This Tokyo home for a young family occupies a privileged corner plot within a serene residential neighbourhood in the heart of Tokyo. Its architects, locally based Japanese architecture studio Apollo, founded by Satoshi Kurosaki, aimed for the design – titled Le49Ⅱ – to provide both a luxurious dwelling and a generous and functional home working base for its owners.
Le49Ⅱ by Apollo: a contemporary Tokyo home
The project offers little clue of its multitasking goings on from the street, hidden behind its minimalist architecture and geometric façade made of charcoal grey Galvalume steel walls, grey natural-granite retaining walls, and resin wood louvres. A large opening on the top floor, alongside its terrace, offers a hint of the life inside the home's walls.
The workspaces are tucked away on the lower ground floor. The ground level contains the entrance, as well as the bedrooms and bathrooms. Meanwhile, the upper floor's piano nobile is reserved for the home's expansive living spaces, dramatically placed under an exposed pitched roof and tall ceilings (although the kitchen and dining area feature a lower internal height to create a cosier feeling and a welcome sense of compression).
'Le49 II provides an ideal space for allowing each family member to express their individuality while fostering a sense of family unity. The home gives true expression to the concept of compact luxury,' the architects write.
Apollo's award-winning portfolio includes a wealth of residences, such as Timeless, also in Tokyo, as well as Grigio, which was nominated for the Wallpaper* Design Award's Best Private House in 2015.
-
Indian studio Compartment S4 celebrates architectural collaborationCompartment S4, the Indian architecture studio out of Ahmedabad and Mumbai, is true to its collective nature
-
A revamped Edinburgh apartment combines Californian-style modernism with modern craftArcher + Braun have transformed an apartment in a historic house with finely tuned contemporary additions and sympathetic attention to detail
-
Formafantasma’s biodiversity-boosting installation in a Perrier Jouët vineyard is cross-pollination at its bestFormafantasma and Perrier Jouët unveil the first project in their ‘Cohabitare’ initiative, ‘not only a work of art but also a contribution to the ecosystem’
-
Tadao Ando: the self-taught contemporary architecture master who 'converts feelings into physical form’Tadao Ando is a self-taught architect who rose to become one of contemporary architecture's biggest stars. Here, we explore the Japanese master's origins, journey and finest works
-
The Kumagaya House in Saitama is a modest family home subdivided by a soaring interiorThis Kumagaya House is a domestic puzzle box taking the art of the Japanese house to another level as it intersects a minimal interior with exterior spaces, balconies and walkways
-
Shigeru Ban wins 2024 Praemium Imperiale Architecture AwardThe 2024 Praemium Imperiale Architecture Award goes to Japanese architect Shigeru Ban
-
Pace Tokyo is a flowing Sou Fujimoto experience that ‘guides visitors through the space’Art gallery Pace Tokyo, designed by Sou Fujimoto in a Studio Heatherwick development, opens in the Japanese capital
-
How the Arc’teryx Tokyo Creation Centre is all about craft, openness and cross-pollinationArc’teryx launches its Tokyo Creation Centre, a hub for craftsmanship designed by Torafu Architects, embodying the brand's ethos
-
Shigeru Ban has perfected the art of enclosureTaschen’s new XXL monograph, Shigeru Ban. Complete Works 1985 – Today, brings out the sheer diversity of the Japanese architect’s work
-
Craft store Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten at Narita airport is an ode to travelThe Japanese homewear and craft store Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten wows with bright interior made of moveable ‘trunks’ by Tokyo-based studio 14sd designs
-
Space Un celebrates contemporary African art, community and connection in JapanSpace Un, a new art venue by Edna Dumas, dedicated to contemporary African art, opens in Tokyo, Japan
