Japan Works – Kanzaki
2024 design + build by Green Studio

Interiors for the Kanzaki house aim for calmness and solitude. The surrounding landscape is mountainous forests falling straight to the rocky coast of the Japan Sea. The township understands its impermanence.

We (Callan and Lindsay of Green Studio) found ourselves lucky to design and build our first international project in Japan last year, in doing so escaping another Australian winter for the hot humid summer of Kyoto Prefecture. As an architecture practice, we are deeply interested in the holistic nature of the home – from structure to furniture, objects and adornment. We treated this experience as an opportunity to experience and experiment, getting hands on in a place that values the hand made.

Our project is a 90s era beachfront villa, quite literally on the shore of the Japan Sea. The small fishing village of Nishi-Kanzaki has a rich history. The visionary owner is a bi-lingual tourism operator that dreams of creating an intimate Airbnb and events space offering unique cultural experiences.

Getting hands on meant making everything ourselves – walls, floors, seating, repairing old furniture, lighting, objects. Designing, prototyping and material processing became a continuous loop of creative process.

The two story building, long abandoned by the company that built it for its employee’s summer work trips, retained most of the typical traditional Japanese interior elements: rooms proportioned to tatami mats, sliding timber screens, natural stone flooring, raised floors and recessive spatial moods. Our task became to balance the history of a place and the client’s vision for contemporary and functional setting. 

As the architect, builder, project manager, material acquirer and delivery driver our days were full. We had access to a Kei truck, a range of Japanese power tools (not so different to the Australian variety, however more suitable for the finer materials). We took the liberty of investing in an inventory of hand tools that would eventually return to Australia. With help from local craftspeople, we gained an insight into common materials, climatic conditions, accepted norms and basic rules and regs.

One of the most striking aspects we observed in Japanese culture is the appreciation for craft and a respect for doing things correctly. Everything is deliberate. The process, whether it is in thinking, the making or the act of living with the things, was held in high regard.

Our architecture and furniture embody both Japanese and Australian design. Something we cannot deny as Australian architects working in Japan. The interiors embrace the warmth of shadows and honesty in materials. The main reception hall and communal spaces were fitted with our full furniture range and interior fit out. The remaining spaces are due to be completed in stages.

Our contributions to the architecture and furniture were designed to reflect a harmony between the original home and our experiences as Australians in a foreign culture. This resulted in an architecture that embraced warmth in shadows, honesty in materials, contemporary living, and a deep respect for tradition. The furniture range we introduced was simple yet elegant, utilizing Japanese cedar—a commonly loved material in Japan. The design was minimalist, allowing the beauty of the material to shine through, with subtle connection details highlighting its striking aesthetic.

The furniture pieces we crafted were not only visually appealing but also economically resourceful. Each item was designed with minimal processing and materials, ensuring strength through single-sided lap joints with structural bracing. Our commitment to a zero-waste approach meant that each part was carefully sized to achieve near-zero offcuts. Resulting in furniture that was light, soft, and warm, perfectly blending with the revitalized beachfront property in Kyoto Prefecture.