House in Hayama by FujiwaraMuro Architects: A Courtyard Home Inspired by Resort Living

Located in Hayama, Japan, a coastal town known for its relaxed lifestyle and vacation homes, House in Hayama by FujiwaraMuro Architects reinterprets compact residential architecture through the lens of resort-inspired living. Completed in 2025 and spanning just 63 m², the house demonstrates how thoughtful spatial organization and architectural restraint can transform a modest footprint into an open, light-filled retreat.

Designed for clients seeking an open-air atmosphere reminiscent of a resort and a private outdoor space to enjoy time with their beloved dog, the project balances intimacy, functionality, and a strong indoor–outdoor connection within a dense residential context.

Privacy as a Design Generator

Although Hayama is dotted with holiday residences, the site sits within a tight residential neighborhood characterized by narrow, winding streets and close neighboring buildings. This posed a fundamental challenge: how to maintain privacy while creating a home that feels open, relaxed, and connected to the outdoors.

FujiwaraMuro Architects responded by turning inward. Rather than opening the house toward the street or neighboring plots, the design is organized around a central courtyard, forming a protected oasis shielded from external views. This strategy allows the interior spaces to open generously to the outdoors without sacrificing privacy.

A Courtyard as the Heart of the Home

The courtyard acts as the spatial and emotional core of the house. All major rooms—including the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living areas—are oriented toward this inner outdoor space, creating a continuous visual and physical relationship between inside and outside.

Large overhanging eaves frame the courtyard, filtering harsh summer sunlight while allowing soft, reflected light to enter the interiors. This passive shading strategy ensures comfort throughout the year and reinforces the house’s relaxed, resort-like character.

Santorini-Inspired Materiality and Atmosphere

The exterior of the house is finished in white plaster, intentionally evoking the sunlit architecture of Santorini, Greece—a direct reference to the clients’ vision of a tranquil resort home. This bright, minimal palette reflects daylight into the courtyard, amplifying the sense of openness despite the compact scale.

Inside, the kitchen continues the plaster finish, with a rounded form that softens transitions between spaces and complements the overall atmosphere. The careful use of curves enhances the sense of calm and flow throughout the house.

Living with Light, Water, and Nature

Both the bedroom and bathroom face the courtyard, allowing light to bounce off the white walls and gently fill the spaces. In the bathroom, this interplay of light and material creates an experience akin to an open-air hot spring, blurring the boundary between indoor bathing and outdoor relaxation.

A shower installed directly in the courtyard allows the residents to rinse off sand and sweat after surfing—one of their favorite activities—reinforcing the connection between daily life, nature, and leisure.

A Three-Dimensional Living Experience

The courtyard also acts as a vertical connector within the house. A set of external stairs leads directly from the courtyard to the second-floor deck and living room, enabling residents, guests, and the family dog to access the upper level without passing through the first-floor entrance.

This circulation strategy creates a three-dimensional spatial experience, linking interior and exterior, as well as upper and lower floors, around the central open space. The result is a house that feels dynamic, fluid, and far larger than its actual footprint.

A Compact Home with Resort Sensibility

House in Hayama exemplifies how small-scale residential architecture can deliver a rich lifestyle experience through intelligent planning and sensitivity to context. By prioritizing privacy, light, and outdoor living, FujiwaraMuro Architects have crafted a home that functions as a personal retreat—a place where everyday life unfolds with the ease and openness of a seaside resort.

All the photographs are works of Katsuya Taira（studioREM）