When we first saw the block of land it was so small that were surprised that they wanted to build a house here. It's a bit wider than the parking lot. 6 Tsubo House is home
to a young family of four two parents and two young children. That tsubo unit is a particular way to a measure area in Japan. One tsusbo is 3.3 square meters. So the total area is 6.3 Tsubo That's why we called itself
the 6 (roku) Tsubo house. My name is Yugo Yamanda from Arte-1 Architects. I designed 6 Tsubo House Integratin
g hidden storage, using curtains in clever ways
and making your spaces more multipurpose. Learn how to bring these and other
genius ideas to life in your home. Reimagining Small Space Living
is now shipping worldwide from the U.S., Europe and Australia. This site is in Yotsuya, Shinjuku located in the corner
of a group of old houses. Shinjuku is one of the most
famous areas in Tokyo. It has high office buildings but also old residential areas
with small houses. As the house is narrow we wanted t
o create
a large vertical space such as an atrium in order to help
give the illusion of a bigger place. The client knew that this place was narrow so they wanted to expand the space vertically. The house has three stories which is the maximum height due
to building restrictions To maximise space in the house,
I added a skip floor in between the bathroom
and the bedroom. The entrance features
a custom 4.8m iron aperture. It is designed as a big door
with an arched window above. We wanted an elega
nt element fitted for the plain facade The inside of the door has a custom dress-like
curtain made by a fabric designer for privacy On the wall at the entrance we added mirror storage cabinets
and a niche for the client’s speakers. The mirror door is both functional and helps to make the space appear larger. In this project, we spent a lot of time deciding the dimension of the atrium. The family wanted a café like space. The dining room and the living rooms
share the same space. The ceiling here
is 5m tall,
so it feels very spacious. The family spends most of their time here. The furniture in the living room was selected by the client,
including the antique locker The door for the toilet is an antique from 1890 so we matched the colour of the space to the door. Having a separate toilet here
allows the family to maintain the privacy
of the rest of the house. As you walk up the steps to the kitchen, there is storage on one side and a tall mirror on the other This tall mirror is where the
family
check their full outfits before going out The client loves to cook and they requested professional kitchen appliances. There's a powerful oven by Viking, a gas cooktop and commercial rangehood and a large sink The kitchen benches and wall were finished in stainless steel
to match with the appliances. It also make for an easy surface
to clean. On the other side,
we continued the stainless steel for the shelves and the drawers. The kitchen is elevated
to separate it from the living room. T
his allowed us to add extra storage below the kitchen From the kitchen There are stairs that lead to a balcony
like landing The stairs float on top of iron beams to allow light through to the kitchen. Behind the curtain
there is a washing machine. The top of the stairs and the entrance
to the bathroom can also be closed off using the same curtain to create one seamless curtain wall. In order to create a large
and comfortable bathroom we used the entire width of the house. This means that you hav
e to pass through
the bathroom to get to the bedroom. The bathroom has space
for everything you need a shower, toilet sink,
and even the full size bathtub. It's a hotel like space,
surrounded by tiles. The bathroom door is glass. It allows for right to come through
from the front windows, From the bathroom the stairs lead to the two bedrooms. A niche for books was made using the dead space in the stairs The children’s room has an over 3m
ceiling height space. This room has skylight and windows
t
o help keep the space nice and bright. We also chose a bright color for this room as it is also the play room for the children we chose different floors between rooms to emphasise its own ambiance. For the main bedroom they wanted dark colours to focus on sleep. There is a built-in storage along the side of the wall in the main bedroom. It has a lot of space for the parents’
clothes and personal items. On the other side
is a space saving staircase that goes to the rooftop
balcony Under the stair
s, there is even more storage space
for clothes and small items On the rooftop we created the widest rooftop balcony
that we could make. The furniture here was made by the client, the wall panels can be removed
to create a bench seat or table. The land in Tokyo costs are high due to its demand. If it has a lot of elements, maybe the house size is not as important as we think. Small inner city homes like 6 Tsubo House can have all of the elements a user needs But it is not only limited to the hou
se
itself. There is a big park
and great infrastructure nearby. The whole city is an extension of their house. Thanks for watching. And if you are an architect or designer
with a project we could feature, please share it with us at nevertoosmall.com/submissions
Comments
While watching the first couple seconds of the video "preview" it looked like the access to the kitchen was through that trap door in the floor and I was thinking - WHAT THE HECK?!?! I was so relieved to see later in the video, that is just like a cellar for storage. LOL
They created very diverse environments with little space, and despite the passages being small and a bit claustrophobic, the design of the rooms ends up being worth it, including the main door, which even left the street with a very pleasant atmosphere.
I love the discontinuity with the staircases. Each has their own character and personality. The stylising of them challenges the actual spaces without overpowering. I'm always curious to see how ppl resolve circulation in small but tall envelopes and this was so well done. ❤
Im always amazed by the fact that natives of many non English speaking countries, still speak English for the wider audience. Phenomenal. Thank you for all your effort, hard work and beautiful representation of your work. It is much appreciated 🌸
clever yet weird house, the fact that it's so dark makes me feel slightly anxious
I've never been so happy watching someone getting to a rooftop
the house somehow gives me the impression of a fortress, each room looks like a secret hideout which is so nice and interesting
Initially I was so confused by the underground storage thinking that was a staircase but it's so smart! Having that space be in a basement space. Absolutely loved this design, it's so different from most of the spaces and wow, I'm blown away but what looks like a full blown restaurant kitchen. You can tell where their passions are and what they consider most important. Thank you for sharing.
This is such a luxe design, and the distinct characters of the individual spaces makes it feel larger. I love how it has an old-world feel, as if a luxury hotel was disassembled and reconfigured as a small living space.
This architect's imagination is beyond! I'm too impressed in every NEVER TOO SMALL videos
The most creative small space that doesn't even look small - another stunning design! ✨
The house is very interesting, but the woman’s vest is AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL!!
I just feel that simply switching the children room with the bathroom would solve most of the issues I have with this floorplan...
Having to pass the bathroom to get to the next floor is super weird. But interesting. How do you know when someone is using the bathroom besides seeing the lights turned on? Not to mention the door is made of glass and has no lock lol
One major functional design change this home needs is the bathroom privacy. Switch the stairs from the first floor landing to the bathroom with the toilet and close off the toilet for privacy. Otherwise, very accomplished family home. Thank you for sharing! 🎉
although I find the high arch very aesthetic, it makes me feel as if they were living in an entrance of a dark castle. The huge kitchen and bathroom also felt a bit disproportionate, as if you wanted to build a mansion but because of the lack of square meters, you play Tetris with the rooms 😆
I really like this project because it actually looks like a home, it feels lived in and you can tell the space is well loved.
A complete 5 star hotel suite room in a small house, wonderfully made, bravo👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Fascinating to see a completely different lifestyle. I couldn’t cope with those split stairs at my age but I over the entrance hall/living floor. I love theses videos, gives so many ideas.
Amazing to see how these small spaces can work for a family! Not my cup of tea, but it seems very well suited to the clients' taste and lifestyle.