Tamotsu Teshima Architect & Associates

This is a studio and residence for a ceramic artist whose creative work blends completely into his daily live. For that reason it was critical that the house not only be comfortable, but that it also provide inspiration and pleasure to the artist and his family. One of the major themes I was trying to actualize here was the indivisibility of creation and everyday life.

In terms of the structure, the first floor where the studio is located is concrete, while the residential second and third floors are wood. The plan is very simple, with the boundary between various rooms defined loosely via lines inlaid in the flooring. Light from corridors on the periphery of the structure fills the interior. On the first floor, we experimented with a new kind of exposed concrete finish by blasting the concrete with a pressure washer after removing the formwork. In the residential portion of the house, rustic materials like plaster and oak pull the spaces together. Wooden reflectors installed in the long skylights running east to west along the roof send natural light bouncing off the vaulted ceiling at the building’s apex, communicating a sense of the passage of time and seasons. The exterior is finished with charred cedar cladding, a traditional building material in Okayama’s Setouchi region that helps the building blend in with its surroundings.