A surprisingly spacious family home

The earthy facade has been designed with a broad outer deck and lots of large windows and sliding doors. It was clearly built for those who love a strong connection with the outdoors. Although the home has two levels, the roof is set on an incline so the home appears quite low to the ground and the second level is only visible from the rear. This enhances the grounded, modest ambience of the exterior. Despite the essentially limited colour palette, there is lots of subtle variation in the natural timber tones and earth tones.

The living room is very Japanese in many ways. The wooden floor and wooden ceiling are paired with soft whites and neutral colours that give the home a very warm and cosy feeling. At the same time, there are few decorative details and very minimalist furniture. This really allows the natural variations and textures of the wooden elements to remain the prime focus. Also, note the small panel window directly ahead. It reflects the simple lines of the room and makes this room feel very private when the curtains are closed.

On the opposite side of the living room, we can see how open this living room can feel with the curtains drawn back. The lines from the wooden floorboards are continued on the decking outside. This, together with the floor to ceiling glass doors serves to blur the boundary between interior and exterior life. It also draws the outside into the home and makes it feel far larger than it actually is. Notice how the angled ceiling has been lowered in the dining area. This serves to create a boundary between the different living zones and further adds to the cosy, homely feeling. The home would also have good passive heating and cooling features with this kind of design.

One of our favourite features in Japanese design is the penchant for built-in wooden cabinets. They generally blend into the other wooden elements in the room and create a very soothing, unified feel to the home. Here we have a lovely wooden cabinet that has been used to separate the kitchen from the dining room. Note how it matches the wooden materials used in the dining table.

The galley-style kitchen has wooden floorboards that have been laid to reflect the lines of the two opposing countertops. This gives the kitchen a simple, geometric unity. In general, the kitchen also has few contrasts and quietly blends into the overall aesthetic of the home. It would be easy to overlook the supreme functionality of this kitchen. There are big sliding storage cabinets, open storage options, high storage, wall storage and a large double sink.

The staircase has been designed with an unusual combination of big, chunky wooden risers and a very fine, visually lightweight black bannister. This really grounds the design in an earthy context and gives the home a very solid feel. The other interesting element in this staircase design is the relatively large landing. It makes this transitional point feel like a place to linger and enjoy browsing through the joys of the large bookcase. Keen eyed readers will notice the little home study tucked away below this landing.

The wooden bathroom has a sense of spaciousness and abundance. This has been created by again, focusing on the natural warmth of the wooden materials. But the careful symmetry of the design also plays a very powerful role. The bathroom windows and mirror have been designed to appear as one whole rectangular shape. This bathroom sink and counter are similarly designed to reflect this shape. Finally, a high panel window has been designed to run across that length above the doorway and further expand our sense of space and luxury.

If the natural beauty of this home appeals to you, check out 18 staircases with a stone and water garden – spectacular!