A lovely café in Kanagawa, Japan by Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects

This collection of box-like structures is a small café and it’s located in a peaceful residential street from Kanagawa, Japan. It was designed and built by Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects in collaboration with structure engineer Tatsumi Terado Structural Studio. The café covers an area of 49.51 square meters and sits on a 341.19 square meter site.Built in 2011, the café features a contemporary design. It has a minimalist look, very simple and very nicely structured. Basically this is a collection of small, geometrically shaped volumes that are all interconnected.

They are scattered on the site and this design was preferred in contrast with a traditional approach with one large volume because, this way, more spaces can have a connection with the outdoors. In between these volumes several tiny courtyards are created. They let in natural light and they provide a sense of privacy but also of freedom as the volumes have direct access to a small outdoor area.

These mini-gardens are like tiny oasis in the middle of the building. They are enclosed by glass walls so that everyone can admire them from all sides. The whole café has large glass walls and windows and some of the rooms are also delimitated by glass walls. This way the spaces seem larger and airy. As for the interior décor, it’s very simple and almost austere. All the walls are white and the upper portion features wood panels that create a cozy feel.