• ALCOVE begins its story in 2018, with the purchase of a 100 year old house on a side street of the seaside town of Onomichi, Hiroshima prefecture.

  • The house had been left in disrepair for a decade and was in desperate need of care. In came the lovely people at ATELIER ARCHITREE, a sustainable firm in onomichi.

  • Thanks to the careful and thoughtful redesign of the home, ALCOVE retained all of its original charm but with a refreshed, modern look.

  • Working with specialists in the Setouchi area ensured that we stayed respectful of locals whilst we were miles away in London during construction.

  • Eventually, after a little over a year of hard work, a very hot summer and many surprises (some good, some not so good...), ALCOVE was finally finished.

  • The house now features two floors of open plan space and light, airy walls painted with Yukari's favourite colours from her paint collaboration with WALPA Japan.

  • The softly lit atrium hallway with warm shoji screens allows for privacy on the top floor after a day of exploring the bustling streets of Onomichi.

  • Of course, we purposely designed ALCOVE to not only be a comfortable living space, but also a place where it would be easy to get things done.

  • A newly located and specially engineered staircase with steel slats allows for light to spill downstairs from the windows above during breakfast.

  • A big communal table was a definite 'must' when it came to designing the ground floor area, as well as an open plan kitchen, made for sharing.

  • We think it's the perfect place for holding a book club, a gathering place for cooking workshops, or even hosting a meeting with your company.

  • With so many coffee shops, bakeries and cafes around in Onomichi, you could even host a menu tasting party or a beautiful working lunch for your coworkers!

  • A housewarming party combined with a viewing took place in late 2019- the perfect test for us to host what would hopefully be one of many such events!

  • We all know what happened next- the COVID-19 pandemic grounded us and many others, meaning that we were unable to visit Onomichi for a number of years.

  • In Japan, the country remained open for business and so our wonderful project manager was able to organise several events and residences in our absence.

  • Back in London, we busied ourselves with finding a treasure trove of delights for us to bring to the house, and designed new products for our eventual return.

  • We have since transformed into a pop up shop for textile designers as well as been the backdrop for food styling lectures by local agriculture specialists.

  • We love Onomichi, and want to to introduce not only curious visitors to its many wonders, but also invite interested local businesses into the space.

  • For more information, or to book some time in ALCOVE, click on the 'VISIT US' button to enquire about our availability for the upcoming months.

  • We hope to see you soon! - Team ALCOVE Onomichi, 2023

THE ALCOVE
EDIT

Shop our collection of ALCOVE Onomichi home accessories and one off treasures collected in Japan.

Our Onomichi lifestyle at @alcoveonomichi

Join our community on Instagram!

What does a day off in the life of a superstar builder look like? • Our wonderful builder, Fujimoto san, is well known for being a bit of a dab (pardon the pun...) hand at fishing, and he shared with us some glorious photos of the Chiburijima Is
What is ‘ALCOVE Onomichi’? • Our house is called Alcove, but why did we choose to build it, and what is it used for? • We built Alcove not only as our home, but as a place for those who are beginning a new life in Onomichi. We o
"Easter is the only time it's safe to put all of your eggs in one basket!" • Easter in London is always a big, bright celebration! We spotted this wonderfully large and proud chocolate hen in @fortnums and smiled- what a wonderful thin
Spring is coming! • This time last year, we were wandering the streets of Onomichi without a care in the world- how quickly time passes! Today, we are busy working away in our little London studio, but we stop to remind ourselves that even here,
A moment of reflection. • On January 1st, a large earthquake hit the Noto Peninsula in Japan, causing destruction to the livelihood of many people. Our thoughts remain with those who continue to recover after the earthquake. • The talen
A sweet Valentines delivery! • In Japan, Valentines day is a little different than in the UK or US. Yes, of course it's for couples, but did you know about the concept of 'Giri-Choco'? This is a small gift of chocolate or confectionary that you
Precious little things! • It’s been a while since we shared some Greenwich Market treasures with you. Well, these ones are particularly pretty, aren’t they? We were speaking to the gentleman who owned the stall, who explained to us t
Looking back as we move forward. • Our start to 2024 was a quiet one, but we were saddened to hear of the large scale earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit areas of Japan. We are of course thinking about those affected and praying for the c
Merry & Bright! • As the year 2023 draws to a gentle close and we begin the celebrations towards the holidays and New Year, we reflect back upon the many wonderful people that we have met over this year. Not only were we able to return to On
A clean home is a happy home! • How do you ensure a home stays clean and tidy, all the way from another country? Thankfully, we have local Onomichi heroes who will come and help! • We have had the superstar cleaner @otasukeya.mtk come to wo
Happiness is a warm puppy! • Charlie Brown had it right when he declared this! Yukari spotted these two gorgeous boys in Greenwich Market over a month ago, and whenever we would visit she would longingly hope for them. After a few weeks of the s
Gone fishing! • Have you ever heard of a 'gluggle jug'? Yukari's recent trip to the weekend vintage market has resulted in some amazing finds, including this mid century fish jug, also known as a 'gluggle' or 'glug glug' jug thanks to the noise