Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Blank White Box: Whole New Extreme for Minimalist Homes

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 10:00 AM PDT

Japanese domestic design has always been simple if not minimal, and lately, the trend has gone to new extremes, but, even still, this may break the record for the most bare-bones facade ever conceived.

Designed by Tsukano Architect Office, the exterior is a single (nearly uninterrupted) wrapping white plane, as plain as you could possibly imagine, set on a light-gray slab.

Inside, a courtyard populated with white pebbles wraps the primary dwelling, lest the shock of finding something more dynamic beyond the shell surprise anyone entering.

Beyond that, concrete, timber and plaster provide hints of accents and details, but barely. Of course, one must consider the site in evaluating this potentially-harsh solution: a noisy neighborhood with tall buildings all around. Still, one has to also wonder if there was a less stark way to solve these problems.