Inspired by traditional Japanese architecture, the Shou Sugi Ban House was designed for a couple with two young children and their desire for an Asian contemporary home. Completed in spring 2015, the project was collaboration between Houston (the client and the builder) and the Pacific Northwest (the architect). Built on an 18,000 SF lot in Houston’s Garden Oaks neighborhood, the 4,000 SF home’s seamless indoor outdoor spaces are both livable and modern. The house, which utilizes large overhanging roofs for shade and geothermal heating and cooling, has 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths and 2 half baths, as well as an office and quad garage with a grasscrete driveway. Besides natural materials another distinct characteristic of the home is its use of a charred cedar siding. The wood planks, which came from Seattle, were burned by the owners using an ancient Japanese method called shou sugi ban and used on the exterior and interior. Incorporated into the home’s architecture and interior are both personal and found objects, such as the red salvaged doors for the master bedroom, antique doors for the dressing room and an antique cabinet made by the owner’s grandfather, which all combine to make this home unique and special for the owners.
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