Roof / Birds
Locate in Nagano, Japan
Design by Kengo Kuma & Associates
Furniture by Time & Style
This guesthouse for contemporary art lovers is situated on a site sloping in an east-west direction. The main house and three Japanese-style rooms are arranged on approximately 2,400m2, taking advantage of the elevation difference. The roofs are hung on wings of varying lengths and slope from north-west to south-east, and each of the three buildings has a large terrace under the eaves.
To minimize the impact of the structure on the natural environment, traditional Japanese timber is combined with artificial materials such as glass and steel pillars to create an open space that resembles a platform floating in the forest.
The spacious terrace offers an opportunity to enjoy the rich natural surroundings, combining art, architecture, and the Japanese garden with the surrounding nature.
Kuma’s attention to detail, from the design of the furniture to the choice of finishes and fabrics, creates a sense of unity between the architecture, interior, furniture, and accessories, creating an inviting space. Kuma’s message is that there is a continuum between accessories, furniture, architecture and nature, and that everything is interconnected.
For the furniture, Kuma and Time & Style have collaborated on the development and commercialization of several items and have also created a new sofa. The concept was to create a Japanese-style sofa wrapped around a futon piece, inspired by the futon, the Japanese bedding laid out on tatami mats.
The futon folds away from the seat to form the back of the sofa. The hardness and thickness of the polyurethane and the pattern of the sofa’s fabric have been adjusted many times to create the natural look of a folded futon.
The result is a sofa so soft and comfortable that you will want to lean against it for hours. The legs are made of thin solid stainless steel rods, which reduce the presence of the sofa and make it seem to float in nature. This sofa has undergone minor changes and has since been added to the Time and Style collection as MA.
