The house continues to unfold itself towards completion. Yesterday, Sasaki-san’s team finished the railings on the 2nd floor.
The journey with the railings was a long one. It was a design decision the architect deferred so that we’d have freedom to choose what worked best when we saw the physical space. It was so amorphous that finishes for the 2nd floor weren’t even included in the house quotation.
And so in my mind over the past year there have been walls, windows, and railings in every combination. Materials have shifted from glass to wood to polycarbonate. We got quotes on Lumiwall, had a moment of price shock, and settled on wood railings.
Sasaki-san listened carefully to my requirements: safety first; light; privacy for guests; space for electrical stuff; and incorporating the jotoshiki post.
He went back to his workshop and in two days designed the railings. They are a masterpiece of simplicity and line. The wood is local Chiba cedar. The slats and rails are the same thickness, and the space between them is twice that width to create visual harmony. He says that working with the architect has opened his awareness of proportion.
I love the way the railings turned out. I feel secure and cosy without bing closed in. They look good from every angle, add to the character of the house, and at the same time, they aren’t eye-catching. I pointed out to Tod that they gently echo the design of the dividers in the old cow barn. I don’t know if that was intentional, but it is a delightful.
