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Japanese architectural firm EASTERN Design Office has designed the Keyhole House in Kyoto, Japan. The house gets its name from the unique façade design which has a window shaped like a keyhole. Situated along a narrow street of a crowded town, the Keyhole House is built for a family of four and two cats. A thin steel eave is fixed to the façade as if it is floating.
The triangular roof and randomly arranged small windows on side wall provide enough light into the house. The exterior cladding of this house is mortar with sumi ink which perfectly matches with the red wine-colored front door. According to the architects, “A house can be called a key, which will open up your life happily. Such a small key, this house is a key!”
The ground floor of this small 100 square meter, two-story house has a Japanese-style room, a kitchen and dining room and a catwalk for two cats. The first floor which is accessed via an L-shaped staircase has two bedrooms, a living room and terrace.
Photography: Koichi Torimura