Tom Johnson / Design

This lakefront house was built to replace a multigenerational low-slung cottage which had fallen into disrepair. The clients loved the lined-in-cypress modern style seen in other projects I’ve designed in both Japan and the Finger Lakes. And wanted high ceilings with lots of lake views, sitting only 30’ away.

Wood-slat louvered panels cover the entire face of the lake-side of the house. These panels are extremely effective to create shade, and to cut heat or wind. Also are used as privacy panels.

The house’s main living spaces are on the upper level, allowing for spectacular lake views. Built over the two-car garage “boat house” is a covered lounge and dining area, protected with sliding louvered panels when one needs it.

The interior is completely covered in American Cypress, with all doors built on-site.

Special thanks to Benton Builders for their tireless efforts.

Completed Autumn 2022.

Completed Summer 2020, this lakefront house sits high on a hill surrounded by trees and vineyards, at the very tip of the Keuka bluff. Built for a young family, it is both clean and modern and rough-and-tumble.

The antique barn frame was rescued from the client’s previous country property, allowing us to create a house around an antique frame that had personal relevance to the family.

Built by my go-to local teams: Benton Builders and Martins Electric.

Paul Hobbs—world-famous wine maker, with wineries in Napa Valley, France, Spain, Armenia, and Argentina—decided to embrace Finger Lakes riesling and established his own winery overlooking Seneca Lake. Grapes were flourishing and a couple of vintages in, they started building a tractor shed with spectacular views of the lake which was quickly decided was a better spot for a tasting room.

They brought me in to see what might be done with the half-constructed building. After a few brainstorm meetings we blended together the simplicity of Japanese and Scandinavian sensibilities with the no-nonsense utilitarian qualities of a Finger Lakes winery.

The result is a modern wood-lined space, concrete floors, and framed spectacular views of the lake.

Cascading down a hillside toward the beach, a series of connected multi-level structures make up this weekend house.

Glass walls slide away into wall pockets.

Decks and wooden benches, overlooking the beach and off to Mt Fuji in the distance, define the exterior spaces.

The interior is lined in wood and stone and old-school “shikui” plaster. The exterior is clad in cedar with stone walls and slate roofs.

Special thanks to Toshiro Takehara (Takehara Design & Supply) and Tsutomu Saito (Studio Glam) for their support on this project.

Built in two phases, the Disco Corporation headquarters in Omori, Tokyo is made up of two opposing buildings connected by glass bridges.

The first building faces the street, and there is little to give away what lies inside. There is a clean, spacious reception area, and once deeper in the building it becomes clear that there is a green valley created by tiering the building, with opposing terraces filled with trees and bushes.

The second building is nearly a mirror image of the first, with terraced green balconies and offices. The upper levels, however, are outfitted with dormitory-style residences for freshman employees, a gym with “floating“ yoga studio in an atrium space housing recreation spaces and dining options. In addition, there is a complete gym facility including an infinity-edge lap pool. The “sento” baths have views of the city and the planes landing and taking off at Haneda Airport.

Removing a difficult to use cruise-ship-type deck off of an existing house, the goal was to create more useable dedicated outdoor spaces. Also, we managed a gut renovation of the main living spaces. with new openings onto the new outdoor living spaces.

By elongating the roofline of the house, two protected outdoor spaces were created, one for dining and one for lounging. Sliding louvered panels allow the client to cut heat, sun, and wind, when necessary.

New floor-to-ceiling lake-facing windows open the view up.

And the expanded open kitchen is now the true hub of the home.

Completed Spring 2021

Set on a sloping street, this is an owner occupied apartment building in central Tokyo. The three story building steps up the hill, giving a wonderful opportunity for a private rooftop garden.

The exterior is a modern use of classic Japanese materials: white plaster, wood, and oya-ishi limestone. The interior spaces are clean and neutral with subtle details using live-edge wood, gray fired granite, and quarter-sawn oak.

This was another joint effort working with the Obayashi construction team, with me as the project designer.

Set on 20 acres of vineyard, and overlooking Keuka Lake, this house was built using a reclaimed 125 year old New York State barn frame which was carefully disassembled and then reassembled on our site.

The old barn serves as the main living space, however the balance of the 5,000 square foot house is all modern-built. The exterior has cedar siding and a cedar shingle roof; and the interior is lined in unfinished American cypress.

Notable details include copper kitchen counters, leather handrails and countertops, and beautifully crafted “secret doors” throughout.

The capable horse-and-buggy Mennonite team (Benton Builders) enlisted to build this house in 2007 have continued to work with me on all of my projects in the Finger Lakes region.

Located just off “sanko-zaka” in the Shirokane neighborhood of Tokyo, “Atherton Place” is a seven unit, owner occupied, apartment building.

A design priority was to create private & usable outdoor spaces for each unit. With the best views from the front of the building, the elevator and stair core had to be set toward the back, resulting in an unexpected and charming approach through the garden.

A commitment to keeping as many of the existing mature trees in tact was another priority, a concept which won us the “keeping Tokyo green” award (Minato-ku.)

This was a joint effort with Nakagawa Architects, with me as the project designer.

The interiors are kept simple with white oak floors, classic white kitchens & baths, and walnut cabinetry.

A decade-long phased project, the factory building in Kuwabata (near Hiroshima) was designed to be easily added on to. Strong vertical dividers allow the building to be seen as a series of smaller complete entities.

There are few windows, but by placing giant metal screens on the face of the building we were able to cover all HVAC and other equipment, and free up the roof for solar panels and employee recreational spaces.

Phase One started with general factory and warehouse spaces, and with dormitory quarters and employee spaces on the upper floors. Phase Two continued in this vein, with gym, indoor pool, and rooftop tennis courts on the upper levels.

Phase Three added yet more factory space, and on the upper levels there is an extensive employee resort, also of my design.

Phase Four is currently under construction, with more factory and warehouse spaces, and a rooftop baseball field.

After huge popularity with the Chino Cottages for Disco Corp’s employee’s use, the challenge was thrown at me to create a company resort on the roof of the Kuwabata factory building.

A modern, updated version of the Chino Cottages was created, with more streamlined villas and rooms, but without changing the warmth of the wood-lined spaces. Each villa has a fireplace, kitchens, and en suite bathrooms. And one has a pizza oven, too.

The bathrooms are outfitted with hinoki wooden soaking tubs, and there is a jacuzzi room as well.

In addition to six 4-bedroom villas and many more hotel-style rooms, there are two restaurants, a large meeting and event space, and a gym. All of this surrounds a newly planted forested hilly garden with koi pond, waterfalls, and a putting green golf course. A kids pool with water slide was added near a barbecue terrace, which also overlooks a soccer field.

Under construction is Phase Four of the factory building which will have a regulation size baseball field and more hotel-style rooms.

This is another collaboration with Obayashi construction team, with me as design director.

Designed and built in 2005-2006, this is the first barn/home I created using a barn frame in its entirety. The barn frame came from Wingham, Ontario.

I was fortunate to live in this house for eight years. The ideal weekend getaway, it was a magnet for friends and relatives—the five bedrooms were full nearly every weekend I was there.

Lined in white painted knotty-pine tongue and groove wood with dark-stained wide plank pine floors, it was unexpectedly “cozy”, despite 26’ ceilings.

The over-sized split river rock fireplace anchored the house in the winter; and on the opposite end of the house was the kitchen porch leading to a gravel patio and garden with wisteria-covered dining arbor.

This project was a life-changer, solidly connecting me to the Finger Lakes wine region, introducing me to the horse-and-buggy Mennonite community (who I still happily work with on my barn projects), and turning me into “the barn guy” resulting in many barn projects following this one.

It was published in Martha Stewart Living magazine (October 2010).

Angin Sepoi (meaning “gentle breeze”) is a unique ocean-front resort, steps from surfer-friendly Echo Beach, in Changgu, Bali.

The client, a Japanese physical rehabilitation doctor, spent his life traveling to Bali with his father, also a doctor in the same field. Upon his father’s death, he decided to create a resort in his father’s honor; one that was completely barrier-free, allowing their healthy-yet-disabled clients to visit and enjoy the charms of Bali.

He bought an empty plot of land overlooking the ocean, adjacent to a small temple complex.

The design goal was to create a very classic Balinese cluster of buildings, traditional in spirit. Loaded with charm, there is a carved-on-site dragon handrail, a carved-on-site birds-in-bamboo stone lattice wall, and various classical brick and stone walls, fountains, and gates.

The landscape design was developed simultaneously.

There are four bamboo-and-teak-lined villas and two additional guest suites, each with private patios, gardens, and water features. An open-air restaurant and lounge overlook the wheelchair accessible roll-in infinity-edge pool. A small spa for massages and aroma-therapy is entered via a wooden bridge.

For those who have some mobility, there is even a water-channel snaking throughout the property where one can walk in the water, against a current, to develop muscle strength.

After enjoying their wine a few years, I finally met the owners of HJW and we jumped into a style-collaboration synergy lasting over the past ten years.

We started with renovating their retail space. Then, moved on to adding offices in their mezzanine, a subtle addition to a previous time-tested 1980’s post-modern design in their old barn. Finally we created an addition to house a heated tasting room, customer toilets, and a long over-due covered press pad.

We found a small pig shed only 1/4 mile away from the winery. It polished up nicely.

In addition, we have since created a customer-friendly barrel room, tank room, and bottling room.

The old monolithic tasting counters are gone, replaced with friendlier counter-height tables we collaborated on.

A private company resort was created for high-tech Disco Corporation, set in a forest immediately adjacent to one of their factories in Nagano. Cool in the summer and near many ski resorts for winter enjoyment, the project was developed to be a year-round “besso” for company employees.

Phase One included two eight bedroom “cottages”. Cozy in the winter with fireplaces and pizza ovens. And summer breezes are captured with sliding glass walls that open the main living areas completely to the outdoor terraces. The exterior is black-stained cedar, reminiscent of shou sugi ban burnt wood. The interior is lined in unfinished cedar. Details include hinoki-wood bathtubs, Nouguchi Akari lamps, and custom-designed fireplace hoods.

Phase Two brought two similar, yet smaller, three bedroom cottages to the same forest setting.

This project was created with the Suwatec construction company, with me as the project designer.

We are now building Phase Three, a “bunk house”, which will house 64 people in four bunk rooms.

Concurrent to building the Chino Cottages, an adjacent event center was built for corporate meetings and events.

The main event room, lined in wood and stone, has views into the forest on all sides. The room is outfitted with high tech equipment for multi-media presentations and training sessions. Large metal panels are used with magnets as “pin-up boards.”

The main stair leads up to a “sento” public bath area, accessible to all of the cottage guests. Both the men’s and women’s baths have open views to mountains and forest.

The client acquired a 1980’s villa in Ho Chi Minh City’s best residential area (Thao Dien, or District 2) to outfit as a pre-school for kids 18 months to six years old.

The villa had a long, large property on which we could expand.

Priorities in their education style required extra-amounts of outdoor play space, including lots of garden in which to play and also grow flowers and vegetables. And my inspiration was to create a beautiful space that didn’t pander to toddlers. So, we came up with a clean design concept that would allow the kids to layer in their own elements, colors, artwork, and activities.

The villa required a gut-renovation which we lined in neutral tile floors, wood ceilings, and white walls (with charming murals throughout.) Clean, yet friendly.

The new wing has five larger classrooms separated by sliding walls all opening onto a large covered semi-circular play space for the rainy days. A rooftop play space above.

There is also a kid-sized swimming pool, cafeteria and kitchen, library, art room, and dance studio.

Opening Fall 2019!

The Harley School owned an old barn frame, and they wanted to build a new net-zero energy efficient science wing for the middle school.

I was enlisted as the project designer and I brought in architect Chris Costanza (9x30 Design) as architect of record, and to skillfully develop the project’s technical side.

The design ultimately was a group effort with faculty involvement and the contractor’s input.

Sadly, much of the original barn frame was discarded by the structural engineer. However, my original napkin-sketch concept survived: a glass wall “leaning” on the old barn, creating a greenhouse.

Two science classrooms are on the main level. The upper level has a flexible event room, and also a classroom for applied empathy. The lower level has two large spaces for large projects such as boat building.

A long hall/bridge from the existing school to the barn was created and lined with reclaimed wood, and a very long bench for the students as a hang-out space.

This “cottage” is my current residence. Purchased in 2016, the house had wonderful bones and charming details…but the 1980s cherry kitchen was typically suburban, and all of the baths were outfitted in gold-hardware & pink granite.

My aim was to create a modern space, but without losing any of the old-world charms. It involved a new cedar-shingle roof, improved HVAC systems, and a gut renovation in most rooms. The re-imagined quarter-sawn white-oak kitchen now opens up into the rest of the house through a gothic arch, replicating existing details. Glass doors from the living room open out onto new stone terraces and paths loaded with planters & new hedges. Ceilings were coffered. Original floors refinished.

It is all still a work in progress.

New owners. Old established winery. Great views.

The goal was to update the tasting room and the retail space. And, most important, to take full advantage of the quintessentially Finger Lakes view of grapes/lakes/ravines.

This required tearing some rooms down, and gutting other spaces, and then wrapping a porch around the building. Simplifying and updating. And adding a more modern sensibility to the old shed spaces we had to work with.

The owner was inspired by selling wine out of crates-as-shelves, so I developed a wine display fixture with finger-jointed crates that appear to be floating.

Currently we are working on landscaping, per my sketches.

For the third L’Usine cafe in central Saigon, the new owner of the brand was looking to update the look from rustic warehouse-chic to something new. The location, an existing four story building, had more residential proportions.

Teaming up with Barnaby Hewitt of BHA Architects, a “colonial deco” design was developed, inspired by the many villas built in Saigon in the early 20th century.

To propel the customer to the top of the building, we connected floor-to-floor with various unique staircases, as well as creating a dramatic opening from the 2nd to 3rd floors.

Mid-20th century classic design elements are seen throughout, including: Pakhaus lights; Nouguchi “Akari” lantern; Breuer & Thonet chairs; Nakashima-inspired live-edge tables and counters; a Calder-inspired mobile; etc.

Given an empty lot to work with, the regional offices for Disco Corporation in Kyushu were set at the edge of an existing grove of trees. Technology meeting nature. Taking full advantage of the cool shady setting in this hot climate, all of the offices (including the customer-accessible dust-free room) are glass-lined and facing the forest.

The second floor is for employee enjoyment: dining, fireplace lounge, barbecue terrace, and even a small gym.

This was another joint effort with the capable Obayashi construction team, with me as the designer for the project.

High on a hill overlooking Isshiki Beach and the town of Hayama, this house is in an extremely private setting. The client wanted something very American in spirit—a barn-style seemed like an appropriate way to go.

The house opens onto 180-degree vistas of the ocean with Mt Fuji in full view. The concept was to create a traditional-feeling space with very modern lifestyle requirements.

In addition to the building and landscape design, this is a rare instance that I also decorated the house, traveling with the client to Maine, Connecticut, East Hampton, and New York.

(This house was completed in 2003 while I was still working with Ryuichi Gokyu at G2 Design Studio, and living in Japan. It is the first time I worked with old barn wood—purchased in New Hampshire and shipped to Japan. It is what ultimately inspired me to build my own barn-style house, The Wingham Barn, a few years later.)

Set on top of a hill, surrounded by fifty acres of vineyards, this house has spectacular views of Keuka Lake below.

The client requested a compact barn-style home. Rustic and modern.

One special requirement was to use old fixtures such as antique sinks and counters. The old wood doors, salvaged from an old convent, are remarkable in that they have all-wood latches.

This is a renovation project, turning a 1970’s classically Japanese-style home into something more international.

The main living space, previously with tatami mat floors, was converted into a living room with wood floors. We opened this room out onto the garden and wonderful views of the mountains.

From the “engawa” off the living room, we added a wood stair down to a gravel terrace, and then lawn. A stream was added to attract many “tombo”, the beautiful buzzing dragonflies of Japan.

The previous kitchen was separate and used by staff only. We opened this up onto a new dining space, and created a space where the client could cook with their friends.

Designed for a young, growing family living in the Finger Lakes, this house is a rustic “loft” built within an antique barn frame moved to the site. The kitchen, dining room, living room, and library are all completely open and connected, circulating around a central stair.

The house is very modern in spirit, but outfitted with many traditional local details such as the “cattle-shute” handrails, “corn crib” lattice walls, and remarkably oversized 125 year old beams holding up the second floor.

A townhouse designed for a young family in central Tokyo, completed in 2018.

Four floors and a roof garden.

The client started working with a home builder, but had little success getting something they wanted to live in. I was brought into the mix to create a more authentic and rational approach; promoted the use of natural materials; and created a sense of place.

Special thanks to Toshiro Takehara (Takehara Design & Supply) for his collaboration and support.

Designed and built while I was working at G2 Design Studio, this mountain getaway was created for “Takako”, the celebrity make-up artist.

Built on a very steep slope the house has wonderful views of wobbly mountains and distant ocean. The upper level is loft like, with a screened porch at one end opening into the kitchen and living room; and the “onsen” bath at the other, next to the master bedroom.

Takako’s special request was to have a classically Japanese multi-purpose “tatami room” which can be used for lounging, dining, or sleeping. We put that in a box floating in the living area.

Takako added her flair with personal finds, such as a red chandelier and furniture bought in Bali. The two guest bedrooms down the spiral staircase were decorated with mosquito netting, another Takako whimsy.

(The house was featured in a television story about Takako, in which I made a special guest appearance!)

A multi-generational residential compound on Tokyo’s most tranquil street.

From the street, one only sees a stone wall and a small rose-covered building with teak entrances. Beyond the gates and through the residence, is a very private courtyard garden defined by three separate buildings, bridged with greenhouses and stone terraces.

Indiana limestone, “shikui” plaster, and teak exterior, with slate roof.

Interior details center around custom teak and leather built-ins. Limestone fireplace. Fantastic pocket doors, shoji, and screen doors all slide into walls for full-open indoor-outdoor lifestyle possibilities.

Featured in At Home magazine.

My personal country house from 2000-2005, this 1880’s cabin was beautifully situated on Ram’s Horn Pond, a lovely kayak ride away from the Connecticut River.

The house required a gut renovation. And a few additions.

Featured in Cottage Living magazine (USA) and At Home magazine (Japan)

Before and after pictures are shown here.

Originally built as a gymnasium for the University of Rochester, this abandoned 1880’s stone building was converted to office space in 2017 for the non-profit Measures For Justice.

The concept was to create both classic office spaces as well as communal lounge areas where employees could work either at a desk or on a sofa. Conference tables are also available.

Any original details salvageable were left in tact, such as the main staircase and a couple of crumbling brick walls.

In addition to designing the space, I designed the plywood furniture.

(Included is a “before” picture of the main space.)

A beautiful barn frame converted into a lake house, hovering over Canandaigua Lake. Classic details for a modern family.

Split river rock fireplace; a staircase made from rafters salvaged from the old Watkins Glen train station; cedar shingle roof; cedar siding and stone-clad basement level.

The barn was taken down in Penn Yan, NY, and re-built only a few miles away on the lake. Here are pictures showing what that process looks like.

This is the first apartment building I designed. There are only three units, with the main floor owner occupied.

Built on a steep slope with amazing views of Tokyo, the goal was to create outdoor spaces for each unit, capitalizing on the views.

A 1929 center entrance Colonial, backing up to a country club fairway, had an uninspired garden. The client wanted a pool for their four sons, and a jacuzzi and pool pavilion for themselves.

In the design process we threw in a stone retaining wall, boxwood hedges, bluestone pavers, an outdoor kitchen, and a dining arbor.

Pavilion details were stolen directly from the original house. Sliding lattice panels cut wind and add shade, depending on the season. And a wood-burning fireplace makes the space a three-season porch.

Two 2-story raw penthouse spaces were combined to create one apartment for a young growing family. Built for these art & objets collectors, the space had to be clean and gallery-like and ready to absorb the layers of wonderful finds the owner unearths on his travels.

Two terraces, two staircases, and many opportunities to create interesting, fun spaces for extended family members.

This compound, in the heart of Tokyo, was designed for an extended family. There are four distinct homes within inter-connected structures, although each unit has its own privacy.

The street-side of the house was designed to blend into the neighborhood. Very understated, and not revealing the beautiful private multi-level garden with waterfall and pond, in a nearly wild setting.

The interior details vary from one unit to the next although similar materials are used throughout unifying the project. Some units feel more traditional while others are more modern.

(This is the first house I designed in my career, and I am forever grateful to my client for giving me the opportunity to take on such an interesting project.)

This project has been published often in Japan, notably in Kateigaho magazine.

This old house was in need of bathrooms. My job was to create as many en suite bathrooms as possible. Classic, clean, modern, and user-friendly.

High-tech Disco Corporation moved factory operations to Chino, Nagano, Japan. I was brought in to design the factory building exterior and entry spaces, as well as a plan for future expansion (currently under construction.)

While at G2 Design Studio, I designed a series of shops for Lloyd’s Antiques in Japan, including Himonya (flagship), Tamagawa, Fukuoka, Kobe, and this store on “Killer Street” in central Tokyo.

I traveled with the owner to London a few times, gathered ideas while he bought his merchandise, and came up with a modern-meets-warehouse concept for his store/showroom.

The facade of the building was so tight to the narrow sidewalk, I decided to create an outdoor “room” first, before one enters the shop itself. It allows customers walking by a chance to casually spill in.

To bring some intimacy and structure to the experience of shopping in the space, the retail shop was divided up into various rooms to allow for some themed spaces. And centered in the shop we made a meeting space by reassembling the paneling of a room purchased in London. It is then anchored with a commanding library table and custom leather chairs.

The client bought property on a very steep slope with wonderful views of the mountains, and requested I build and furnish (all included—dishes, sheets, towels, etc) a Spanish influenced house. It was to be used on very rare occasions as a fun weekend getaway.

I went to Dallas TX and filled a container with materials, furniture, doors, cabinets, and everything else I could imagine. Kitchen items, linens, vases, etc. Not exactly authentically Spanish (as most of the salvaged items are from Central and South America), it was the spirit that counted for this frothy concoction.

One enters into a front hall and then immediately exits onto an outdoor deck with spectacular views across the valley. Beyond this deck is the main living space with living room, dining room, kitchen, and master bedroom suite.

Off of the front entry hall is a separate guest wing with small bedrooms and bath.

This project was done with the G2 Design Studio staff during my time there. A very fun project.

(The client, by the way, loved the outcome so much she decided to use the house far more often than she had anticipated.)