The Style Files
My thoughts on design, writing and entrepreneurship.
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Tokyo isn't for the faint of heart! Photo credit: www.pexels.com Dreaming of a bigger apartment during your Covid lockdown? Consider yourself lucky compared to your Tokyo counterparts! Tons of people in an enormous city translates to tinier housing and extra smart living spaces. Let's take a look at what the Japanese can teach us about how to live our best lives minimally. Packed like sardines According to the Tokyo Metropolitan government, 13.4 million inhabitants called Tokyo home according to its latest 2015 census compared to New York city's 8.3 million in 2019. To put that in perspective, the average floor space of a Tokyo residence is a paltry 65 square meters or approximately 700 square feet compared to 882 square feet for American apartment dwellers. So what's the secret to living with more people in even smaller housing? Lofting and hollow spaces Just when you thought there was nowhere left to go, someone came up with the idea of adding surfaces to thin air! The concept of lofting is seen repeatedly in small architecture from Tokyo to New York to tiny houses and with good reason. There's still usable room to be had in otherwise dead space. Another trick we can learn from Japanese architects is to use hollow furniture or a silhouette style outline. Not only does it look ultra-modern and almost imaginary, you magically have more space without sacrificing stairs. The Tsubomi House by Flat House architects features barely-there stairs reminiscent of something from a child's imagination and lofting for ultimate space efficiency. The Tsubomi House Photo credit: www.archdaily.com/578076/tsubomi-house-flat-house Loosen up Next is the issue of loosening up our concept of spatial use. One of the key ways that the Japanese use space to their advantage is by taking a more flexible and multiuse approach to interior spaces. You might compare it to open-concept designs in some American apartments but that still doesn't do it justice. The Japanese solution is to use a single area for sleeping, studying or entertaining depending on what's needed at the moment. "the LIVING SPACES ARE FLUID, with bedrooms, living rooms, studies and guest rooms all interchangeable." To make a long story short, they've found that the best way to cope with less space is by focusing on the task at hand. Party of one Next up is the capsule concept! Although they're used like bare-bones hotels rather than in residential spaces, it's still an incredibly clever idea. Guests are assigned a capsule big enough for one person to spend the night. It's basically a rectangular cube large enough to fit a bed and maybe even a sitting person. Maybe! Bathrooms and showers are available communally which means that the space occupied per capita is way less than that of a standard hotel room. There's no doubt a capsule is better for utility than luxury. It certainly gets the job done, though, and smaller spaces mean more affordable accommodation. A capsule in all its itty-bitty glory! Photo credit: www.forbes.com/sites/geoffreymorrison/2016/07/24/what-its-like-to-stay-at-a-japanese-capsule-hotel Build up The price of downtown housing is often paid in square footage. In Tokyo, that footprint measures approximately 96 square feet for an ultra-compact feel. (Spilytus Co. built a Ququri series of miniature apartments with 96 square feet representing its smallest units.) Suffice it to say the unit is a little on the tight side. Realistically, though, how can someone live in a space that small? Designing the apartments very tall makes it possible to loft a second room. Ladders are also used to conserve space and residents come up with added storage for clothing, appliances and tables any way they possibly can. Minimal furniture is a given. The verticality of these apartments goes a long way in generating space. A picture is worth a thousand words although this one fits about five. Photo credit: www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2019/04/20/lifestyle/tokyos-tiny-living-spaces Visual separation So far, we've seen how to live small by adding layers for added surface area and insta storage. Another way to make a small apartment seem bigger is by adding dividers for visual separation. Japanese architecture is often characterized by a clean, understated look like this. Photo credit: www.dezeen.com/2016/08/24/apartment-renovation-kitasando-tokyo-minorpoet-kitchen-hidden-behind-folding-doors/ What you might assume to be a wall of closet space actually hides an entire kitchen! Design firm Minorpoet installed these folding doors as a way to hide clutter and create a minimalist aesthetic. Yes, Marie Kondo would want us to have everything in its place; the beauty of this design, though, is its ability to hide a multitude of sins for visual tranquility. Lessons learned Urban Americans are already familiar with the living struggles of city life but Tokyo has given us some valuable tips. From hollow silhouettes to avoiding stairs altogether, avoiding wasted space is at the top of the list! Creating layers and levels such as lofts and folding doors provide added surfaces or clear barriers between spaces. Building up (tall apartments), paring down (capsules) and making space fluid similarly contribute to improved apartment design for the spatially restricted. Think you can handle it? As always, your feedback is welcome! This list is not exhaustive nor do I mean to leave anyone out of the conversation. Feel free to leave your thoughts below or to share suggestions with other people on the hunt for space-saving ideas. Thanks for your readership and I hope to see you again soon. Sayonara! Photo credit: www.pexels.com
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AuthorHi, my name is Martha Oschwald and I'm a content writer focused on design. This page is meant to give you a taste of my writing style and latest musings. Archives
April 2022
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