Angel Chen designed the Harmonious Love Haven, a 14-ping apartment in Taichung, Taiwan, for a couple embodying quiet elegance. Completed in 2022, the residence reflects their balanced relationship through minimalist Japanese aesthetics and sustainable features. The home doubles as a meeting space, providing a serene environment that respects the couple’s independence while nurturing their connection. Reconfigured layouts reduce confinement, earning a GD Gold Green Renovation certification with low-formaldehyde materials and adhesive-free finishes.
Architectural studio Ayami Takada Architects overhauled a relatively new house in Shizuoka, Japan, by incorporating three translucent spaces and a sunroom equipped with solar panels. The team aimed to create a completely different environment through expansion and renovation, rather than rebuilding, by “taking advantage of the topography of the river breakwater bank and the privilege of having a panoramic view of the landscape beyond.”
Designed in 2023, the 143-square-metre home is characterized by a transparent box forming a junction between interior and exterior spaces.
This 1880 townhouse in New York, NY, United States, features a minimalist design by Studio Vural, which draws inspiration from Japanese architecture. The home has a flowing interior, reinforced by hand-selected European Oak veneer sheets, travertine, and marble tiles. Aside from the floor plan and finishes, a fully glass bathroom enclosure in the main suite adds romance to the ambiance while large cutouts fill the home with natural light.
Alessia Garibaldi updated Citylife Apartment, located in Milan, Italy, in 2024. Known for offering her services for exclusive projects in the city, Garibaldi designed a quiet and sustainable green oasis with both private and professional spaces. Rigid and minimal interiors in beige, forest green, ivory, and burnt earth tones feature hidden cabinets and artistic decor.
Japan House by Sandbox Studio is a pavilion addition that enhances a 1920s Californian bungalow in Sydney, Australia, designed in 2023. The project emphasizes Japan-inspired design elements, blending natural materials, light, and landscape. It provides a private domain through a series of interconnected rooms, including Tatami and kitchen spaces.
Designed in 2023 by Roovice, Apartment in Kamakura is nestled in Japan’s mountainous region. This residential space underwent a modern transformation, integrating its natural surroundings and featuring exposed structures. The design incorporates a green color scheme in the kitchen and lauan wood details, balancing concrete with warm wooden elements.
Koko Architecture + Design‘s Hudson Concrete House incorporates a courtyard and an art collection for its owner at the peak of a mountain in Hudson, New York. Designed in 2020, the studio worked with the historic site to design a country home for an art collector based in the Hudson River Valley with a concrete facade, using Japanese influences throughout the building.
The firm Black Rabbit remodeled the Friar Tuck Residence in 2024, embracing sustainability and natural materials while preserving its original form. Located in Austin, Texas, the mid-century house incorporates passive solar techniques and a variety of courtyards.
