Lampshade made from one sheet of paper
Lampshade with script
Lamp with fiberglass shade
Paper lampshade with bamboo ribs
Wall light fixture
Ceiling light fixture
Thursday, December 22, 2011
A Japanese Lighting Techniques 05
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Lighting Techniques 05
Lampshade made from one sheet of paper
Lampshade with script
Lamp with fiberglass shade
Paper lampshade with bamboo ribs
Wall light fixture
Ceiling light fixture
Lampshade made from one sheet of paper
Lampshade with script
Lamp with fiberglass shade
Paper lampshade with bamboo ribs
Wall light fixture
Ceiling light fixture
A Japanese Lighting Techniques 04
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Lighting Techniques 04
Soft, soothing, and beautiful, Japanese lighting techniques will heighten your appreciation of the world around you.
Light sources are traditionally placed low.
Soft, filtered lighting is best.
Harsh illumination is avoided
The natural reflecting quality of shoji is inimitable
Design is never divorced from function
Soft, soothing, and beautiful, Japanese lighting techniques will heighten your appreciation of the world around you.
Light sources are traditionally placed low.
Soft, filtered lighting is best.
Harsh illumination is avoided
The natural reflecting quality of shoji is inimitable
Design is never divorced from function
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
A Japanese Lighting Techniques 03
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Lighting Techniques 03
Ceiling and Wall Lighting
As was said earlier, originally the custom of putting light fixtures on indoor ceilings and walls hardly existed at all in Japan. So it came to be that, when such fixtures were eventually adopted, the chochin, which had been used mainly outdoors, the andon, and various devices based on the shape and techniques of shoji, were adapted for this purpose.
The chochin is particularly effective in giving a Japanese touch to a room when suspended from the ceiling. Hanging an andon from the ceiling is also possible. Usually the bottom of the andon shade is left open, but if it is hung from the ceiling it should be closed or else left with only a small opening. If one should use shoji, it is best to suspend it using a hook from which it can be easily removed, since dust will collect on it.
The points to pay attention to are more or less the same when the lighting is fixed to the wall. A simple bracket extending from the wall can be used.
In either case, the use of paper poses a fire risk; particularly if there are children around, a floor lamp can be easily overturned. Fortunately, white non-flammable plastic sheeting looks very much like real shoji paper and can be used as a substitute.
This kind of plastic sheeting can be used effectively to provide illumination for large areas such as the ceiling in the kitchen or the floor of a living room. The use of reed panels or even mesh to diffuse light is another way of providing indirect lighting for the home.
Japanese lighting techniques for the ceiling.
Japanese lampshade variations
Ceiling and Wall Lighting
As was said earlier, originally the custom of putting light fixtures on indoor ceilings and walls hardly existed at all in Japan. So it came to be that, when such fixtures were eventually adopted, the chochin, which had been used mainly outdoors, the andon, and various devices based on the shape and techniques of shoji, were adapted for this purpose.
The chochin is particularly effective in giving a Japanese touch to a room when suspended from the ceiling. Hanging an andon from the ceiling is also possible. Usually the bottom of the andon shade is left open, but if it is hung from the ceiling it should be closed or else left with only a small opening. If one should use shoji, it is best to suspend it using a hook from which it can be easily removed, since dust will collect on it.
The points to pay attention to are more or less the same when the lighting is fixed to the wall. A simple bracket extending from the wall can be used.
In either case, the use of paper poses a fire risk; particularly if there are children around, a floor lamp can be easily overturned. Fortunately, white non-flammable plastic sheeting looks very much like real shoji paper and can be used as a substitute.
This kind of plastic sheeting can be used effectively to provide illumination for large areas such as the ceiling in the kitchen or the floor of a living room. The use of reed panels or even mesh to diffuse light is another way of providing indirect lighting for the home.
Japanese lighting techniques for the ceiling.
Japanese lampshade variations
A Japanese Lighting Techniques 02
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Lighting Techniques 02
Shoji
We have already seen how shoji can serve as a room partition. It can also serve as a kind of wall illumination. Depending on light conditions, shoji can reflect light to make a room brighter or be used to produce a beautiful silhouette effect when shadows are created by the lattice frame of the shoji or trees outside. As has been mentioned already, the shoji can be suspended as a partition-wall, with a spotlight shining on it from behind. 8mm films or slides can be projected onto the side without the wooden frame. When not required, the shoji can be hung on the wall out of the way, or in front of a window instead of a curtain. Another idea is to fix a light bulb onto a wall and then put a small shoji-like panel in front of it, or, something like a Japanese kite can also be interesting. If a kite is used, the lighting efficiency can be improved by inclining it slightly, either upwards or downwards. This can be easily mounted and held in place with thick wire.
Andon/Chochin
The andon is usually placed on the floor, though it can also be stood on a desk or a shelf. The basic pattern is to have a hollow, upright wooden frame around the sides of which a shade made of shoji paper is affixed, leaving the ends open to allow heat to escape. This is then mounted on a stand. Although the andon could be moved from room to room indoors, it was not intended for use as a kind of torch to be carried around all the time. When going outdoors, the Japanese used a chochin, a portable lantern made of thin bamboo cane wound into a spiral, to the outside of which paper was glued. As it could be folded flat, it was easily portable. Later, chochin came to be hung on shop fronts, bearing the symbol or name of the shop, and thus can be seen as one of the first forms of suspended lighting in Japan. Although the use of andon has sadly become only a novelty, chochin still thrive, especially in the entertainment districts of cities, and one can see large red chochin outside places serving Japanese food.
Chochin are ideal for use at garden parties. Both the chochin and the electric cord can be suspended in a line, from a wire running from one tree to the next. Or instead of electricity, candles can be used, as was the case with the original chochin. Chochin can also be hung as illumination from the eaves of a veranda.
Lighting techniques for the alcove
Shoji
We have already seen how shoji can serve as a room partition. It can also serve as a kind of wall illumination. Depending on light conditions, shoji can reflect light to make a room brighter or be used to produce a beautiful silhouette effect when shadows are created by the lattice frame of the shoji or trees outside. As has been mentioned already, the shoji can be suspended as a partition-wall, with a spotlight shining on it from behind. 8mm films or slides can be projected onto the side without the wooden frame. When not required, the shoji can be hung on the wall out of the way, or in front of a window instead of a curtain. Another idea is to fix a light bulb onto a wall and then put a small shoji-like panel in front of it, or, something like a Japanese kite can also be interesting. If a kite is used, the lighting efficiency can be improved by inclining it slightly, either upwards or downwards. This can be easily mounted and held in place with thick wire.
Andon/Chochin
The andon is usually placed on the floor, though it can also be stood on a desk or a shelf. The basic pattern is to have a hollow, upright wooden frame around the sides of which a shade made of shoji paper is affixed, leaving the ends open to allow heat to escape. This is then mounted on a stand. Although the andon could be moved from room to room indoors, it was not intended for use as a kind of torch to be carried around all the time. When going outdoors, the Japanese used a chochin, a portable lantern made of thin bamboo cane wound into a spiral, to the outside of which paper was glued. As it could be folded flat, it was easily portable. Later, chochin came to be hung on shop fronts, bearing the symbol or name of the shop, and thus can be seen as one of the first forms of suspended lighting in Japan. Although the use of andon has sadly become only a novelty, chochin still thrive, especially in the entertainment districts of cities, and one can see large red chochin outside places serving Japanese food.
Chochin are ideal for use at garden parties. Both the chochin and the electric cord can be suspended in a line, from a wire running from one tree to the next. Or instead of electricity, candles can be used, as was the case with the original chochin. Chochin can also be hung as illumination from the eaves of a veranda.
Lighting techniques for the alcove
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
A Japanese Lighting Techniques 01
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Lighting Techniques 01
In the traditional Japanese house with its low, overhanging eaves, the lower parts of a room receive the most light while the higher areas become progressively darker. This is because sunlight, blocked as it is by the eaves, enters the room after being reflected off the ground or off the veranda, and travels in an upward direction. Light becomes less bright the farther it goes, which in this case means the higher it goes. The Western window, on the other hand, admits sunlight directly—a curtain being used to block it out when necessary—and the rays of light travel in a downward direction.
In Japan, lighting devices for the home originally used to be placed on the floor because of the way light entered it, as described above. It is the same with garden illumination: instead of hanging lights from trees, the Japanese used stone lanterns placed on the ground. This kind of lighting is, moreover especially suited to the custom of sitting on the floor, discussed earlier. Since tables and other surfaces which require illumination were low, lamps situated on the floor were ideal.
The development of glass in Japan came very late; thus the technique of using glass to provide direct, bright illumination, and to reflect light in a sparkling, glittering way, did not flourish. Rather, the soft illumination which enters a room through the white paper of the shoji can be said to be the basic characteristic of Japanese-style lighting, and indirect lighting is vastly preferred to harsh, direct lighting.
If modern illumination can be compared with the brilliant sun, perhaps traditional Japanese illumination may be said to represent the luminous moon. Part of the tranquil beauty of the traditional Japanese home is captured through the use of indirect lighting, which, in addition, complements the soft textures and natural colors of a room with tatami and shoji. Today, in Japan, however, the sense of enjoyment associated with the play of light and shadows seems to have been forgotten, and the concept of creating atmosphere through the use of natural or indirect lighting, such as that used in a tea room, has almost disappeared. Although bright lighting can be used attractively, soft lighting can add a new dimension to the home. Here are some ideas.
Reflection of light in a Japanese house
Reflection of light in a Western house
Reflection of light in Koho-an Tea Room.
In the traditional Japanese house with its low, overhanging eaves, the lower parts of a room receive the most light while the higher areas become progressively darker. This is because sunlight, blocked as it is by the eaves, enters the room after being reflected off the ground or off the veranda, and travels in an upward direction. Light becomes less bright the farther it goes, which in this case means the higher it goes. The Western window, on the other hand, admits sunlight directly—a curtain being used to block it out when necessary—and the rays of light travel in a downward direction.
In Japan, lighting devices for the home originally used to be placed on the floor because of the way light entered it, as described above. It is the same with garden illumination: instead of hanging lights from trees, the Japanese used stone lanterns placed on the ground. This kind of lighting is, moreover especially suited to the custom of sitting on the floor, discussed earlier. Since tables and other surfaces which require illumination were low, lamps situated on the floor were ideal.
The development of glass in Japan came very late; thus the technique of using glass to provide direct, bright illumination, and to reflect light in a sparkling, glittering way, did not flourish. Rather, the soft illumination which enters a room through the white paper of the shoji can be said to be the basic characteristic of Japanese-style lighting, and indirect lighting is vastly preferred to harsh, direct lighting.
If modern illumination can be compared with the brilliant sun, perhaps traditional Japanese illumination may be said to represent the luminous moon. Part of the tranquil beauty of the traditional Japanese home is captured through the use of indirect lighting, which, in addition, complements the soft textures and natural colors of a room with tatami and shoji. Today, in Japan, however, the sense of enjoyment associated with the play of light and shadows seems to have been forgotten, and the concept of creating atmosphere through the use of natural or indirect lighting, such as that used in a tea room, has almost disappeared. Although bright lighting can be used attractively, soft lighting can add a new dimension to the home. Here are some ideas.
Reflection of light in a Japanese house
Reflection of light in a Western house
Reflection of light in Koho-an Tea Room.
A Japanese Way of Sitting 05
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Way of Sitting 05
A sunken hearth in a country-style setting
A sunken hearth in a mountain retreat
A low table with heating element underneath
Traditional plan with tatami and low table
A sunken hearth in a country-style setting
A sunken hearth in a mountain retreat
A low table with heating element underneath
Traditional plan with tatami and low table
Monday, December 19, 2011
A Japanese Way of Sitting 04
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Way of Sitting 04
A table and legless chairs
A portable hearth on tatami.
A sunken table and benches.
A combination table and hearth.
A table and legless chairs
A portable hearth on tatami.
A sunken table and benches.
A combination table and hearth.
A Japanese Way of Sitting 04
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Way of Sitting 04
Some Words of Caution
For the unaccustomed, sitting on the floor can be unpleasant and even painful. In particular, the formal sitting posture is difficult for today's young Japanese to maintain for long periods, though in fact the informal posture is all that is required in most situations. Cushions can make sitting on the floor more comfortable, as can the use of a small, legless chair. Separate, independently standing armrests also offer some support.
If your feet should fall asleep while you are sitting on the floor, do not attempt to stand up right away. Extend your legs and massage them gently, and try to stand up only after the prickly feeling is gone. If you know in advance that you will be sitting Japanese-style, wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes. Jeans, for example, will constrict the flow of blood to the lower torso and create discomfort and pain. It is also a good idea to check if your socks have any holes in them before you leave home, rather than discover this after arriving at your destination! Some people even carry an extra pair of clean socks to change into, especially when they know there is going to be a tatami floor.
SUNKEN KOTATSU
Cross Section
In the summertime, the table frame is stored in a floor cavity and covered either with a piece of tatami or wood.
Some Words of Caution
For the unaccustomed, sitting on the floor can be unpleasant and even painful. In particular, the formal sitting posture is difficult for today's young Japanese to maintain for long periods, though in fact the informal posture is all that is required in most situations. Cushions can make sitting on the floor more comfortable, as can the use of a small, legless chair. Separate, independently standing armrests also offer some support.
If your feet should fall asleep while you are sitting on the floor, do not attempt to stand up right away. Extend your legs and massage them gently, and try to stand up only after the prickly feeling is gone. If you know in advance that you will be sitting Japanese-style, wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes. Jeans, for example, will constrict the flow of blood to the lower torso and create discomfort and pain. It is also a good idea to check if your socks have any holes in them before you leave home, rather than discover this after arriving at your destination! Some people even carry an extra pair of clean socks to change into, especially when they know there is going to be a tatami floor.
SUNKEN KOTATSU
Cross Section
In the summertime, the table frame is stored in a floor cavity and covered either with a piece of tatami or wood.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
A Japanese Way of Sitting 03
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Way of Sitting 03
Another possibility is to hollow out part of the center of a table and build a small-scale hearth there. Good for use as a kind of barbecue, where food can be cooked and eaten on the spot, or sake warmed, this method is often used in Japanese country-style restaurants. Dishes such as sukiyaki or nabemono, a kind of fondue, are cooked on a gas ring or a hot plate either placed on the table top or else fitted into the table itself. In the rainy climate of Japan, outdoor barbecues are not a very practical idea, so they are brought indoors instead.
Today, one of the most popular household items in Japan is the kotatsu, a low table with an infrared lamp, equipped with a thermostat and a protective mesh, attached to the underside of the table. A cover is usually placed over the table, and another table-like surface is put on top of that. This keeps the heat in under the table, and improves its heating efficiency. Although very simple to use, the kotatsu can, however, be uncomfortable as there is little room for one's legs underneath.
As a result, many people have taken to sinking one part of the floor below the level of the rest and sitting with their feet resting in the resulting hollow, called a horigotatsu. A permanent fixture is created but the table may be removed, and the hole covered, when they are not needed, and the room may be used for other purposes. In a room with tatami, a half-size tatami (3 feet by 3 feet) or a wooden board can be used as a cover, and also provide a kind of display area (see partitioning device). When floor heating is used, it is a good idea to heat both the floor of the sunken area and the floor where people sit. For this, one can use either hot water piping laid under the floor, or an electric mat.
KOTATSU
The table top is covered with wood on one side and felt on the other, ideal for playing mahjong or cards. In the summertime, the infrared lamp can be removed.
A fully assembled kotatsu.
Another possibility is to hollow out part of the center of a table and build a small-scale hearth there. Good for use as a kind of barbecue, where food can be cooked and eaten on the spot, or sake warmed, this method is often used in Japanese country-style restaurants. Dishes such as sukiyaki or nabemono, a kind of fondue, are cooked on a gas ring or a hot plate either placed on the table top or else fitted into the table itself. In the rainy climate of Japan, outdoor barbecues are not a very practical idea, so they are brought indoors instead.
Today, one of the most popular household items in Japan is the kotatsu, a low table with an infrared lamp, equipped with a thermostat and a protective mesh, attached to the underside of the table. A cover is usually placed over the table, and another table-like surface is put on top of that. This keeps the heat in under the table, and improves its heating efficiency. Although very simple to use, the kotatsu can, however, be uncomfortable as there is little room for one's legs underneath.
As a result, many people have taken to sinking one part of the floor below the level of the rest and sitting with their feet resting in the resulting hollow, called a horigotatsu. A permanent fixture is created but the table may be removed, and the hole covered, when they are not needed, and the room may be used for other purposes. In a room with tatami, a half-size tatami (3 feet by 3 feet) or a wooden board can be used as a cover, and also provide a kind of display area (see partitioning device). When floor heating is used, it is a good idea to heat both the floor of the sunken area and the floor where people sit. For this, one can use either hot water piping laid under the floor, or an electric mat.
KOTATSU
The table top is covered with wood on one side and felt on the other, ideal for playing mahjong or cards. In the summertime, the infrared lamp can be removed.
A fully assembled kotatsu.
A Japanese Way of Sitting 02
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Way of Sitting 02
Sitting around the Hearth
Before the idea of the chimney was developed in Japan, houses used to have a hearth cut into the floor, and smoke would escape through a window high up on the wall or in the roof. This method is of course no longer appropriate to current living arrangements, but the idea of having a center around which people can sit is appealing. Recently, the popularity of this kind of old-fashioned hearth, the irori, has grown among urban dwell-ers in Japan.
The most important point to keep in mind is the central position of the hearth. Unlike Western schemes where the fireplace is built against a wall, a Japanese-style hearth built or placed in the middle of a room allows a 360-degree area of heating. Moreover, because little or no furniture is used, proximity to the heat source is increased, as well as the sense of intimacy of a gathering.
When installing a hearth in the home, it is important to provide adequate ventilation by placing a hood over the hearth and putting an exhaust duct in the ceiling. The bottom of the hearth should be about 4-12 inches below floor level, and lined with iron or copper sheeting, on top of which ashes or sand should be spread. Incidentally, the Japanese hearth does not normally have a blazing fire as is the case with its Western counterpart. Coals are brought in from outside to provide enough heat to keep a kettle of water hot or to cook a pot of stew, either placed on the fire or suspended by an adjustable hook.
Instead of a hearth, a low table can be used to provide a room with a center. Though an old-fashioned Japanese brazier can still be used as a portable heater, it can also serve as the base of an attractive glass-top coffee table. Whatever the arrangement, cushions placed around the hearth, table, or brazier, will provide comfort as well as a bit of color to the room.
HEARTH AND BRAZIER ARRANGEMENTS
A free-standing heat source provides 360 degrees of warmth.
Types of braziers.
Sitting around the Hearth
Before the idea of the chimney was developed in Japan, houses used to have a hearth cut into the floor, and smoke would escape through a window high up on the wall or in the roof. This method is of course no longer appropriate to current living arrangements, but the idea of having a center around which people can sit is appealing. Recently, the popularity of this kind of old-fashioned hearth, the irori, has grown among urban dwell-ers in Japan.
The most important point to keep in mind is the central position of the hearth. Unlike Western schemes where the fireplace is built against a wall, a Japanese-style hearth built or placed in the middle of a room allows a 360-degree area of heating. Moreover, because little or no furniture is used, proximity to the heat source is increased, as well as the sense of intimacy of a gathering.
When installing a hearth in the home, it is important to provide adequate ventilation by placing a hood over the hearth and putting an exhaust duct in the ceiling. The bottom of the hearth should be about 4-12 inches below floor level, and lined with iron or copper sheeting, on top of which ashes or sand should be spread. Incidentally, the Japanese hearth does not normally have a blazing fire as is the case with its Western counterpart. Coals are brought in from outside to provide enough heat to keep a kettle of water hot or to cook a pot of stew, either placed on the fire or suspended by an adjustable hook.
Instead of a hearth, a low table can be used to provide a room with a center. Though an old-fashioned Japanese brazier can still be used as a portable heater, it can also serve as the base of an attractive glass-top coffee table. Whatever the arrangement, cushions placed around the hearth, table, or brazier, will provide comfort as well as a bit of color to the room.
HEARTH AND BRAZIER ARRANGEMENTS
A free-standing heat source provides 360 degrees of warmth.
Types of braziers.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
A Japanese Way of Sitting 01
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Way of Sitting 01
The Japanese custom of sitting on the floor instead of on chairs is closely related to the habit of removing one's shoes before entering the house. In the past in a country where it rains an average of 120 days a year, simple dirt-floored rooms would become very damp. Thus floors came to be laid with planks or bamboo raised 1-11/2 feet above ground level, and straw or matting was spread on them for people to sit on. Eventually, as we have seen, tatami came to be used to cover the entire floor. The custom of removing one's shoes still continues today in Japan even in Western-style homes.
Of course, sitting on the floor is not a particularly Japanese custom. It is practiced by many people all over the world, and is quite common on carpeted floors. Furthermore, as the Japanese way of life becomes more and more Westernized, the Western way of sitting on chairs, especially at mealtime or when entertaining guests, has become popular. The wearing of trousers instead of kimono also has the effect of making the knees visible, and destroys the visual poise and balance of the traditional Japanese sitting posture.
Despite these trends, however, taking one's shoes off and sitting on the floor—regardless of whether it is tatami, carpeting, or just wood—still instills in the Japanese a feeling of relaxation. And, as long as some vestiges of the traditional sitting posture remain, the traditionally low perspective or line of sight will continue to influence ways of looking at objects, nature, and even people.
WAYS OF SITTING
A low table with collapsible legs, legless collapsible chairs, and independently standing armrests can be easily moved around and stored away.
The Japanese custom of sitting on the floor instead of on chairs is closely related to the habit of removing one's shoes before entering the house. In the past in a country where it rains an average of 120 days a year, simple dirt-floored rooms would become very damp. Thus floors came to be laid with planks or bamboo raised 1-11/2 feet above ground level, and straw or matting was spread on them for people to sit on. Eventually, as we have seen, tatami came to be used to cover the entire floor. The custom of removing one's shoes still continues today in Japan even in Western-style homes.
Of course, sitting on the floor is not a particularly Japanese custom. It is practiced by many people all over the world, and is quite common on carpeted floors. Furthermore, as the Japanese way of life becomes more and more Westernized, the Western way of sitting on chairs, especially at mealtime or when entertaining guests, has become popular. The wearing of trousers instead of kimono also has the effect of making the knees visible, and destroys the visual poise and balance of the traditional Japanese sitting posture.
Despite these trends, however, taking one's shoes off and sitting on the floor—regardless of whether it is tatami, carpeting, or just wood—still instills in the Japanese a feeling of relaxation. And, as long as some vestiges of the traditional sitting posture remain, the traditionally low perspective or line of sight will continue to influence ways of looking at objects, nature, and even people.
WAYS OF SITTING
A low table with collapsible legs, legless collapsible chairs, and independently standing armrests can be easily moved around and stored away.
A Japanese Tea Ceremony 06
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Tea Ceremony 06
Natural-colored clay is preferred for the walls.
The ideal tea room is surrounded by nature.
Simple lines and intricate patterns coexist harmoniously.
Natural lighting is the only source of illumination
Natural-colored clay is preferred for the walls.
The ideal tea room is surrounded by nature.
Simple lines and intricate patterns coexist harmoniously.
Natural lighting is the only source of illumination
Friday, December 16, 2011
A Japanese Tea Ceremony 05
Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Tea Ceremony 05
THE ROOM FOR THE TEA CEREMONY PHOTOS
A corner, a room, a cottage—all may offer a temporary haven where one shares the warmth of friends or finds comfort and peace in solitude.
Guests wait here to be called by the host of the tea ceremony.
The bound stone symbolizes entry into a different world.
The entrance is purposefully narrow.
Natural materials alone are used.
THE ROOM FOR THE TEA CEREMONY PHOTOS
A corner, a room, a cottage—all may offer a temporary haven where one shares the warmth of friends or finds comfort and peace in solitude.
Guests wait here to be called by the host of the tea ceremony.
The bound stone symbolizes entry into a different world.
The entrance is purposefully narrow.
Natural materials alone are used.
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