atelier luke has renovated and extended a narrow, post-war row house located in the quiet northern suburbs of kyoto city, japan. the 1950s construction has been stripped back to its essential form, revealing a dark-stained timber interior that serves as a void within which the new home is formed. a timber box inserted at the back of the space brings light and warmth inside, while sliding doors and screens reveal a tiny private garden at the rear of the property.all images by yohei sasakura

in ‘terrace house near demachiyanagi’, atelier luke has transformed a typical post-war japanese row house into a serene dwelling that skilfully combines old and new. the building was originally constructed in the 1950s as part of a block of similar houses, and served as home to a single family until it was eventually vacated and left to dilapidate for over a decade. the renovation sees the house stripped back to its essential form and carefully brought back to life through a series of interventions that celebrate its traditional character.

all linings were removed from inside the house, revealing the structure’s large timber roof beams that had been concealed for over half a century. stained entirely in black, the skeleton serves as a void within which the new interior is formed. deep areas of shadow enhance the small space, while a timber box at the back brings in light and warmth. ‘sliding timber doors and screens allow something rarely seen in a suburban japanese context — unabashed connection to the outdoors and street, via a tiny private garden,’ notes atelier luke. 

a second timber box on the other side encloses the home’s amenities, including a bathroom, kitchen and laundry. new walls and a floor of hand troweled cement mortar define an intermediate space between the two boxes. a timber ladder allows access to the top of the bathroom box, where a sleeping loft of tatami mats is immersed within the blackness. the project’s simple, refine palette of materials includes timber sourced from the famous yoshino region in nara; cement floors and walls in natural grey; as well as brass trims and custom lights that bring flashes of gold within the shadows.

the home’s front façade was entirely restored using traditional approaches and materials. ‘distinctive elements — such as the mushikomado, a type of lattice window used to ventilate the old ceiling space — have been carefully remade to meet current expectations for weatherproofing, whilst retaining their traditional character,’ adds the japan and australia-based design studio. at the same time, a steel perimeter frame and timber batten screens compose the new façade at the back as an evidently non-traditional feature.