Southern Cabin | AODA Design

Originally a standard high-rise apartment in southern Japan, this residence has been reimagined as a calm and grounded retreat—one that honors material honesty, architectural memory, and the rhythms of daily life.
The client was drawn to unprocessed textures and the quiet expression of natural materials. In response, the design retains much of the existing structure, including the exposed formwork concrete walls, which are now repurposed as a spatial canvas. Warm walnut wood and refined quartz tiles are used consistently throughout, creating a restrained material palette that bridges the rustic and the precise.
The layout is deliberately simple, allowing light and movement to flow freely. Each decision—from circulation to cabinetry—seeks to distill the essence of dwelling, crafting a space that feels soft, measured, and personal.
Rather than treat the apartment as a series of functional zones, the design positions it as a vessel for living—where rituals, objects, and emotions accumulate meaning. Subtle contrasts between old and new, rough and smooth, quiet and articulated, create a dialogue between inhabitant and space.
Here, “Southern” speaks not only to location but to a pace: slower, warmer, more reflective. Southern Cabin becomes more than a home—it is a place where life gently settles, expands, and continues.

Photography: Ivan Chuang