Commissioned to design a home for working parents and their kagikko—"key children" who let themselves in when they get home from school—architect Fumi Aso added another entry to the list of remarkable minimalist homes in Japan. Her Moon House, which features curved walls, sparse interiors, and exposed ceilings, as well as a lily pad-like series of concrete circles leading to the front door, was created with movement in mind. Narrow, undefined passageways between living spaces are meant to "set your mind to neutral," when entering and exiting. While we can't personally attest to the psychological powers of Aso's design, the house, which was so well received it earned Aso a Best New Architect nod from the Kansai chapter of the Architectural Institute of Japan, certainly appears to exude calm. At the very least, it looks like a fun place to return home to after school.
∙ Moon House: a home designed around circular margins of undefined space [Spoon & Tamago]
∙ Could You Live in This Intentionally Wall-Free House? [Curbed]
∙ 17 Projects Proving Nobody Does Minimalism Quite Like Japan [Curbed]