Project Info
Project Name: Lulla House
Location: Kamakura, Japan
Designer: I IN Studio
Client: Sea Room Lynn
Set along the shoreline of Kamakura’s Zaimokuza Beach, Lulla House is conceived as a quiet retreat where architecture frames the changing moods of the sea. Designed by Tokyo-based studio I IN, the ocean-view holiday home is shaped around a simple yet evocative ambition: to transform everyday living into a continuous dialogue with the horizon.
The house was commissioned by the founder of the lifestyle and fashion brand Sea Room Lynn, who envisioned a space that could function both as a personal getaway and as an extension of the brand’s refined seaside identity. Located directly facing the water, the project draws inspiration from the site’s sweeping coastal panorama, where wind, sunlight and tides become active participants in the architectural experience.
Lulla House sits along Kamakura’s Zaimokuza coastline, its understated volume opening toward uninterrupted views of the Pacific while maintaining a quiet presence within the seaside landscape
A House Oriented Toward the Sea
Rather than treating the ocean as a distant backdrop, the design organizes the entire home around its presence. Large floor-to-ceiling windows line the main living spaces, dissolving the boundary between interior and landscape while flooding the rooms with natural light. From virtually every vantage point, the horizon becomes a visual anchor, reinforcing the sense of openness and calm that defines the retreat.
The spatial layout favors fluidity. An expansive open-plan living area connects seamlessly with the dining and kitchen zones, allowing gatherings to unfold against a continuous coastal panorama. This approach emphasizes ease and informality - qualities that echo the relaxed rhythms of seaside living.
The open-plan living area unfolds toward expansive glazing, where natural light, sea breezes and shifting coastal views shape the atmosphere of the interior
The kitchen balances functionality and elegance with warm material textures and custom detailing, echoing the refined yet relaxed lifestyle envisioned for the retreat
The bedroom is oriented toward the sea, where minimal interiors allow the changing colors of sky and water to become the room’s primary visual focus
Material Softness and Feminine Elegance
Inside, the interiors are intentionally restrained yet tactile. Natural materials such as hand-finished wood and woven rattan introduce warmth, while carefully crafted custom furniture reflects a gentle, almost fashion-like attention to detail. The palette remains soft and neutral, allowing the shifting colors of the sea and sky to become the dominant visual elements.
At the heart of the house, a sculptural spiral staircase rises as a spatial centerpiece. More than a circulation element, the staircase acts as a visual anchor within the open interior, its curved geometry subtly echoing the fluid movement of waves outside.
The project’s design language deliberately mirrors the aesthetic sensibilities of its client. Elegant yet understated, the interiors balance delicacy with craftsmanship, translating the ethos of the fashion brand into architectural form.
Natural materials including timber and woven rattan add warmth and tactility, reinforcing the home’s quiet dialogue with the surrounding coastal environment
The bathroom is composed in a palette of neutral tones, where natural stone, pale plaster, and warm timber create a calm backdrop that subtly frames the distant ocean view
A sculptural spiral staircase introduces softness and movement within the otherwise calm architectural composition
Living with Light, Wind and Water
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Lulla House is the way everyday rituals are choreographed around the landscape. A sea-facing bath invites moments of quiet contemplation, while wide glazing frames sunsets and shifting weather patterns as if they were living artworks.
The design’s openness also encourages a subtle awareness of nature: the sound of waves filters indoors, sea breezes circulate through the rooms, and daylight gradually reshapes the atmosphere throughout the day. These sensory elements create a home that feels less like a conventional building and more like an immersive coastal environment.
A freestanding minimalist bathtub is positioned toward sweeping sea views, turning the bathing ritual into a quiet moment of immersion in the coastal horizon
Floor-to-ceiling glazing frames expansive views of the Kamakura coastline, where the shifting sea becomes a living backdrop to the calm, minimal interior
Architecture as a Lifestyle Narrative
In Lulla House, architecture and lifestyle intertwine. Conceived as both retreat and creative expression, the home reflects a growing design tendency in Japan to craft residences that blur boundaries between living, working and personal identity.
Here, that philosophy is distilled into a simple but powerful idea: a house that quietly frames the sea. Through carefully orchestrated views, tactile materials and fluid spatial connections, the design turns the horizon into the true protagonist of the space.
The result is not just a holiday home, but a place where architecture slows down time, inviting its occupants to pause, observe and reconnect with the rhythms of the ocean.
PHOTO CREDIT: Tomooki Kengaku
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