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Owner's Voice Vol.18 Yazawa Residence, Okinawa

An island kitchen with a spectacular view that fosters wellbeing

From outside the window, one can see only the magnificent shallow sea and the sky that spreads out as if blending with the sea.
This is the Yazawa family's home on the main island of Okinawa.
We interviewed Mr. Yazawa, who says that designing a home that is unique to you will lead to a positive change in your way of life, about his perspective on home building.

An island kitchen with a spectacular view that fosters wellbeing

Aiming for the one and only house embraced by the sea, sky, and greenery


A modern house built of bare concrete, embraced by the clear shallow sea and lush greenery.
This is where the Yazawa family has lived in Okinawa for the past year.
The contrast of the blue ocean in front of us and the green behind us attracted us to Okinawa about 10 years ago.
The first time we lived in Okinawa, we lived in a more southern area, but we liked the design of the architect who built our house then, so we asked the same person to design our house again," says Yazawa.
What was different from the previous home construction was that we kept in touch with the architect and left most of the design work to the professional's ideas.
I thought that if I gave the professionals any orders about the design, they would not be able to give shape to what they envisioned, so I kept my requests to a very rough outline: "Please make it something that has never been built before, something that has never been seen in Okinawa. I was very careful to limit myself to a very rough request.

The result is a residence with an infinity pool in the front of the building that resembles a luxury resort hotel overseas.
The large LDK with 5-meter-high ceilings is located on the east side of the building overlooking the ocean, and large windows look out over the pool to the cobalt blue ocean.

It all started with a "Tsudoi Sofa" I saw on a social networking site.


The kitchen, equipped with cooking utensils and storage, has a strong presence in the LDK, the heart of the home.
Therefore, Mr. Yazawa says that he wanted to pay attention to the design and presentation of the kitchen when building the house.
However, because of the role of the kitchen, I had the impression that functionality was always the first priority and design was secondary.
I didn't think that was a good thing, but I had never encountered a kitchen that attracted me with its design, so I had given up on it.
It was the products of Toyo Kitchen Style that changed my mind and gave me hope.

He first encountered Toyo Kitchen Style through an image of the "Tsudoi Sofa" that appeared on a social networking service.
I liked the atmosphere of the sofa and the fact that it could be combined according to the size of the room.
TSUDOI Sofa I went to the showroom in Okinawa (Toyo Kitchen Style Shop Okinawa), which had just opened at the time, to see the actual product.
That is when I came across the iNO kitchen.

The doors are made of real stone, and even the inside of the large sink has the same design as the top panel, which is enough to change the conventional concept of a kitchen.
The "iNO" stone natural, in particular, is both retro and modern, and I never get tired of looking at it.
At the time, we had already decided on a kitchen from another manufacturer, but we cancelled that decision and chose iNO.

Later, he visited the Tokyo showroom and purchased lighting, a dining set, and outdoor chairs to go with the kitchen.
With the kitchen as the centerpiece, they completed an interior design full of individuality.

Kitchens that make it possible to create and eat are "100 points".


Just as one's senses and perceptions change when one is immersed in nature, the quality of information received in a comfortable space increases and good ideas come to life.
In this sense, home is very important.
Living in a home that is unique to you has a great impact on your creativity and relationships," says Yazawa.

Of all the special features of their home, the kitchen is a favorite space for everyone in the family, including Mr. Yazawa.
If I had to give it a score, I would definitely give it a 100," she says.
Thanks to the adjustable height of the worktops, the Kartell "Ai Stools" that we placed on the counter space fit perfectly, just as we wanted.
The children like it so much that they have breakfast at the counter every morning. When they come home from school, my wife cooks in the kitchen and the children sit at the counter and do their homework.
When I see this, I feel that it has a positive effect on the formation of attachments.

The wife also commented, "In our old house, I didn't want the children to enter the kitchen because it was dangerous, but now we have a counter and stools, so they can eat their meals there and watch how the dishes are prepared.
I think it was great that the kitchen became a shared space between parents and children," he says.

In the dining area leading from the kitchen are the Iperbole table and chairs (both limited edition), which Yazawa says he decided to purchase "in 0.1 second" after seeing them at the Tokyo showroom.
The dining set, made of luxurious natural wood, is in perfect harmony with the natural stone kitchen.

I look forward to getting up in the morning and standing in the kitchen.


Finally, let's talk about the living room.
Near the large window overlooking the ocean, the velvet black "TSUDOI Sofa" sofa, which first attracted Mr. Yazawa's attention, is placed comfortably.
The latticework of the concrete ceiling and the rhythmic stitching of the sofa blend together strangely to give the large space a more three-dimensional appearance.
The sofa is a very interesting space," says Mr. Koyama, "but it would be uninteresting to have just a row of so-called two-seater sofas in the same room.
In this respect, this sofa comes in a variety of shapes, including a single-seat type, a couch type, and an ottoman, and the charm of this sofa is that the atmosphere of the space can be completely changed depending on how you combine them.
The children also enjoy it, and sometimes when they come home, the sofa is in a different position (laughs).

Yazawa says he likes to sit on the sofa and watch the ebb and flow of the tide and the weather of the day.
The position of the sun and the expression of the sea changes the energy of the room, which in turn changes my own energy," he says.
Living in harmony with nature is a true sense of well-being.

The wife also commented, "Since I started living in this house, I look forward to getting up in the morning.
When I stand in the kitchen first thing in the morning, I can see the sea and the sky beyond the window, and I can tell the time according to the position of the sun.
I feel happy to be able to cook while looking at the beautiful scenery.

A lifestyle of well-being where one can experience nature will nurture a happy future for the family.

[Hiring Items]
Kitchen
iNO
Size:W364/D105cm
Door: Stone Natural
Sink: Stone natural 3D Sink
Handles: Flat bar
Worktop: Emblem Top ice
Range Hood: UFO (W90cm)
Refrigerator: mabe MSMS2LGSS

Interior
Sofa: Tsudoi set, Tsudoi 1SA (velvet black)
Stool: Ai Stool 65 (Kartell)
Outdoor sofa: Hi-Lay sofa (Kartell)
Outdoor chair: Highlay armchair (Kartell)
Outdoor side table: Tea table (Kartell)
Outdoor side table: Highlay coffee table (Kartell)
Lighting: Flock of Light 21 (moooi)
Low table: Padma table 90/120* (Padma)
Table: Iperbolle table* (Kartell)
Chair: Iperbolle S Chair*.

*Sales are currently discontinued due to limited availability.

[Profile.]
Mr. Yazawa says, "I can look forward to the future because I am satisfied with my life. A home is the base for that," says Mr. Yazawa. He lives in a new house in Okinawa with his wife, who is an excellent cook, and their two daughters, the eldest who is 9 years old and the second who is 3 years old.

(photo: Yuji Umakoshi / movie: Yoshiaki Ida (Alien design & photography) / design and construction: Ki Construction (Studio Bespoke))

(text: Shihoko Tomibe)

Previous "Owner's Voice" is here.

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