Tato Architects turned this congested Japanese home into an open, modern marvel

Japanese design studio Tato Architects transformed an old house in Kamisawa in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan, into a single-story residence for a young couple.

The architects tore down the entire partitioned interior of the house and established an open-plan living space nestled behind plywood screens to create a comfortable space for modern day living.

The 87-square-meter house was originally built as a traditional Japanese home, with numerous partitions that made it incompatible with the modern-day lifestyle. The architects gutted the entire interior to expose the existing wooden structure and moved the storage spaces into a side wall, leaving enough space to form a larger living area.

The entire renovation process was done with a tight budget, and the architects combines affordable plywood panels with steel rods in order to achieve optimal structural integrity but remain within their financial limits. A small loft space is located right above the main bedroom and can be accessed via a ladder. Glass walls separate the interior from the garden which was converted into a timber patio deck.