HAYAMA BEACH HOME racontée par Thara, Maison Little Tribu.
« Every place has a story.
Ours begins thousands of kilometers from Oléron, on the coast of Hayama, near Tokyo. For years, we returned there whenever we needed to breathe. Not because it was spectacular. Because it was simple.
The sound of the sea.
The rhythm of a small beach town.
A feeling that nothing was missing.
When we imagined our tiny house on Oleron Island, we did not want to recreate a Japanese house. We wanted to recreate that feeling. We have always believed that a home should feel like a third skin. Not something you simply occupy, but something that gently supports the way you live.
A place that protects without isolating.
A place that breathes with its surroundings.
A place where you can fully be yourself.
Hayama Beach home was designed with that belief in mind. A place where you arrive and immediately slow down. A place from which to explore the island at your own pace—whether heading to the beach, cycling along the chemins de traverse, surfing, sailing, or discovering the many other experiences Oléron has to offer.
We still live in Tokyo, and Hayama remains our vacation home—a place we return to whenever we need to reconnect with what matters most: family reunited on an island. Through this house, we also wanted to share a small part of the Japanese experience that has shaped our daily lives: a sense of calm, attention to simple details, and an appreciation for the beauty of ordinary moments.
A place where you water the plants, listen to the birds from the terrace instead of connecting to Wi-Fi, and let nature set the pace. The garden was designed by a passionate plant lover, Frédéric Conil, the owner of the residence where Hayama Beach is nestled. Huge windows everywhere invite the outside in, encouraging you to pause, observe, and admire the changing light.
A place where simple rituals matter: cooking uncomplicated but delicious meals, taking your time at the sink afterward, and embracing a slower rhythm without a dishwasher. A place where the day is measured by sunlight, tides, walks to the market, to the beach and long conversations on the terrace.
A place that invites you to be present.
At Hayama Beach home your stay begins at the genkan. In Japan, it is the entrance where you remove your shoes before entering a home. A simple gesture. But also a small transition. You leave the outside world behind. You arrive.
For us, luxury is not about excess or expensive things. It is about creating space for meaningful experiences, slowing down, and making the most of your time away. Then comes the engawa, the terrace that sits between the house and the garden, between indoors and outdoors.
It is our favorite place.
For morning coffee.
For reading.
For doing absolutely nothing.
Throughout the house, you will find pieces collected during our travels through Japan and France.
Handmade tatami from Tokyo.
Ceramics chosen one by one.
A lava stone backsplash created with Studio Ler.
Natural materials that age, evolve, and tell stories.
Nothing here was selected simply for decoration. Everything was chosen to create a certain atmosphere.
Hayama Beach home is small. Only 30 square meters. Yet we hope it feels larger than its dimensions. Because space is not only measured in square meters. It is measured in light. In silence. In the quality of a morning. In sharing quality time with your love ones. In the pleasure of opening a window and feeling the sea breeze. Our wish is simple: That you leave feeling a little lighter than when you arrived.
Welcome to our Hayama Beach home »
Maison Little Tribu
