Keeping the house breathing.
Machiya are long and narrow, with small courtyards that bring light and air deep into the plan. Over the decades this one had lost both: courtyards roofed over, walls boarded, screens replaced by aluminium.
We opened the two courtyards again, repaired the earthen walls with the same clay found on site and remade every screen in hinoki and washi. The artist's studio sits at the back, facing a single maple tree.
