Taka Shinomoto and Voar Design Haus add layers of spaces within a Tokyo apartment.

© Kenta Hasegawa

Architects: Taka Shinomoto, Voar Design Haus · Office Profile

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Project Year: 2015

Photographs: Kenta Hasegawa · Photographer Profile

© Kenta Hasegawa

From the architect. Taka Shinomoto and Voar Design Haus add layers of spaces within a Tokyo apartment.

Floor Plan

Typically finish materials are bound by the programmatic boundaries of a room, which makes a defined block of space. This could be compared to a brownie, it is a sweet treat that is the same all the way through. Taka Shinomoto and Voar Design Haus set out to make a space like an Opera cake: a sweet treat but with layers of different materials.
© Kenta Hasegawa

The program of the rooms is typical: living room, kitchen, bedroom, closet and bathroom. Layers of were superimposed on the apartment, regardless of program using color, finish and resolution to define the layers. In the living room a gradient of brown clearly shows the chocolate ganache, coffee and buttercream layers. The ceiling is all white, but treated in glossy, matte and textured coatings. The wood floor uses both color and plank widths to define the layers. Even the quality of light changes in each layer.

© Kenta Hasegawa

Sliding door ...