Atsumasa Tamura Design Office Creates a Work of Art for All Seasons

Some art collectors clear off a wall for a new favorite. Some empty a room to display it. Neither option was enough for the client of Atsumasa Tamura Design Office: He renovated an entire house in Wakayama City so that he could admire Hiroshi Senju’s “Yozakura Gekka.”

The firm kept the frame of the 750-square-foot house, built of wood four decades ago, but integrated into its 8 ½ foot-high ceiling a curve based on Piet Hein’s Super Ellipse formula. They opened the west side into a single space, divided by a storage unit, for the living room/study and bedroom.

Senju’s representation of falling cherry blossoms is a tribute to spring, and so seasons became inspirations throughout: a hemp pattern across sliding doors blooms with the warmth of summer; a traditional Byakudan lacquer covers a panel in of maple leaves in autumn’s brilliant scarlet and gold; and a silk patterned with evergreen pine needles blankets the ceiling to keep out the chill so admirers can celebrate the painting all year long.