This house in Tokyo uses exposed concrete to spotlight the owner’s extensive artwork and furniture

Architect Keiji Ashizawa has amassed many fans over the years for his work that meld silent compositions, strong materiality and delightful details. The founder of Tokyo-based Keiji Ashizawa Design (KAD) has also created endearing furniture pieces for Japanese brands like Ariake and Karimoku Case.

The Blue Bottle Coffee and dotcom cafes across Japan designed by Ashizawa and his team are seductively calm environments adorned with timber seats and soft light from washi paper lamps. And if you stay a night or two at Trunk (Hotel) Yoyohi Park (with the interiors done by Copenhagen’s equally Zen-vibe Norm Architects), you will find yourself running your fingers over the textured concrete walls and dreaming of coming back to the picture-perfect view of tree canopy from the pool terrace.

This Japanese homeowner was one such fan – so much so that he called upon Ashizawa to design his house in Tokyo. “We admired the unique atmosphere and style of KAD’s work, particularly in the interior of ramen shops, dessert shops and dental clinics, inspiring us to reach out. We also had the pleasure of visiting House S designed by KAD,” said the homeowner who lives with his wife, young child and two dogs.

The house is located in the Aoyama district, not far from the cafes and shops this upscale part of Tokyo is known for. The homeowner was no stranger to the area, having lived nearby before. “It’s convenient for getting around by car, and I thought it was relatively quiet and safe, with schools and other facilities nearby,” he shared.

The aforementioned House S juxtaposes lofty and intimate spaces. It shuts itself off from the street but the interior world opens to nature views. The uncomplicated structure is also a suitable foil for a large art collection.

House in Aoyama is similar yet unique. Ashizawa conceived a crisp concrete box for the three-storey shell. Two balconies, wrapped with timber screens, protrude from the concrete box. Landscaping peeking out from above the screens softens the overall architecture.

The screens were necessary as the building faces an intersection. They give the family privacy while allowing for large windows behind the balconies to be opened. The building’s form may be precise but with the chosen texture, it appears like a sculpture perched on a bed of pebbles.

“We used Itauba, an evergreen hardwood from the Lauraceae family known for its excellent balance of durability and softness among hardwoods,” explained Ashizawa on the screening material. The external concrete was brought into the house in some parts, contrasting against the predominantly light grey walls to become celebrated surfaces.

Rather than simply using only one kind of concrete expression, Ashizawa chose several. For example, concrete is cast into a ribbed ceiling, some wall finishes have washed concrete, and others have blasted concrete that intensifies the texture.

“The choice of the exposed concrete finish was influenced by the interplay of light and shadow play at the entrance area. Natural light pours in through a picture window next to a bench and another at the back of the staircase, ensuring optimum brightness,” said Ashizawa.

He created many opportunities for such theatrics in other parts of the home as well, carving out large, north-facing windows at the dining area, opening up a skylight at the west-facing part of the house, and inserting slit windows toward the south. All this amounts to a well-lit house that “fosters connection with the outdoors.”

The staircase on the first storey is a pretty and compact spiral design. It links this level, where there are some guestrooms, to the living and dining areas on the second storey. In the basement are storage spaces and a playroom. On the third storey is the master bedroom and at the rooftop is a terrace with ample landscaping.

This rooftop is one of the homeowner’s favourite spots as it offers the family “a delightful escape surrounded by greenery in the heart of the city.” There is also space for barbecues here. On the rest of the home, the homeowner observed, “The greenery, visible from the windows, ensures the space never feels cold. During the day, soft, indirect light filters through skylights, complemented by the inviting warmth of wooden louvres. This makes the home a serene retreat I truly enjoy.”

While all these aspects of the house are delightful, it is the exposed concrete walls with their “beautiful wash finish” that he is most besotted with. In place of white walls, it offers a backdrop for many of his artwork and the furniture he chose for the house. “The homeowner has a great knowledge of art and furniture, so we considered the placement of the art and its affinity with the furniture in the planning process,” said Ashizawa.

He continued: “The backdrop for modern art was not limited to white walls and was planned with great care – not only in the proportions and placement, but also in the detailing of the surrounding areas as art holds a strong relationship with the walls and overall space.”

The homeowner’s artwork collection adds colour and wit to the grey walls. At the first storey entrance corridor, a Julian Opie piece ‘Day 4’ depicts a crowd of people walking; at the kitchen area is a suitably placed piece, ‘Pizza Party’, by Todd James.

In the double-volume dining area, looked over by the third storey corridor, Jack Kabangu’s ‘ørken manden’ (dessert man) mimics the liveliness of the landscaping outside sliding windows. Adding to these are pieces by Meguru Yamaguchi, Cleon Peterson and Toomoo Gokita, also thoughtfully placed around the house.

The homeowner’s tasteful art collection mirrors an equally enviable furniture collection. “All the furniture was chosen by the homeowner. The dining table repurposes a tabletop previously used in his commercial property, and is paired with antique chairs by Pierre Jeanneret. To complement the chairs, the table’s height was custom set slightly lower, with bespoke legs crafted to complete the refined aesthetic,” said Ashizawa.

These Capitol Complex chairs, made by Italian furniture company Cassina, were originally designed for administrative buildings in Chandigarh that the Swiss architect, Jeanneret designed with his cousin and Swiss-French counterpart, Le Corbusier. They are seeing a revival, so much so that they are now Instagram staples of the design-savvy pack.

The homeowner has great passion for Jeanneret’s designs. “All the furniture in the house was curated to harmonise with the antique chairs by Pierre Jeanneret. The island kitchen features Jeanneret’s Civil Bench while the living area showcases the Capitol Complex armchair by Jeanneret alongside the Plana coffee table designed by Charlotte Perriand,” said Ashizawa.

Charlotte Perriand was one of Le Corbusier and Jeanneret’s contemporaries and collaborators. The homeowner also values her designs. Aside from the Plana coffee table and a Nauge shelf in the dining and living areas, he also has the Tabouret Méribel and Tabouret Berger stools, a Table à Plateau Interchangeable coffee table and uniquely shaped Ventaglio desk in the basement playroom.

In the bedroom, you can find a Riflesso cabinet from Cassina and the minimalist Applique à Violet Pivotant lamp from Nemo. These pieces were designed in the period from the 1930s to 1970s but are still ageless.

The modern furniture pieces are matched with “found’ items”, such as an Edo-period kuruma-dansu (wheeled chest) and a transitional folk art piece positioned beside the upper-level staircase “to harmonise with the exposed aggregate concrete finish”.

Like the timeless furniture pieces, Ashizawa designed this house to be a piece of classic architecture. This is his ethos to building, inspired by one of his design heroes. “Italian architect Gio Ponti once wrote in an article in Domus magazine that when building a house, one should not think about trends.”

Ashizawa elaborated: “During my long involvement in designing and watching over the progress of building houses, I have often found these words to be very convincing. We sincerely hope that this house will be used for a long time.”