Architects Office to look like a cave (+ slideshow). More about Okuwada gives Mook salon in Osaka an oak-panelled makeover
Architect Shimpei Oda has renovated a 36-square-metre studio apartment in Osaka, Japan, transforming part of a balcony into an extension of the living room. More about Shimpei Oda creates "inner balcony" in renovated Osaka apartment
The Osaka office of Nikken Sekkei's interior design studio features a bookcase conceived as a "stand in a stadium" – the latest example of the trend for bookshelf staircases in both home and office interiors (+ slideshow). More about Nikken Space Design's office in Osaka features a bleacher-style bookcase
Japanese architect Yoshihiro Yamamoto has sandwiched a house with a width of just 3.4 metres between a pair of existing properties in Osaka (+ slideshow). More about Kakko House by Yoshihiro Yamamoto is a 3.4-metre-wide home in Japan
The ground floor of this Osaka home by Japanese architect Masatoshi Hatamoto is sunken below street level to create more privacy for its residents (+ slideshow). More about House of Yabugaoka has its ground floor sunken for privacy
This small hair salon in Osaka features a series of ceiling hooks that allow the owner to rearrange the mirrors and shelves that help define the space (+ slideshow). More about Mirrors hang from cables in Japanese hair salon by Sides Core
Japanese architect Kazuteru Matumura has gutted the interior of an old townhouse in Osaka, creating a minimal two-storey home that can be partitioned with curtains (+ slideshow). More about Curtains replace walls inside renovated Osaka townhouse by Kazuteru Matumura
A large circular mirror reflects a tree planted in the centre of this Osaka cafe by Japanese studio Ninkipen! (+ slideshow). More about A small tree grows inside Ito-biyori cafe by Ninkipen!
Swaths of crumpled tracing paper cocooned the interior of this pop-up bar in a Japanese gallery to transform the space into a cozy cave (+ slideshow). More about Naoya Matsumoto Design uses crumpled paper to create grotto-like bar in Osaka
Large semicircles puncture the facade of this English language school in Japan by architect Naoko Horibe, framing a drive-through area for cars and vista of the park beyond (+ slideshow). More about Drive-through restaurants provide a model for Naoko Horibe's White Rose English School
Plants are interspersed amongst the raw industrial spaces of this lifestyle store in Osaka by Japanese firm Suppose Design Office, which combines shopping, dining and gardening (+ slideshow). More about Suppose Design Office pairs industrial fittings with plants at Biotop lifestyle store
This house in Osaka by Japanese studio Coo Planning hides a warm plywood interior behind an austere black facade (+ slideshow). More about Black house in Osaka by Coo Planning features a basic plywood interior