Biophilic Design Is Not a Living Wall
Biophilic design is the practice of keeping a house in contact with the living world — through what you see from a window, what the rooms are made of, what grows inside and out, and where a person can sit and feel sheltered. It has a name and a date. Shinrin-yoku (森林浴), forest bathing, was […]
Fukinsei: Uneven, but Not Unbalanced
Fukinsei (不均斉) is the Zen aesthetic principle of deliberate asymmetry — the practice of avoiding the dead centre so that a composition reads as alive rather than resolved. In Zen thinking, symmetry implies completion, and completion implies an ending: something perfectly balanced has nowhere left to go. It is the first of seven characteristics of […]
The Villa That Faces the Moon
Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto, begun around 1620 by Prince Hachijō Toshihito and extended by his son to roughly its present form by 1662, is the most closely studied garden-and-building composition in Japanese architecture. Its principal rooms are turned some 29 degrees off the cardinal axis — not towards the sun, but towards the rising […]
30% Construction, 70% Care
A gardener in Japan told us something that has stayed with us. Interest in Japanese gardens overseas has never been higher, he said. People commission them, import the stone, source the maples. And then, a few years later, many of those gardens are gone — not destroyed, simply unrecognisable. They did not fail because the […]
When Everything Is a Feature, Nothing Is
In Japanese ink painting, the master’s hand is recognised not by what is included but by what has been cut away. A branch removed from the composition. A corner of the landscape left unpainted. An entire figure suggested by three brushstrokes rather than rendered in full. The Japanese call this Kirisute no Bigaku (切り捨ての美学) — […]
Danshari: Before You Renovate, Let Go
At Yoko Kloeden Design, when we take a brief for a new project, we ask our clients to provide a full inventory of their storage requirements. What arrives is a laundry list: seasonal wardrobes, sports equipment, wine, books, kitchen appliances used once or twice a year, collections accumulated over decades. The brief then becomes a […]
A Tale of Two Gardens
I grew up in Kyoto, visiting the Katsura Imperial Villa grounds as a child. I first visited Versailles as a university student. Two gardens built in the same century, on opposite sides of the world, both extraordinary — and yet the feeling of being inside each could not be more different. One makes you feel […]
Homes as Living Systems, Not Objects
The way we design our homes reflects how we see our relationship with nature. As a studio working between cultures — rooted in Kyoto, practising in London — I have become increasingly aware that this relationship is under strain. Climate change, overheating buildings, and a growing sense of disconnection from our surroundings are forcing us […]
The ABC of Japanese Gardens
Japanese gardens transcend mere scenic beauty – each is a layered, philosophical landscape that embodies a deep reverence for nature. These gardens function as microcosms of the natural world, rich with symbolism and designed to inspire contemplation. Over centuries, distinct styles evolved, each reflecting a unique purpose and context. From the austere Zen rock garden […]
Can a Home Be Calm and Bold?
As the evenings draw in and light fades earlier from our windows, it’s natural to retreat indoors—physically and emotionally. This seasonal shift brings an instinctive longing for warmth, protection, and intimacy in our homes. But for many, it also rekindles a design dilemma: how do we create spaces that feel calm and timeless, yet still […]