Kyoto Muko Residence

This house sits on a fan-shaped site and contains a mezzanine with a single bedroom. Throughout the year, the movement of the sun can be felt inside, and the design treats light itself as the primary organizing material. Eastern light enters through horizontal louvers and travels deep into the interior space, drawing occupants through the plan as the morning advances. Direct southern sunlight pours in along paths reminiscent of water jetting from a showerhead, animating the central living area with crisp, shifting brightness. Western light first strikes the wall beside the open staircase, then reflects softly into the rooms as afternoon turns to evening. The fan geometry and diagonal sun paths together animate a small residence, letting the quality and direction of light rather than an excess of rooms define daily life in Kyoto. Sliding screens and minimal joinery keep the interior calm, so that sunrise and sunset, shadow and reflection, become the changing furnishings of the home.