At home with AB Concept's Ed Ng and Terence Ngan in Karuizawa
The Karuizawa residence of AB Concept founders Ed Ng and Terence Ngan exemplifies the duo’s unique and eclectic design sensibilities.
Named Itsu Sho Sha, this private residence in Karuizawa, in the southeastern section of Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, is the home of architect and designer couple Terence Ngan and Ed Ng of respected Hong Kong design studio AB Concept. Completed in the summer of 2023, after almost three years of planning, the home reflects the couple’s personal taste and thoughtfully nuanced design approach.
Ng explains the residence’s name – Itsu Sho Sha – has three meanings. It refers to how the house sits alongside iconic Japanese red pine, its function as a home, and how it encapsulates a leisurely state of mind.
“Itsu Sho Sha is just an hour from Tokyo by bullet train. It’s not a typical house – it’s more like a small village, with four separate buildings, each with its own character and purpose. The name Itsu Sho Sha reflects a lot about where we are: it’s a nod to the beautiful Japanese red pines nearby, the fact it’s our home, and also a place where we can unwind and relax,” Ngan says.
One of the oldest and most famous summer resorts in Japan, Karuizawa sits on a raised plain at the foot of Mount Asama, one of Japan’s most active volcanoes. The area is known for its hot springs, lush forests, and stunning mountain views.
“We first fell in love with this place back in 2005 when we visited. Originally, we imagined it as a holiday retreat – a spot to escape the hustle and bustle, relax, and enjoy the changing seasons against the backdrop of those epic mountains,” Ng says.
“But over time, our love for Karuizawa grew deeper. We realised we didn’t just want to visit; we wanted to make it our full-time home. So, we started planning to turn Itsu Sho Sha into our main residence, blending into this serene environment and making it our own.
“Living here is more than just being in a beautiful location, it’s about embracing the tranquillity and charm that drew us in from the start.”
The couple decided on this mountainous site because they wanted their home to be elevated and to look out to ever-changing vistas of this beautiful part of the world. Their foremost concern during the planning stage was to engineer the structure to withstand earthquakes, which are always a possibility in Japan.
Aside from earthquake-proofing, they took a flexible and intuitive approach when designing, avoiding a rigid blueprint, and instead, simply envisioning a design concept arising from the materials, art, and objects they have collected and love.
Set on the edge of a valley, the house sits on a slope offering plenty of opportunity for them to play with perspectives. On the west side, they kept the ceilings low and the spaces very intimate, with close proximity to the slope and the trees. On the east, everything opens up dramatically. This architectural design creates a 360-degree experience where one can enjoy the views from any part of the residence.
Ngan says because this is their home, while working on it, they were free from any requirements of deadlines that are typical when working with clients.
“We took advantage of having complete design freedom and adopted a slow, organic process from the master planning to the interiors to the art. The result is a house built in harmonious response to the way we live, within and around the things and spaces that we love and need,” he says.
Adds Ng: “The design came naturally to us because we had already been living there for two years before deciding to build this house.
“We understood the environment and our lifestyle, and we knew how we wanted to enjoy living close to nature. We already had a master plan in mind, but this plan continued to evolve as we worked on it.
“Since we are the owners, we were fully responsible for any changes and decisions, and this gave us the freedom to shape it as we liked. Even now, we are constantly making small changes here and there as we live in it.”
Since the house is completely surrounded by nature, Ngan and Ng ensured its architecture harmonised with its natural environment. They designed a roofline that mimicked the shape of the mountains and planted cherry trees and ancient Japanese red pine at the entrance to the site. They used Japanese cedar – known to be one of the best woods that can be used both indoors and outdoors – for most of the house’s bones, as well as the walls and ceiling to create a connection to nature while providing a warm atmosphere.
“Karuizawa has quite harsh weather due to its mountainous location, with drastic changes in temperature and moisture. Cedar can withstand these conditions. The wood also brings a natural scent to the indoor spaces, to the point, that I don’t need to use any room aromas. All our guests immediately notice the calming scent when they step into the house,” Ngan says.
The cedar wood is complemented with local stonework floors and structural details, and expansive windows that draw in the outdoor views.
“We like to think of Itsu Sho Sha as a little village. Being on the edge of a valley, the house is built on a slope, allowing us to play with perspectives,” Ngan says.
“On the west side, we’ve kept the ceilings low and the spaces very intimate, emphasising a cosy, warm atmosphere, as this is a home, not a hotel. We both enjoy pieces that bring out our inner child. All the little things that make us happy neutralise any grandeur and make it feel more homely.”
Set within a 49,514 square-foot plot, the property – which has a total floor area of 10,010 square feet – is composed of several unique units, including the main residence, a gym and yoga studio, a drawing studio, an outdoor hot spring, a greenhouse, and a guesthouse. The garage (and gym) is set adjacent to the main house and is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment, including a sauna.
Set 33 feet downhill from the other units, is an eight-by-eight metre greenhouse resting on four thin columns, so it appears as if it is floating in the forest. During the colder months, the vibrant green plants inside this greenhouse contrast beautifully with the brown branches outdoors.
Also inside is a wooden sculpture by Paulo Neves, furniture by Hans Wegner, B&B Italia, Finn Juhl, and a playful hanging artwork by American sculpture Alexander Calder. This nature-ensconced greenhouse is where Ngan and Ng enjoy pre-dinner drinks with their guests. A few metres down from the main residence is a secluded outdoor hot spring within the forest to enjoy downtime while taking in the expansive views.
In the main house, the common areas feel inviting, yet spacious. The walls are mostly glass, and some of the ceilings soar over 16 feet high, with Cassina sofas, antique furniture, and a massive vintage glass chandelier from Prague that’s nearly nine feet wide. Also part of the interiors are cute stuffed animals and cartoon-inspired art pieces, along with a locally forged iron fireplace adorned with playful squirrel figurines.
“It’s all about balancing out the grandeur,” Ng reiterates. “While the view is the first thing one notes on entering any room in the house, it is especially true of the vast living room, which enjoys floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides overlooking the mountains of Karuizawa, with beautiful scenery, as the colours of the seasons change throughout the year.”
This space follows a neutral, minimalist palette, and is furnished with a stunning vintage Danish chandelier and statement elements such as a bespoke Poul Henningsen grand piano, a fireplace crafted by Mitsuo Nishida, and a large rug – a new design by AB Concept for Tai Ping.
In the dining room are chairs and stools by George Nakashima, a vintage dining table purchased directly from the family, a Gio Ponti sideboard, and much-loved Chinese antiques that have been collected over the years. A very special Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin 2 lamp, made of Japanese Aizu paulownia, stands in a corner, one of only 10 special editions commemorating the 150th anniversary of the legendary designer’s birth.
From the dining room, sliding glass doors open to a kitchen by Boffi that’s complemented by Caesarstone counter tops and appliances by Gaggenau and Sub-Zero. Near the dining area is a tatami mat room where the duo like to savour dessert after dinner. This tatami room features a screen by Japanese artist Shiriagari Kotobuki, and vintage chairs from Ngan and Ng’s private collection.
“Downstairs, next to my study, there’s also a Hinoki tub on a terrace that looks out over the winding stone paths of our property. From there, you can’t see our standalone garage or our former house, which we’ve turned into a guest space with its own kitchen and three bedrooms,” Ng says.
In the master bedroom, thick woolen curtains offset the scale of the house and bring a more cottage-like cosiness to the space. This part of the home features a vintage kidney desk by Kai Kristiansen, a chaise longue designed by Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm, and a master en suite by Boffi with a Japanese onsen bathroom.
A skylit staircase leads to a lower level where there is an office studio that’s designed as a structure with a much smaller footprint than the upper floor, and which cantilevers eight metres out of the slope, providing shelter for an outdoor deck and seating area.
“A home should be like a mirror; you should see your soul reflected in it. It should always express the personalities of those who will live there, making it either one of the most challenging design briefs, or the easiest, depending on how well the designer and occupants are acquainted,” Ng says.
Adds Ngan: “Terence and I are very eclectic because we love travelling, art, and handicrafts, but we never set limitations on our preferences. Anything that brings us joy, from mid-century furniture to a stuffed toy sitting in the middle of the living room, is welcome in our home.
“This eclectic approach makes the house reflect who we are. We don’t go for anything pretentious. If we want something flamboyant, we go for it. If we like minimalism in a part of the house, we keep it minimal. Hence, we don’t adhere to a specific style. It’s simply our home.”