Welcome to the Court House | all photos by Toshiyuki Yano
All you avid sports fans out there won’t believe what this Japanese family did to their home, inspired by their love of basketball. If you were to take a stroll through the Shimojima area, a coastal neighborhood in Shizuoka, you might spot this “court house”, designed by the architects at Koizumi Sekkei. If you were lucky enough to befriend the family that lives there, you might get invited to step inside for a peek.
As soon as you enter, bam, there is a miniature indoor basketball court right there to greet you. No hallway or living room for this avant-garde family of three. Although the space is sized a fourth of the typical basketball court, a standard height hoop and a 6 meter tall ceiling lets residents throws all the free throws they could ever want. The layout is inspired by typical gymnasium structures, with the entire house organized around the core basketball court. With a cozy kitchen space behind wire mesh sliding doors to the right, a wash-room to the left, and several bedrooms upstairs, this family is all set for a life revolving around b-ball.
We’re definitely going to add this to our list of Japanese homes designed to keep you in shape.
Windows set up high shine light through two kids bedrooms, a wraparound library, and a master bedroom.
There is a narrow walkway so that residents can browse through the bookshelves or peer down at the game below.
A view across the way into a bedroom. A row of windows, set high up the wall, let light stream through without the prying gaze of nosy neighbors.
The small washroom adjacent to the court doubles as a storage and laundry area.
The mesh sliding doors protect the kitchen from stray balls.
Wouldn’t it be lovely to eat breakfast while watching a basketball game going on in real life rather than on the television?
