This project concerns the renovation of a 75-square-meter apartment situated in the vibrant residential neighborhood of Kichijoji. The intervention reexamines the spatial hierarchy of the home, giving priority to shared living areas while addressing the clients’ desire for a larger, more open kitchen and enhanced everyday comfort.
Project Name: Apartment in Kichijoji
Studio Name: Roovice
Photography: Akira Nakamura
The original 3LDK configuration was restructured by incorporating the former tatami room into the living–dining–kitchen area. The partition wall separating the kitchen from the living and dining space was removed, enabling the LDK to expand from approximately 18 m² to nearly 30 m². This modification created a single, continuous environment with greater openness and improved access to natural light.
To strengthen the perception of scale, the kitchen was arranged linearly along the full length of one wall, emphasizing the room’s proportions and visually extending its depth. The clients selected a system kitchen to satisfy functional needs, complemented by custom-designed elements that introduce warmth and character. A structured wooden counter with integrated bookshelves serves both as a work surface and as a defining spatial feature, while the backsplash is finished with small-format old kiln tiles in a pearl white tone. Their subtle, fabric-like texture adds nuance to the restrained material palette.
Responding to the request for higher ceilings, the existing ceiling boards were removed and the building’s structural elements were left exposed. Concrete surfaces, lighting ducts, and other ceiling components were painted in a uniform tone, resulting in a cohesive and uncluttered atmosphere that accentuates the vertical dimension of the space.
Adjacent to the kitchen, a multifunctional wall storage unit was incorporated to house the refrigerator and various household appliances. A recessed display niche was integrated into the wall, efficiently utilizing residual corner spaces within the kitchen layout.
For the living and dining areas, a refined oak checkered parquet flooring was selected and extended seamlessly into the corridor leading to the entrance, reinforcing spatial continuity throughout the apartment. In the entry zone, a custom-made shoe storage unit provides generous storage while maintaining a calm and orderly first impression.
The bedroom was conceived as a simple and adaptable retreat. It includes an open walk-in closet area and a minimal tatami bed platform, allowing the room to remain visually serene while supporting daily routines.
Through targeted demolition, thoughtful material selection, and the integration of bespoke elements, the renovation redefines the apartment as a luminous and flexible living environment, attuned to the clients’ lifestyle and contemporary patterns of dwelling.
