Tokyo-based architecture studio Sinato has remodeled a 64-square-meter apartment in Yokohama. The main finding in the arrangement of this: is an additional structure in the center of the apartment, which began to simultaneously perform several functions. It includes shelves, a seating and storage area, as well as part of the master bedroom and a guest bedroom located behind it.
This project, in an apartment building built about 30 years ago, was commissioned by a family of three. The original ceiling height was 2.4m, but after reviewing the structural drawings, the architects realized they could increase the height, so they approached the renovation with these new possibilities in mind.
The architects placed the bedroom and dressing room on either side of the existing load-bearing wall. Now the two southwest-facing windows join to form an L-shaped open space. Thus, a free flow of light and air is ensured throughout the house.
The open space also includes a kitchen and washbasin. Unlike typical sink solutions in the bath area, where there are usually no windows, the washbasin is located in open space, where there is a lot of fresh air.
The L-shaped plywood-lined wall serves as a partition between the outside and the sleeping area, and is itself a main piece of furniture: you can place books and hang a picture here, and even sit. This is a kind of symbol that unites the house – the architects from the Sinato bureau prefer to call this structure an “inner terrace”, since it forms a wide and bright buffer zone between the rest of the spaces.
The architects were interested in an effective connection with various functions, instead of trying to create a feeling of spaciousness in a small area. On the contrary, due to the fact that the purpose of each micro-space was maximally articulated, this apartment seems much larger than it actually is.
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