Japanese Minimalism: The Ant House

This minimalist residence is the Ant House project, designed by Makinohara-based design studio mA-style Architects, completed in 2012.

Located in Shizuoka, Japan, the ambiguous space has been created devoid of partitions to make free use of the space and enable the home dwellers to constantly see each other during daily life, which goes against the typical preconceptions of a Japanese home.

Describing the conceptual process, the architects tell us: “First of all, we drew simple rectangles without any daring idea on the ground for suiting the cost. Second, we set up panels along the line. Then, we lined the kitchen, washroom, desk and storage shelves. The space is like a room, but it could also be a passage. In the middle of first and second, we created a free place. Top of the space there is a gable roof, it makes a new blank in the house. The blank is free, the sunlight and the wind comes into the space from aperture. In the evening you can hear the birds singing.”

A married couple with three children inhabits the modern Japanese house that from the outside appears as a black cube, with an outer wall that screens the interior from the outside world completely. Once the door is opened, the warm yellow of larch plywood invites you in, and opens up before you like an ant’s nest.