Kiri House

Kiri House is hidden behind a dark cedar wall on a residential lane in northern Kyoto. Beyond a narrow entrance garden, the house unfolds as a sequence of timber rooms around a mature moss court, preserving the intimacy of a machiya while creating the clarity and comfort of a contemporary home.

The principal living room is lifted slightly above the garden and wrapped in fine timber screens. Light arrives indirectly through paper, foliage and high clerestories, changing the atmosphere without exposing the interiors to the street. A tea room and library occupy the quieter southern edge of the court.

Four suites are placed on two levels, each with its own relationship to a tree, stone basin or pocket garden. The principal suite includes a cedar bathing room where a single framed opening brings the garden into an otherwise inward space.

Craft is present but never decorative. Kiri wood, handmade plaster, bronze and dark stone are used with exceptional precision, while modern environmental systems remain invisible. Kiri House is an urban refuge defined by sequence, touch and the disciplined use of light.