A renovation project for a new resident. We renovated a 19-year-old private house due to the change of the resident. The new resident's family consists of a grandmother, father, mother, and 3 children (2 brothers and a small sister). The purpose of this project was creating a space where they can feel a sense of unity between two households even if the living floors are different.
In Japan, about two-family homes, there are many cases where the living space is completely separated, such as having two entrances. But in this project, a home originally designed for one household would be renovated into a two-family home. Therefore, it was necessary to study what was needed to be shared and what was not.
A new small dining room with a new kitchen was planned on the first floor so that the grandmother's life could be completed on the ground level. The bathroom on the first floor was shared by the whole family, and the second and third floors were designed as a space for a family of five. Since the family of five wanted to make this house into a place where many friends would be able to gather, we decided to plan a large living dining room with a kitchen counter on the second floor.
Aiming for the house where they can feel a sense of unity between two households, the dining room on the first floor and the living dining room on the second floor are separated from the corridor by glass sliding doors, and are connected visually to the corridor and stairs. We designed these spaces as one public area.
The client wanted to make the house welcoming guests. So, we created a space like a small hotel in order to improve the hospitality of the space. The floors in the public area were tiled, and the finishing materials were continuous as much as possible to connect the spatial experience. On the contrary, the bedroom was completely changed in finish materials, and the space experience was cut off, and private spaces only for the family were secured like hotel's guestrooms. In addition, the exterior wall has been renovated only on the facade.
The children will be on the first floor while gathering the couple's friends on the second floor. Their grandmother will be chatting with her friends in the dining kitchen on the first floor, watching the children playing in the garden. The boundary between the two households becomes ambiguous. It may be possible to create a situation that can be called a "1.5-family house".
