architecture & design office shogo onodera has completed the renovation of a 40-year old flat in tokyo, converting it from a three-bedroom apartment to a large open area. a large closet spanning the entire width of the main room divides the space according to daily functions and loosely defines a ‘place’ for life, while light, wind, and daily scenes are reflected on its lustrous surface and spread throughout the space.

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

 

 

provided with plenty of natural light and wind through the many windows placed along the south and north walls, the interior carries a lightweight, minimal atmosphere. delicate details and finishes compliment the raw walls and ceiling which have been left untouched, and instead of applying new finishes, shogo onodera has hung lace curtains along the entire width of the walls that vividly contrast the concrete’s roughness. 

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

 

 

the main feature of the apartment is a large piece of furniture that doubles as a closet and room divider, with doors that are slightly angled to create subtle gaps in between and change its overall impression according to the viewing angle. ‘in an open plan space, we need to consider how to locate spaces involving privacy, including a bathroom and bedrooms, and how to provide enough storage spaces,’ note the tokyo-based architects, ‘our solution was to provide a large closet spanning the entire width of the room. we removed all partitions and made a large floor area to maintain some “margin” and a sense of spaciousness.’ a reflective finish is applied on the surface of the closet, which mirrors and diffuses daily scenes and natural light to illuminate the space.

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

shogo onodera renovates tokyo apartment with reflective closet spanning its entire width

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: sofia lekka angelopoulou | designboom