Car-centric architecture is awesome, but it seems to have lost its visual impact because it’s no longer a novelty. The Circus is different, not because it’s a more elegant spin on the garage house but because of its incredibly beautiful design.
Garage houses and man caves feel like they’re a dime a dozen these days, where every mega-mansion has either one or both. The idea of a space dedicated exclusively to cars, or to male companionship and alone-time, is still very appealing, so it’s not like you could blame millionaires for giving in to this fad. But here’s Cubo Design putting a very elegant spin on it.
Cubo Design is a Japanese design firm, and The Circus is their latest project, located in Futtsu City, the Chiba Prefecture. Completed in 2022 after 1.6 years of construction, The Circus is inspired by one of those old-school circus tents but with the functionality, amenities and styling of a modern abode, starting from the idea of creating a space where the owner can live with his cars.
That might sound ridiculous to someone who’s not a car enthusiast: why would you want to drive your car inside your home, and then have it there to occupy space and take up a big chunk of your personal bubble? The answer is obvious for a car enthusiast: because that’s the only way in which you can make the most of your car even when you’re not driving it. When said car is actually a small but impressive stable of Prancing Horses, then you’re excused for wanting to share your home with them.
Photo: Koji Fujii / TOREAL
The same goes for the owner of this circular home. Unassuming from afar, thanks to the dark wood used for the exterior, The Circus presents as a non-intrusive, nondescript structure. This is on purpose, even if it’s a deceiving first impression. Cubo explains that they wanted the house to blend in, to lose itself in the surrounding environment, and this was one way of doing it.
As for how The Circus came to be circular-shaped, it’s because the owner wanted a space with flexibility for a variety of uses. A circus tent offers a lot of space inside a small volume, precisely because it demands multi-functionality. So this home “borrowed” the open-plan layout with multi-functionality of spaces and pieces of furniture, allowing a larger number of possible combinations for cars and people.
The Circus offers a living area of 312.5 square meters (3,364 square feet) divided between two floors. On the ground level are the main lounging areas and the parking spots – three of them, for three of the owner’s Ferraris – the kitchen, and a full-size spa with a hot sauna and an oversize shower. The upstairs area is actually a central platform suspended to the multi-faceted walls, and holds the owner’s personal retreat, with a bedroom, a spa area with a jacuzzi, and another lounge area.
Photo: Koji Fujii / TOREAL
In writing, the design is not that impressive – it could even be described as basic, with the more recent, slightly-negative connotation of the word in mind. But in photos, The Circus comes across as a most elegant and most surprising space, very intimate and masculine by excellence, yet inviting and modern.
The ground floor is the perfect example of that, with its kitchen unit grouped in the center of the structure, with every modern appliance hidden from view, and the wraparound, sunken dining area. On the wall is the sauna, and the shower room.
But the highlight is the cars themselves, which dominate the space with their presence and, at the same time, allow visitors to take in their beauty from all angles, as they would on a display floor. No details about the owner are included with the project description, as was to be expected, but it’s clear that he has a soft spot for Ferrari. A large piece of fabric with the Ferrari prancing horse occupies a large section of one wall, much like a piece of art would.
Cubo says that The Circus aims to create an “unreal space,” one that blurs the lines “between cars, people, and space.” The unique home does just that, by inviting cars into an entirely domestic space and by making them look not out of place in it. It also does that by turning the concept of a home on its head, abolishing well-defined living spaces and replacing what’s left with multi-functionality.
Photo: Koji Fujii / TOREAL
Granted, The Circus is not a proper home, in that it’s not designed for long-term living, but rather as a temporary retreat. Its focus on wellness and the very co-existence between man and cars it favors work against it as a full-time home. Then again, you know what they say: rules are made to be broken, and The Circus would be the perfect place to do that. While admiring those Ferrari works of art.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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