How about living all together in one big room? Although the idea does not sound very friendly at the beginning, the things will immediately change if you happen to meet Japanese architect Takaaki Kawabat,  a senior associate at Janson Goldstein in New York. Growing up in a one-room farmhouse on the island of Ishikawa must have produced a huge influence on Takaaki’s interior design philosophy. The kitchen, the living room, two sleeping areas and even a large dressing area were built into the architecture of a 1,100-square-foot log cabin in Garrison, New York. Talented architect, Takaaki ended up doing much of the work himself on weekends with help from family and friends—”my father came from Japan to put up the siding with me, and my mother helped restore the chimney; we camped out on the property and neighbors brought us lunch.” Therefore, no need to worry if you have only one room to share with family and friends!

Photographs by Mikiko Kikuyama.

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