Takuya Yoshiba is a space designer at KOKUYO, where he works on designing office environments for global clients. At home in Tokyo, he lives with his wife and two children in a house he designed himself. Built on a compact block of land, the three-storey home makes clever use of vertical space—featuring an open atrium and a central evergreen tree that grows through it.
“Because I’m home every day, I want to build in little comforts,”
At the centre of the home stands a griffith's ash, planted with a crane during construction. It’s evergreen, though in winter it sheds many of its leaves—cleaning up is part of the rhythm of family life. Each Christmas, they wrap it with lights and enjoy it as a natural tree.
“On Sunday mornings, I’m still in bed upstairs when the kids yell up from below, ‘Wake up!’” he laughs. The tree connects each part of the house, becoming a quiet presence in their everyday routines.
Takuya also chose to keep the home's rust-proof primer exposed—its muted grey and beige tones became the key colours of the interior. The subtle palette allows furniture and artwork to blend gently into the space without overwhelming it.
Balancing work and family, individuality and togetherness, this is a home that reflects how they live—honest, warm, and made for real life.
What inspiration will you take from their world?