‘It feels like I’m staying at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) when I come here. Sometimes, I stay with my children, and other times I come alone. I don’t go out much because it’s so comfortable.’

Masahiro Sambe, who is active in a wide range of fields as a photographer, including magazines, advertisements, and art projects, came across this house when he turned 40.

‘My thoughts and moods change when I change places. Here, I can work on the photo selection for an exhibition, or write manuscripts for my online article series. I think this space helps me when I want to do work that requires a different mindset from photography.’

This house has a floor area of about 50m², with one Western-style room and one Japanese-style room, plus a bath with natural hot spring water. In the living room where wind blows through, there is a beautiful carpet from Yamagata Dantsu, a historic manufacturer established in 1935.

‘When we renovated this place, we had the dining table and sofas designed low because we thought people would be sitting directly on the tatami mats and carpets more often. Nychair X blends in well with this furniture and can be put away when we want to keep the room tidy. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become somewhat uncomfortable with solid or heavy furniture. I think this room reflects the comfort I am looking for now.’

The designer of this resort condominium, Junzo Yoshimura, is a master of residential design who is often described as an ‘American-trained modernist with a downtown mentality’. Junzo Yoshimura apprenticed under the American architect Antonin Raymond, gaining experience for about 10 years, during which he learned Western architecture and lifestyle. As a student, he frequently visited Kyoto and Nara, to measure the actual dimensions of tea ceremony and drawing rooms.

‘The design is simple yet elegant. It is rational yet warm. It is not only Japanese, but also has a connection with the West. I think there are similarities between Junzo Yoshimura’s architecture and Nychair X.’

Nychair X, with the lowest seat height in the series, offers stability. This chair has a high back and supports the head during relaxed reading, movie watching, or even idle contemplation. Dark brown armrests were chosen to match the colour of the fittings in Masahiro Sambe’s room. The chair seamlessly integrates into the space by aligning Nychair’s colours with the floor and various wooden fittings that create the tone for the whole room, even when the layout is changed for different moods or guests.