While many of the shows we watch and books we read can shape our lives, not many inspire homes and their characteristics. Totoro House, completed by CplusC Architecture Studio, has been shaped by Studio Ghibli’s animated fantasy film My Neighbour Totoro from 1988. The lessons the movie teaches about relationships with family, friends and nature are all seen within the final design, which proves its not only its name that the house takes from the film.
Designed for a young family that values the quality time that it spends together under the one roof, the clients were very keen to extend their original home into something more. That came in the way of a refurbishment and a new addition, that allows for more space under the one roof and a garden that is now seamlessly connected to the house.
Totoro House, despite being inspired by a movie that was released three decades ago adopts many contemporary design characteristics with the new extension. The house removes multiple boundaries and walls and combines the living, dining and kitchen into one large interwoven space that was unseen in the dwelling before the extension was erected. Walls that separated the spaces were reimagined as a vertical threshold that allows for connection despite working on different tasks. The extension also contains an outdoor living, cooking and seating area that acts as a transitional space out into the garden.
Much of Totoro’s inspiration is taken from the Japanese concept of ‘Shakkei’. Meaning ‘borrowed scenery’, Shakkei bridges the gap between interior and exterior, effectively incorporating background landscape into the composition of a garden. A circular motif carries through from the dining area to the living space window overlooking the rear courtyard, a framed transition from the interior to exterior influenced by Shakkei principles that allows for a clear connection to the garden witnessed by all areas of the addition. The window is operable and encourages natural cross ventilation. The frame is wide enough to allow for children to sit on the window itself. The room is fitted with two layers of blinds, that give the owner’s the ability to control levels of light and privacy as they wish.
The house comprises of three parts. The existing home that contains the bedrooms and private spaces of the children and parents, the open-plan addition and the courtyard and garden that lie beyond the house. Three bedrooms for the children, a master bedroom and a bathroom reside within the existing dwelling. Despite the refurbishment of the original site, its layout has not been majorly altered, with the main bedroom being the only major change. The garden was completed in collaboration with Bell Landscapes, and with Shakkei being heavily referenced within the site, CplusC were conscious of allowing for connection between the house and the outdoors. Native plants and climbing plants — that will grow to cover the master bedroom’s exterior wall — were utilised within the exterior space.
The new extension works as a link between the house and garden, which was unable to be easily accessed due to the topography of the site. Conscious of the adjacent neighbour, the spaces are tacked to the back of the house as opposed to the side to allow for privacy on both sides of the fence. Giving nothing away to the street except for the odd peak from certain angles into the colourful garden, the federation facade of the existing house provides a mask of sorts to the Japanese-inspired addition that lies beyond the front yard.
Sustainable materials were thoughtfully curated for Totoro House given CplusC’s desire to be environmentally conscious. Existing materials were reused, such as demolished sandstone foundations in the garden. A 3kW solar storage system and 8000L rainwater tank also ensure for sustainable living.
A shadow of its former self, Totoro House is now a connective, bright and modern space that allows for the growth in relationship between the clients and their children. The open-plan addition allows for this connection, with the backyard very much a part of the house in comparison to its relationship before. CplusC have done quite the job in intertwining everything old and new, and juggling the stylings of the existing federation home and contemporary Japanese addition create a house that the creators of My Neighbour Totoro would be proud of
