Combined home and barber shop features exposed ceiling beams
The lower floor of this live-work building in Japan was designed by architects SNARK and OUVI as a barber shop, while the upper level contains an apartment featuring a spacious loft (+ slideshow).
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
The two-storey-high building occupies a triangular roadside plot on the outskirts of Takasaki, a city in Gunma Prefecture.
The building needed to be clearly visible to passing drivers, so that became the starting point for the design.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
SNARK's Sunao Koase and Shin Yokoo of OUVI – whose previous collaborations include a bronze-coloured house and a pair of apartment blocks – designed different facades for the residential and commercial parts of the building.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
The barber shop features a wooden clapboard facade that spans the width of one wall, while the rest of the building is clad with overlapping sheets of metal that follow the same proportions.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
"To characterise the building as a store, it needed to hold a commercial presence," said Koase. "Therefore, we decided to make the whole architecture as a sign. The external space will collect attention from outside."
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_12.jpg)
Inside, more timber boarding covers a partition wall reminiscent of a garden fence, which sits between the main styling area and the hair-washing space and stockroom.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
A selection of plants are dotted through the salon, while the timber ceiling beams have been left exposed overhead. Large windows allow views in from the street.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_13.jpg)
The apartment has a separate entrance, located on the opposite side of the building to where the barber shop is accessed.
![Shintou by SNARK and OUVI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_15.jpg)
It leads up to an open-plan living room and kitchen with white walls, wooden floors and angular ceiling beams.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_16.jpg)
Windows have been added sparingly in the apartment, with many concentrated along the roofline.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_22.jpg)
"The second floor has a hardly visible opening, preventing the passers-by from seeing inside," said Koase.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_17.jpg)
A stainless steel counter provides all of the kitchen surfaces and a small table creates a dining space with a low-hanging bulb suspended above.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_23.jpg)
Beyond the living room, a bedroom is tucked away at the back and a ladder leads up to the large loft that can be used as a playroom or as a second living room.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_24.jpg)
"From the windows upstairs, residents are able to see the magnificent view of the surrounding mountains – Akagisan, Asamayama, and Myougisan," added Koase.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_14.jpg)
Bathroom and wardrobe spaces are fronted by sliding doors to save space.
![Shintou by SNARK](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
Photography is by Shinzawa Ippei.
Project credits:
Architect: SNARK (Sunao Koase), OUVI (Shin Yokoo)
Cooperated Architect: Yanaimade (Masaru Yanai)
Structural engineer: OUVI (Shin Yokoo)
General constructors: Hirokami kensetu
![Shintou by SNARK and OUVI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_1.gif)
![Shintou by SNARK and OUVI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_2.gif)
![Shintou by SNARK and OUVI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_3.gif)
![Shintou by SNARK and OUVI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_4.gif)
![Shintou by SNARK and OUVI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_5.gif)
![Shintou by SNARK and OUVI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Shintou-by-SNARK_dezeen_6.gif)