Yukari House by Tanev Muir Architects

At the end of a leafy street adjoining Arakwal National Park, an existing dwelling’s internal plan – originally designed by Harley Graham Architects a decade ago – has been respectfully rearranged by Tanev Muir Architects. Yukari House achieves a delicate balance between Australian and Japanese influences, providing a greater sense of place, belonging and connection to its Byron Bay setting.

The brief for Yukari House was heavily influenced by the client’s deep cultural connection to Japan. Tanev Muir Architects approached the project with the intent to combine classical Australian design with the client’s penchant for Japanese details. The abundant use of native spotted gum timber, for example, across window jambs, joinery and claddings ties Yukari House to its geographical context of the adjacent nature reserve; the texture of rotary cut timber is in dialogue with the rough bark of the neighbouring trees. A dining table of the same timber species is integrated into a monolithic stone island and facilitates a teppanyaki cooking experience with direct service from cooktop to the table.

Tanev Muir Architects approached the project with the intent to combine classical Australian design with the client’s penchant for Japanese details.

The kitchen received the most changes, relocated from its original location within the home. The central space celebrates cooking, while new, strategically placed openings capture eastward views of the eucalyptus forest beyond the fence. To the west, overlooking the tuckeroo canopy and the bay in the distance, are aluminium, double-glazed, top-hung windows intricately framed with timber reveals. An automated sunshade across this length of windows conceals summer’s harsh conditions and enhances comfort and efficiency.

The considered blend of Australian and Japanese details continues in the reconfigured bathrooms, designed by Tanev Muir Architects to support the ritual of bathing widely practised in Japanese culture. Bathroom basins feature a semi-extruded design inspired by Kiyomasa’s Well, an historical relic of the early Edo period regarded for its positive energy. The architect’s nod to Japanese water wells is paired with a throwback to the one-piece Australian basins manufactured in stainless steel. A cedar bathtub is a focal point in the downstairs bathroom, while upstairs, an onsen-inspired external deck features a bath set on a tiled plinth, elevated to meet the tree canopy and draw the eye toward the ocean.

Tanev Muir Architects’ attention to detail is seen throughout all spaces of Yukari House.

Tanev Muir Architects’ attention to detail is seen throughout all spaces of Yukari House. In the living room, custom joinery and cabinetry elements include suspended display shelving and filigree battens on floating consoles, integrating air conditioning while concealing speakers, amplifiers and the client’s record collection. The media cabinet was also designed with multiple states of operability to conceal the television when not in use.

Yukari House is a considered renovation of the dwelling’s existing plan. The underlying commitment to functionality and the client’s personality presents a clear contrast between durable Australian elements and the refined Japanese detailing that defines the home’s character.

Architecture and interior design by Tanev Muir Architects. Build by Morada Build. Joinery by Fabrica Joinery.