This project is an interior renovation of a typical old detached house in the suburbs of Chiba. When we visited the site, the small split plan and low ceiling height characteristic of old detached houses created a dark space. In addition, the owner's mother was the only person who could live in this residence, and it was assumed that she would live there alone. For health reasons, she spends most of her daily life inside the house. The concept was to "adjust the contrast of the space" in order to create a "dark, low space" that would not make her feel good, and to accentuate the character of each place by adjusting the intensity of the sense of scale, the contrast between old and new materials, and the detailed color scheme. We aimed to create a residence where people can enjoy their daily lives as much as possible.
The entrance and corridor spaces suggest the tonal direction of the house, and are the starting point for access to the various locations, so we kept the color scheme and scale as neutral as possible. While the plan was changed to a spacious one-room space by removing a wall on the first floor, we attempted to create an open and bright space that contrasts with the existing wooden axis, and a space where people can spend their daytime activities in a bright and spacious manner. The workspace is spread out as one ascends the staircase, and the color scheme is based on gray to create a place where people can concentrate on their work and tasks. The adjacent bedroom is a beige-colored space with a low ceiling height to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere, as it is a living area close to the floor in the house.
Nothing special was done in this project. For strict cost control and ease of construction, we also made active use of ready-made products. As the concept says, we focused on arranging the contrast of space while giving it a character that fits the scenes in daily life, and the change of scenes in daily life creates the pleasure of inhabitation. We believe that the design manipulation is not an exaggeration of "renovation," but is more appropriately described as "tuning" the space of the residence.
Photo by Naoto Matsuzaki
