Pluredro House

Junichi and Yukari Yananose recently invited me into their new home, and gave me a tour. Pluredro’s (their puzzle shop) new house is a beautifully rendered creation, built with care and attention to detail from woods that serve the aesthetic purpose and are compatible with the CNC carving process, Juno’s main production technique for the larger parts. “The puzzle was made using a wide variety of woodworking machinery and tools. Although not incorporated into the puzzle itself, 3D printers played an active role in the production of prototypes and gluing jigs. Some woods, while very attractive, can cause problems when used or are not suitable for use alongside other types of wood. To avoid such issues, the wood used was carefully selected.” The handsome hardwoods used are carefully cut and then dried, before finishing the final dimensions, and include Amoora, PNG Rosewood, Damar Minyak, Golden Sassafras, American Rock Maple, and Iroko.

“Juno had always wanted to make a house shaped puzzle at some point, and he decided to go ahead with it in July 2025. Juno considered which materials to use from his stock and determined the dimensions to be as large as possible within what could be machined from them. The white parts surrounding the door serve not only as decoration but also to prevent people from digging their fingernails into the parts.” Heaven forbid anyone try to pry the puzzle apart! No one would ever admit to trying that, at least, but Juno is not taking any chances. The overall design style had influences from Yukari as well. “The placement of the chimney was decided based on Yukari's input. We live in a small house with a chimney, much like the puzzle.”

Juno uses a clever trick in the beginning of the adventure that makes you commit to the experience. If you knock on the door, you had better mean business! But like all of Juno’s sequential discovery puzzles, you will enjoy your visit. In Juno’s description of the puzzle, on the Pluredro website, he mentions a “controversial” step, for which he added a hidden engraving to make it more reasonable. Ironically, there is a completely different step, or perhaps flight of stairs, where most people have gotten completely stuck. Indeed it was this other section where I camped out for a long time, and eventually got some assistance from a friendly neighbor. I thought the “controversial” step was actually fantastic and unusual. Regardless, there are many impressive “rooms” in this house to discover.

Pluredro House is a very complex puzzle and has a lot packed into it. “From the beginning to the end of the process, the design, dimensions, and incorporated parts changed constantly. The final step in particular was not decided until we were close to the completion of the puzzle. Sometimes a part that worked fine in the prototype would not function as expected after we had produced the necessary number of copies, and Juno struggled to get it working properly. The way timber dimensions change over time has always been a challenge.” Fortunately, Juno is a master craftsman.

The house is quite large relative to many of Juno’s prior creations, so it comes as no surprise (and certainly no disappointment) that there are many steps. “The operating principles of the mechanisms can probably be described as commonplace, but the way they are used could be considered novel. Juno did not intentionally make the puzzle difficult; it just ended up that way as he was making it. There are things that did not seem particularly hard in his head but turned out to be difficult once the physical puzzle was made.” This house definitely has a state of the art security system in place. Juno particularly likes “the first and last steps”, and I suspect most visitors will, too. There is always a little prize waiting to reward the successful adventurer in Juno’s puzzles, and sometimes he includes a running joke he has with Kevin Sadler. “The item you find when you finish solving the puzzle is the same in most of the puzzles we made, but a slightly different version was included in several puzzles shipped to the UK. What that item is will likely be revealed on the PuzzleMad blog.” Kevin, let us know if you have lost the keys to your house and need someone to help let you in.

Juno is always pushing himself with new challenges. “Puzzle design and manufacturing are a continuous process of learning. Conversely, Juno does not enjoy projects where there is nothing new to learn or challenge himself with. He seeks to expand his own capabilities while creating puzzles.” He can add home design and building now to his long list of accomplishments, and may likely have had an award winning property, but he does not rush his creations, and construction on his house did not conclude in time for the awards season this year. No matter, his lucky homeowners are not complaining.

Cafe Spritz coffee cocktail — Cafe Spritz

It’s always polite to bring a bottle of something nice to a housewarming reception. But since this is Pluredro’s House, it would be impolite to offer the usual type of beverage we tend to celebrate with here at Boxes and Booze. Not everyone imbibes, after all. As it happens, Juno and Yukari’s favorite drink is coffee, and I can appreciate that - I also love coffee. It’s summer here in the northern hemisphere, and it’s hot out! Perfect weather for an iced coffee – or better yet, a Café Spritz.

The spritz is a ubiquitous cocktail made with wine and sparkling water. It can be traced back to Italy in the 1800s, and is still enjoyed today all over the world. Common modern expressions are often made with the addition of an aperitif, such as Campari, or Aperol, or elderflower, as in the increasingly popular Hugo Spritz. The coffee spritz has its origins in the Espresso and Tonic, a drink popularized by Charles Nystrand and Anne Lunell when they opened their Swedish coffee bar in 2007. Coffee and tonic is a wonderfully refreshing way to enjoy an iced coffee, and little added touches can make it into an elegant, “free-spirited” highball. At Pluredro, it’s the house cocktail – cheers!

Pluredro House puzzle by Juno and Cafe Spritz — drinks are on the house …

Café Spritz

2 oz dark roast coffee or espresso, cold

½ oz cardamom syrup

4 oz soda water or tonic

Lemon twist

Build ingredients over ice and stir

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