Minimalist House, a single-occupant home above Lake Biwa in Shiga, Japan

The brief was a house for one person, and FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects decided that needn't mean a cramped one. Founder Kouichi Kimura told Dezeen that living alone was treated as a condition that "liberates space" rather than limits it. The result is Minimalist House, a 73-square-metre home of cubic volumes in corrugated metal and black render, set on a hill in Shiga prefecture looking towards Lake Biwa.

Everything turns on a tall void through the middle, which rises into a slim double-height volume poking out of the roof with a large window. Downstairs, grey plaster walls and dark stone floors hold the kitchen, dining space and study; metal and concrete steps lead up to the living space and bedroom. The road side is left almost blank, while the other side opens to the lake, with the table, desk and bed pushed up against deep-set windows. Kimura says the upper living space was also designed for listening to music, with sound filling the double-height room.

A glazed corridor with sliding doors leads to a separate single-storey washroom, so even the walk to wash comes with a lake view.

It's a private home, so one to admire in photographs, especially if you like small houses that feel generous.

Our summary of a story from Dezeen, published 29 October 2026. Read the original

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