Kinuta Terrace is a beautiful and minimalist space located in Tokyo, Japan, designed by Keiji Ashizawa in collaboration with Norm Architects featuring furniture from Karimoku Case Study.

Emerged from shared design values, the collaboration between Tokyo-native design studio, Keiji Ashizawa, and Copenhagen-based Norm Architects takes its root in mutual admiration and a love for the material richness and timeless appeal evident in both design traditions.

Kinuta Terrace was originally built back in the 1980s and features an integrated courtyard that gives residents the advantages of a single-family home. The two design studios partnered with Japan’s leading manufacturer of wooden furniture, Karimoku, on carrying out the renovation, during which the idea of a furniture series arose. Hence, the Kinuta Collection is a series of 12 tailormade furniture pieces that make up the inaugural collection of Karimoku Case Study.

Working with transparency, light, and shadow, the designers have strived to use the existing architecture to frame both the outside and the inside living spaces in an attempt to open up and guide its inhabitants from one space to the next—an environment where all elements are as closely connected as possible.

All furniture pieces and bespoke elements within the apartments draw heavily on the natural references of the connected courtyard in an attempt to invite in nature as much as possible—in their design language as well as through their material composition.

Norm and Keiji Ashizawa first met during a workshop visit to Japan, and quickly discovered a great many shared views on design, architecture, and art, sparking a mutual interest in working together. Since then, they’ve been drawing on each other’s skills and expertise, collaborating on architectural cases and design projects. We’re excited to see what this partnership yields in future.