Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Living Area With 100 Windows to Facilitate Conversations

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:00 AM PST

[ Filed under Living & Dining & in the Interiors category ]

Functional architecture can take any number of shapes and adopt endless forms. In the case of the Room Room house by Takeshi Hosaka, function takes the form of almost a hundred small windows scattered all over the walls, ceilings and floors of a tiny two-story home in Tokyo.

The home is occupied by two hearing-impaired parents and their two sons. To facilitate communication via sign language – or verbally, in the case of the two non-hearing-impaired children – these 7.9″ square windows are scattered randomly across all surfaces.

The windows do not only allow communication between levels of the house and between outside and inside. They also let in natural light and allow potted plants to grow up from the first level, though the floor of the second level and into the large space there, creating an odd sort of continuity throughout the home.

Although perhaps not as effective as full-size windows at connecting the outdoors and indoors, perhaps that is the goal here. The home is in an exceptionally crowded part of Tokyo on a tiny plot of land. The small windows break up the scene outside and make it into something magical as seen through a hundred tiny 8″ square slices.

The family makes good use of the unusual floor openings, as well: the children sometimes drop small toy cars from the top story to the lower level to catch their parents’ attention.

In addition to the bedrooms on the first level and the large room on the second level, there is a rooftop terrace accessible via a skylight and ladder which adds to the living space of the structure.

Room Room is actually an annex to a family home on an adjoining plot of land which eventually became too small for the three generations living there. As such, this structure has no kitchen facilities; only the second-story living/play area, the two small first-level rooms and a small bathroom.

You might say it is a detached living room built to accommodate an overflow of family, or a retreat that allows the young children to run free without contending with the clutter and furniture in a regular home.

Undoubtedly, the Room Room home is a lovely example of how interiors designed to accommodate differences can be visually striking as well as functional.

Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Dornob Article:

Small Spaces: Less-Room Living in Under 100 Square Feet

Luxury Day-Lit Home Library & Living Space Layout

[ Filed under Living & Dining & in the Interiors category ]

[ Dornob | Archives | Categories | Privacy | TOS ]

Approach the Bench! Folding Chairs Have Dual Personalities

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 02:00 PM PST

[ Filed under Furniture & in the Chairs category ]

The extra seating in a home – that is, those chairs that are hauled out only for large get-togethers or special occasions – is most often relegated to a dark corner when not in use. What would happen if it were lovely enough to leave out and on display at all times?

Cóm-oda is a set of chairs from Spanish designers Mr. Simon that just begs to be put on display. When not in use, they are stored together in a bench-like formation that boasts an intricate design.

The wood-and-cloth construction make the chairs easy to fold up and stash out of the way – but not too far out of the way, of course. When put together side-by-side, the chairs form a bench that can be used as an alternative seating solution.

By giving the chairs a dual identity, Mr. Simon has done something no one has been able to do with folding chairs until now: made them into objects of desire that never need to be hidden away.