O House in Kyoto, designed by Hideyuki Nakayama challenges traditional boundaries between interior and exterior, creating a dynamic living space where architecture and urban environment converge in subtle, unexpected ways.
Located in the historic beautification zone of Kyoto, this 2009 project weaves the domestic space into its urban fabric in a way that reshapes how one experiences home. The house is conceived as a collection of structures—lean-tos flanking a central two-story main house—that encourage the residents to engage with their surroundings in subtle but profound ways.
The lean-tos form passageways that encircle the main house, creating a unique spatial rhythm where indoor and outdoor elements merge. These spaces, housing essential functions like the kitchen and dining areas, are not enclosed but rather open, blurring the lines between private life and the external environment. The design subtly integrates the home into the surrounding cityscape, yet maintains a sense of detachment; the main house itself, where the family sleeps, feels like a sanctuary, accessed via an exterior passageway that reinforces the act of "coming home."
Nakayama’s masterstroke lies in the playful ambiguity of the house’s form. From different angles, the structure appears alternately as a tower, a castle wall, or even a dollhouse, thanks to its layered volumes and open gable. This shifting visual identity challenges the static notion of domestic architecture, inviting the inhabitants to see their home anew each day. The result is not a house that prioritizes seamless flow from outside to inside, but one that expands the depth of living by situating daily life within a dynamic interplay of architecture, landscape, and urban context.
