A timber house in a Japanese forest brings a couple closer to their family
A couple's new home in a forest in Okayama, next door to their family, has been designed by Osaka based architect Tsubasa Iwahashi with equal parts of togetherness and independence

Japanese architect Tsubasa Iwahashi has added a new timber house to an existing house in a forest in Okayama, Japan. The ‘hut’ as he calls it, is a comfortable house for two filled with daylight and connected to the surrounding nature with open-air spaces and wide windows.
Iwahashi designed the hut for a couple who wanted to live closer to their family. There’s sufficient independence to the new living space because of the surrounding forest, but also a beautiful connectivity between the two structures.
The roof of the hut is also the roof of the newly extended kitchen of the main house. The overarching roof therefore brings the inhabitants together over the experience of eating and drinking.
Lightness and openness define the design. A ground floor passageway has become an airy arbour for garden work and hobbys. From the large bedroom windows on the first floor, a balcony can be reached from which to enjoy the tree canopies and the breeze. A cosier living space above provides some privacy and a comforting sense of enclosure in contrast.
Architect Tsubasa Iwahashi founded his atelier in 2010 in Osaka after studying architecture in Kobe. He was featured in the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2018 with a minimalist cube house in Osaka with a timber interior structure that defined the living spaces and flow of daylight through the space.
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
Last chance to see: Sharjah Biennial 15, ‘Thinking Historically in the Present’
Built on the vision of late curator Okwui Enwezor, the Sharjah Biennial 15: ‘Thinking Historically in the Present’ offers a critical reframing of postcolonial narratives through major new commissions
By Amah-Rose Abrams • Published
-
For London Gallery Weekend 2023, the mood is hardcore
With London Gallery Weekend 2023 almost upon us (2 – 4 June), here’s our list of must-see art exhibitions
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Birkenstock celebrates its most memorable styles with colourful capsule (and matching socks)
Birkenstock marks the 40th, 50th and 60th anniversaries of the Gizeh, Arizona and Madrid sandals, respectively, with limited-edition versions
By Jack Moss • Published
-
Sou Fujimoto temporary hall for the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine features 'floating forest'
A new Sou Fujimoto temporary hall for the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Japan is revealed, completed with an elevated, lush green roof
By Danielle Demetriou • Published
-
Modern Japanese houses inspiring minimalism and avant-garde living
We tour the best Japanese architecture and modern Japanese houses designed by international and local architects that open up possibilities for all types of lifestyle, from minimalist to communal in Japanese architecture.
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
C4L is a modern Japanese house with a traditional twist
Traditional architecture and notions of home inform modern Japanese house C4L by Hitoshi Saruta / CUBO design architect
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Azabudai Hills to bring a slice of wildness to Tokyo’s megacity
Heatherwick Studio’s design for Azabudai Hills aims to bring some soulfulness and a slice of wildness to the megacity
By Danielle Demetriou • Published
-
Shishi-iwa House reveals SSH No.03 by Ryue Nishizawa in Karuizawa, Japan
Shishi-iwa House launches SSH No.03 by Ryue Nishizawa, a fresh addition to the ambitious Japanese hotel's Karuizawa campus
By Danielle Demetriou • Published
-
Extraordinary escapes: where would you like to be?
Peruse and lose yourself in these extraordinary escapes; there's nothing better to get the creative juices flowing than a healthy dose of daydreaming
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Takeshi Hirobe’s weekend home uses clever geometries to dramatic effect
Villa MKZ by Takeshi Hirobe Architects is a weekend home in Japan's Minamiboso City that celebrates its awkward site
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Rebuilt Shigeru Ban houses launch at the architect’s Simose Art Museum in Hiroshima
A series of rebuilt Shigeru Ban houses become available to experience and rent at the Simose Art Museum, designed by the same architect, in Hiroshima, Japan
By Jens H Jensen • Published