What does the minimalist design look like? The pure white color, clear and powerful lines, simple texture, where the people can feel calm but also extremely tense?
Japan’s Shinichi Ogawa & Associates specializes in creating such spaces, and founder Shinichi Ogawa is adept at making simple Spaces more dynamic by changing their dimensions and proportions.
Their latest 3 works are a good interpretation of the firm’s design style, showing the most incisively and vividly the simple elegance and pure beauty.
EMIL NAKIJIN
EMIL NAKIJIN, located in Okinawa, Japan, is a minimalist, five-room luxury hotel, located 126m above sea level, can overlook the stunning natural beauty. The building is a long, narrow rectangular block, with only a closed white wall visible from the outside. At night, the bottom of the light belt lit up, the atmosphere is full. The internal area is 309 square meters, divided into 5 rooms by 5. After entering the guest room, the vision opens up, and all interior finishes and furniture are selected in the same tone to achieve the consistency of the space. The lights are also hidden away and hidden in the ceiling, background panels, and end tables to create a soothing atmosphere.
The interior and exterior are connected by stainless steel push-pull glass doors that form an open, continuous space that allows ample natural light inside. Each guest room has a terrace with an outdoor tub and an infinity pool. Clear and powerful lines are simple but give a strong architectural aesthetic. The walls on both sides are like picture frames, presenting the sea and cliff in front of us, making people relaxed and happy.
THE GARDEN
THE GARDEN is also a hotel located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, with three floors and an area of 921㎡. The simple white exterior is decorated only with the hotel’s glowing name. The spotlight at the bottom edge also played a certain role in decorating. The hotel has an open-plan public space with large glass French Windows offering a clear view of Mount Fuji. Without any extra soft furnishings, the classic black sofa blends well with the white space.
The lobby and corridor are also separated by glass, and the black ceiling makes the corridor even more profound. The corridor outside the guest room is a pure black and white space, the effect of light and shadow is very moving. The room is still a simple white layout, with mountain views in every corner. The eaves extend outwards to avoid direct sunlight and ensure a good living experience. The minimalist layout contrasts with the Fuji mountain outside the window. The mirror length of the toilet covers the whole longitudinal space, and the blessing of the light makes the space more coherent. The bath crock of square is in most outside, open glass door as if be in outdoor, with natural landscape zero distance contact.
SEAFRONT VILLA
SEAFRONT VILLA is a single-story seaside villa with an area of 258㎡. Living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and study, each room has floor-to-ceiling Windows that seamlessly connect to the terrace, pool, and open sea view. As there is also a road between the building and the sea, the architects raised the whole building by 2.5m, ensuring the privacy of the residents. Almost all of the interior is illuminated indirectly, creating a pure and soft atmosphere. The white furniture and building are in harmony, the floor of light wood color also gives a person a plain, contracted sense. The eaves also act as a shield against the sun. The pool traverses the outdoor space, rendering an extreme sense of space. The water flows out through the concave of the wall, the glittering and translucent arc broke the straight line of the neat, more clever. The shape of the sink is also a tribute to Louis Barragan.
These designs remind me the final project for my architectural studies. The inspiration I received is Casa Malaparte, so I designed a long box. It is plain and straight-forward, with French windows and I wish to create the experience same as in Casa Malaparte, that there is no boundary between the outside views and house interior. However, the instructor said I should reference the design strategy from Casa Malaparte instead of the experience. I can not find the design strategy, so I gave up in architectural studies. Maybe I should try to apply an intern for Shinichi Ogawa & Associates.
Thanks for reading.
Life Outside of Design Studio 