A Japanese Interior Photos 02

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Interior Photos 02

A typical interior plan consists of an alcove for modest displays and a low, portable table. Cushions should be brought out for guests, but family members feel no compunction about sitting or lying directly on the tatami. If the shoji doors are removed, the interior space expands to include the veranda and the few pieces of furniture on it.

The austere elegance of a Japanese-style room may at first be jolting but has a tranquiliz-ing effect as, within seconds, the harried soul quietly winds down.

A minimum of decoration leads one to appreciate the intrinsic beauty of this room.

A Japanese Interior Photos 01

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Interior Photos 01

Shoji panels and tatami mats are quintessential elements of Japanese interior design.

The ease with which shoji and tatami may be used to transform any room is but only one attractive feature of Japanese interior decorating. The simple alcove with a modern painting consummates this composition.

A Japanese Interior Space 03

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Interior Space 03


Natural Colors, Natural Materials

The raw materials used in Japanese architecture give rooms quiet, subdued tones. In principle, the floor is laid with tatami of fragrant, light green rush; walls are made of paper (when, for example, shoji are used), wood, or natural-colored clay; and the ceiling constructed of wood or bamboo. Colors tend to be white or light brown; materials are organic; and texture, matt as opposed to gloss.

It is generally held that materials should be deployed in as natural a manner as possible. Paint is thus seldom used. Fortunately, however, and depending on the life span of the material, paper, even tatami, may be replaced and earthen surfaces redaubed. Since wooden buildings can be renovated bit by bit, the life span of the Japanese house can be several hundred years, and the idea of replacing parts, instead of the whole, pervades traditional Japanese attitudes toward building construction.


A Simple Plan for any Home

Construction of a Japanese corner in one's own home need not be just an idle dream or the task of a professional. Here are some suggestions. First, pick a corner and lay two or more tatami down. Then divide off this space by experimenting with the different kinds of partitions suggested in the following chapters. Bear in mind that the arrangement need not be permanent and that seasonal changes may require alteration. The simplest method is to partition off this area by use of screens. Alternatively, a kind of shoji may be suspended from the ceiling.

A more complicated, but more authentic, method is to erect pillars in four corners and insert either shoji or lattice sliding doors. If possible, raise the level of the Japanese-style room about 12-16 inches above the rest of the house. In this way, a visual clue to remove one's shoes will be provided, and the Japanese atmosphere emphasized. Later, install a Japanese-style alcove where different objects—a flower arrangement, some pottery, a Japanese sword, a little tansu, a scroll—may be admired. Add a low table and some cushions made of Japanese fabric, serve sushi with hot sake or sake on the rocks, and relax and enjoy a bit of Japan right at home.

The same space can be used for eating,

entertaining visitors,

and sleeping.

A Japanese Interior Space 02

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Interior Space 02

Where's the Furniture?

A sophisticated partitioning system is easy enough to understand, but why do Japanese homes give the impression of simplicity and, sometimes, emptiness? First of all, the custom of sitting on the floor and the use of tatami as a kind of chair, table, and bed lead to an economy of furniture. Next, what little furniture there is is stored away in a fitted wall closet found in every room, and articles for use are removed as needed. For example, at the end of the day, futon mattresses, pillows, and blankets are brought out and laid on the tatami floor. Then in the morning, these are returned to the closet and the room is rearranged for use by the family. When it comes to mealtime, a low table and cushions are produced. After the meal is over, the table is cleared, and the family may spend the rest of the evening in the same room watching television.


The wall closet is not particularly noticeable to those unfamiliar with it because it is in effect a kind of opaque sliding door (fusuma) and blends in with the rest of the decor. In fact, the designs found on the larger sliding doors used to partition rooms, and the doors to these closets, are often coordinated.

These days Japanese houses are a combination of Japanese-and Western-style rooms. The Western-style room is usually carpeted and furnished with desks, chairs, cabinets, stereo systems, etc. In contrast, furniture and decoration in the Japanese-style room are kept to a bare minimum. The tatami in the room gives it a somewhat formal air so that it is often reserved for use as a drawing room, a guest room, or, as will be discussed later, a kind of retreat within the home. For many Japanese, a simple, uncluttered tatami room does-wonders for the soul.

Out of the fitted wall closet comes a variety of furniture and other everyday items.

Bedding {futon) is removed from the closet and placed on the floor.

A Japanese Interior Space 01

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Interior Space 01


In the Western house, the functions of rooms—dining, living, and bed—are clearly defined. In the traditional Japanese house one room can have several functions. The function, and size as well, of a room is determined by usage, and since needs change through the course of the day, one Japanese-style room can act as several of its Western equivalent.

How is this done? This unique system is related to the concept of space in Japanese architecture. Since the roof of a Japanese wood-frame house is supported on pillars, not walls, partitioning does not imply something solid or permanent. The development of movable partitioning such as sliding doors and folding screens evolved in response to this innovative perception of space, and rooms are altered effortlessly and quickly with these in the Japanese house. Rooms in the West, in comparison, are appended one by one and separated from each other by solid walls.

The Japanese idea of setting up a room by surrounding a certain space with movable partitioning and furniture enables the function of a given space to be changed by adding, removing, or redistributing pieces of furniture. As a result, there is an interrelationship of design between the floor, pillars, partitioning devices, and furniture. Just as the size of the brick was originally determined by the size of the human hand, so the size of the Japanese house is gauged in terms of human measurements. The tatami mat, originally designed to accommodate one sleeping person or two standing people, continues to be used today to conceptualize the size of a room, so that even amateurs can try their hand at designing their own home.

Partitioning may be totally removed to create one large room out of two or more rooms to accommodate a large number of guests, thanks to this efficient and ingenious system. Such flexibility is useful not only in accommodating large numbers or changing the function of a room, but also in coping with the contrasting lifestyles occasioned by the Japanese summer and winter. In summer, rooms may be "opened " and cross ventilation provided by removing partitioning and creating a large room. In winter, by reducing the size of a room, the area to be heated may be controlled and energy consumption reduced.

INTERRELATIONSHIP OF HOUSE COMPONENTS

A Japanese Screening Devices 07

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Screening Devices 07

Heavy wood latticing and reed screens.

Shoji with latticework

Attractive in the daytime.

Striking at night.

A Japanese Screening Devices 06

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Screening Devices 06

Split curtains are a novel way to advertise the name of a shop.

Vision, but not ventilation, is inhibited by split curtains.

Bamboo grid window with shoji backing,

Window with bamboo latticework

A Japanese Screening Devices 05

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Screening Devices 05

Screens and windows go together well.

Screens provide some privacy from neighbors.

Screens also provide protection from the sun.

A Japanese Screening Devices 04

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Screening Devices 04


Marsh Reed Screens

The yoshizu is similar to the sudare, but differs in that whereas the sudare is regulated vertically, the yoshizu is drawn from left to right horizontally. It is thus often used in corridors to protect rooms from the heat of the sun. Like the sudare, it is easily moved or changed, and so ideally suited to shop facades or rooms that receive the light and heat of the sun for only a limited period each day.


The yoshizu can be used to provide protection from the sun by being designed into a kind of pergola. Alternatively it can be used as a fence for the home or garden. In multiple-story apartment blocks, the yoshizu may be fixed to the guardrail on the balcony to provide visual protection as well as a backdrop for a little garden. Like sudare, yoshizu may also be placed in a frame and made into a folding room divider or a beautiful sliding door. It may be used for cupboard doors in the kitchen or the garage or the bathroom.

Propped up against the veranda, yoshizu may be used as a temporary shelter for equipment or a makeshift playhouse for children. It may also provide shade for a vegetable patch.


Latticework

The aforementioned screening devices, while allowing the passage of air and providing sufficient visual protection, failed in the old days to provide protection against theft. The solution was the development of wooden lattices. Although not as sturdy as iron lattices, the wooden variety found in Japan provided
adequate security as well as another source of interior decoration, especially in contrast to white shoji doors and naturalcolored walls.

If the latticed screen is badly deployed, the protective quality is emphasized. It is thus best deployed as an internal partition (for which a wide lattice is recommended). Alternatively, it may be deployed as mere decoration. A more unusual use is to create a stairway effect of lattice and hang this between the kitchen and
the living room. Thin latticework, like the sudare and yoshizu, offer numerous possibilities for the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.

Reed screens may be propped up against the roof of the veranda during the hottest time of the day.

Side view of yoshizu and Yoshizu may be rolled up when not in use and are easy to carry.

A Japanese Screening Devices 03

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Screening Devices 03


Bamboo Screens

The sudare screen is knotted together from strips of bamboo, and is not as soft as the noren curtain. Consequently, it is rarely used in corridors. As it can be raised or lowered to a desired height, it was originally used as a blind. While the noren may flutter in the breeze, it nevertheless totally restricts visibility, whereas the sudare, as a non-opaque screen, is effective on bright days in allowing those inside to see out while preventing those outside from seeing in. However, in case the scenery is distracting, all one has to do is position oneself far enough from the sudare to solve the problem.


The sudare is usually hung at the edge of the eaves of the veranda or on the outside of windows where, by carefully adjusting the height to which it is unrolled and tied, it can be used to provide relief from the sun's glare. Furthermore, in our modern residential blocks, it also affords residents much-needed visual protection from the neighboring house. And since one of the characteristics of Japanese garden landscaping is that
everything—from moss and stones to garden shrubs—is designed to be appreciated from a low angle, the top half of a window can be covered with a sudare without impairing appreciation of the garden.

Other possibilities include hanging a sudare on the wall and using it as a frame for a scroll or painting. If your home has shoji doors, these may be removed and then replaced with several sudare in the summer. Sudare may also be placed in upright frames and made into a folding room divider.

1. Screens provide protection from the sun's rays.
2. They can also prevent people on the outside from looking into the home, while permitting those inside to look out.

Sudare are approximately 35 inches wide, and come in small, medium, and large sizes.

A Japanese Screening Devices 02

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Screening Devices 02


HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN NOREN

Measure width of door or corridor. Decide length. Buy appropriate amount of fabric (taking into consideration seam allowance), thread, and curtain rod. Cut out main body and loop sections, matching any horizontal pattern or design. Join sides of section A to B, and B to C, by stitching 6 inches down from top of each section. Press seam allowance open. Finish edges of main body and loops by turning raw edges under twice and slipstitching or machine stitching. Corners may be mitered if desired. Fold loops in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch. Press seam open and then turn right side out, centering seam. Turn raw edges under. Fold loops in half and place main body of curtain so that 1 inch is between layers. Position rightmost and leftmost loops flush with edges of main body. Center other two loops on seams. Machine stitch or hand sew loops to main body, bearing in mind weight of curtain and diameter of curtain rod. (Note: The pattern below is for a 35-inch doorway.)

A Japanese Screening Devices 01

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Screening Devices 01

The hot and sultry Japanese summer is unpleasant to say the least. The cold of winter can be overcome by simply putting on more clothing or turning on the heat, but the only ways to resist heat and humidity are by blocking out the sun's rays and allowing the unfettered passage of air. It is for this reason that Japanese architecture favors a minimum of walls and the use of furniture that can be easily moved to create an open-air style. Although this leads to a loss of visual privacy, there are several means of mitigating this loss while still providing optimal air circulation and obstructing the sun's rays.


Split Curtains

Noren are ungathered split curtains made of cloth or hemp which were used as shades in front of homes as far back as the Heian period. Much later they came to replace the doors of large shops to allow the easy passage of customers. Today they continue this tradition primarily for drinking and eating establishments serving Japanese food.

In addition to providing unusual advertising space for a particular enterprise by displaying the shop's name, trademark, and specialty, noren are used to indicate when a place is open for business. If no noren can be seen, or if the noren are still behind the door, the establishment is not yet open.

In the home, noren serve as attractive space dividers. They are often hung to block viewing into the kitchen or some other private area from the formal entranceway or from the passageway.


Of all the forms of screening deployed in Japanese interior design, the noren is the softest. Not only is the material soft, but the way in which it is used creates a soft, gentle effect. Since it flutters in the breeze, the noren enables one to "see" the wind, and, when used in conjunction with wind chimes that enable one to "hear" the wind, it is really as though one is "experiencing" the wind. This produces a particularly refreshing feeling during the hot summer months.

The fact that one has to touch the noren before passing through lends it not only a visual but also a tactile appeal. In fact, the Japanese feel no displeasure at brushing the noren with their heads as they pass through an entranceway. This, however, may be an unfamiliar custom for others, and, since there are times when one's hair may become disheveled, care should be taken in selecting the most appropriate place and height for noren.

Noren may be made into any shape or size.

Noren may also be made of strands of hemp, which customers push aside as they enter or leave a shop.

A Japanese Veranda 03

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Veranda 03

The veranda serves as a comfortable, multi-purpose area.

The washbasin and stand are traditional outdoor accessories.

Bamboo produces a beautiful, cool veranda

A Japanese Veranda 02

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Veranda 02

When selecting materials for the veranda, wood with a nice grain is highly recommended since it will produce beautiful results and also provide years of pleasurable viewing. Boards can be placed either lengthwise or laterally, but if placed laterally, wide-sectioned wood creates the best effect. Should the eaves be sufficiently deep, tatami matting may even be used. This lends it a more formal air, and turns the veranda into a kind of corridor or even part of the room to which it is contiguous. Care should be taken that this section does not protrude from beneath the eaves because of the danger of the wood rotting or the tatami becoming discolored through long exposure to sunlight. In such cases, bamboo is probably best, although this virtually precludes the use of chairs and tables. Sitting Japanese-style solves this problem, however, since Japanese cushions may be placed on the floor.


When gravel, stone, or tile is used, as in the case when the veranda is not elevated, the section lying in the direct line of raindrops as they drip off the eaves should be changed or cleaned as, otherwise, the rain leaves behind unsightly marks. A material that is washable with water or a light cleanser is best suited to both the veranda and the area beneath.

To complete your veranda, you may want to provide some outside accessories. The Japanese are given a visual clue of the transition from one zone to the other when they are ready to return to the home after, for example, working in the garden. This visual reminder is the large, often interestingly-shaped, stone placed in front of the veranda where shoes are removed. The removal of shoes, as was discussed earlier, determines for the Japanese the difference between interior and exterior. In addition to this stone, one may also provide a stand with washbasin which, in the past, was placed near the toilet located at the end of the veranda. Today, it may be used for washing hands after gardening.

Handrails are more the exception than the rule to effect the open quality of the veranda. Generally speaking, no furniture is placed on the veranda since it can double as a bench to sit on, a table on which to serve refreshments or to lay clothes for men-ding, or an open crib for a baby. Shoes are not worn when the veranda is above ground level.

The extended veranda, variation #2. Referred to in Japanese as the "moon-gazing dais."

An unelevated, receding veranda.

A Japanese Veranda 01

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Veranda 01

The veranda serves as an informal area in which to entertain friends, a place to relax with family members, and a zone where the heat of summer and the cold of winter are ameliorated—besides being the setting for a rendezvous between man and nature.


What the Japanese poetically call the "moon-viewing dais" which they use to admire the beauty of the moon and the stars, especially in early autumn. When the space under the eaves is kept at ground level, it assumes the character of part of the garden, but is deliberately designed of stone or gravel, in contrast to the garden, and then serves as a passageway or a terrace. Alternatively, part of the garden may actually be transported into the house and serve as an indoor garden.

In all of these, a combination of shoji, and rain doors made of wood, or glass doors are used to form a boundary between the two zones. Recently there has emerged a vogue for using French windows instead of wooden doors. When these are used at the edge of the eaves, the veranda then becomes a kind of greenhouse. In addition to these various kinds of doors, bamboo or reed screens may be used on sunny days to filter sunlight.

VERANDA VARIATIONS

A typical Japanese veranda

The extended veranda, variation #1.

A Japanese Formal Entranceway 05

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Formal Entranceway 05

The top of the shoe cabinet is ideal for simple displays.

Straw cushions and a bench are provided for visitors

An inner garden beckons guests as soon as they enter the home

The view from the entranceway, too, is important

A Japanese Formal Entranceway 04

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Formal Entranceway 04


THE FORMAL ENTRANCEWAY PHOTOS

Shoes are a symbol of the life led outside the home. As we remove them in the entranceway, we enter a different world—the private, personal world of the home.

Shoes are removed and left in the entranceway

Flowers and a painting serve as decoration.

The stone step separates interior from exterior.

In the entranceway begins the Japanese love of wood

A Japanese Formal Entranceway 03

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Formal Entranceway 03


Illumination

Since the primary function of the formal entranceway is to provide an area where shoes may be exchanged for house slippers, and an area for subtle decoration, minimal illumination seems more than adequate. Yet in a home where there may be no custom of removing the shoes upon entering the house, it is better that this be made as easy as possible to understand. For example, part of the entranceway beyond the front door may be floored with stone or laid with carpeting from the place where shoes are to be changed, marked by the shoe cabinet and slip-pers for indoor wear. To further emphasize this special area, a spotlight or a Japanese-style paper lantern may be used with good results. Another spotlight may be used to draw attention to the articles or flower arrangement on display, although here again, a paper lantern creates a lovely Japanese ambience.

Illumination of the garden is also important, especially where the garden is visible from the entranceway. A stone lantern, or a hanging lantern, or a spotlight, either outside or inside, will do very nicely. But in order to best show off the beauty of the garden, the most complementary illumination is created when it is placed at ground level. Whichever form of lighting is used, the brief communion between man and nature will be heightened.


Finishing Touches

ft is very common in Japan for visitors to conduct all of their business in the entranceway. Since family members would not be able to relax for the duration of the visit if the interior of the house were open to view, the line of vision from the en-tranceway to the interior should be blocked off either by a wall, a single-leaf screen, or split curtains.

An excellent way to welcome guests is by burning incense in the entranceway just before they arrive. This tradition has virtually disappeared in Japan today, but in the old days, the aristocracy developed exquisite blends of incense, and these were used to express feelings of joy, grief, love, and affection. Since it is in the formal entranceway that visitors make their first impression of a home, flowers, incense, and a thoughtfully
prepared garden view can be used to show one's hospitality and to share the warmth of a household.

ENTRANCEWAY WITH TATAMI

Cross Section

Plan

Use of tatami in the entranceway provides textural con-tinuity with tatami used in the rest of the house.

A Japanese Formal Entranceway 02

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Formal Entranceway 02


Relationship to the Garden

Many Japanese houses are designed so that the garden is visible from the entranceway. These days, when the approach from the road to the house is short, the front garden often ceases to resemble a garden at all. In such cases, visitors will be pleasantly surprised when they catch a glimpse of a courtyard garden from the entranceway. Needless to say, the design of such gardens is subject to considerable variety, but one thing should be kept in mind: the line of vision should be carefully designed so as not to impinge on the privacy of the family.

In the case of a courtyard garden intended primarily for display purposes, special attention should be paid to the background. One may go to considerable pains to create a beautiful scene through the use of bamboo, stones, water, and garden shrubs, but the whole effect may be destroyed if the background is not carefully considered. An earthen or stone wall, or a fence made of wood or bamboo, for example, would be attractive. If the neighboring house stands in the background—and there is little that can be done about that!—a more natural effect can be achieved by hanging a bamboo blind just beyond the garden.

Where only part of the garden, especially the lower section, is visible, one has the advantage of being able to block off direct sunlight and also having more privacy. If the top half of the window or wall is replaced with shoji, a soft light will filter through while the changing seasons can still be observed in the garden through the lower half of the window. In the winter, snow lends to the shoji a beautiful, brilliant whiteness.

ENTRANCEWAY WITH VIEW OF COURTYARD

Visual continuity from the garden outside to the court-yard garden inside is achieved in this plan.

A Japanese Formal Entranceway 01

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Formal Entranceway 01


In contrast to entering the house through the kitchen or the veranda from the garden, the genkan is the formal entranceway to the Japanese home. The original religious significance of this word has faded, but as it is here that shoes are removed, this area represents the division between the "unclean" exterior and the "clean" interior. This delineating function is emphasized by the different material used in the entranceway, compared with those used in the exterior and in the interior; by the stone step where shoes are removed; and by the difference in level between the entry at ground level and the raised floor of the interior of the house.

Because land in metropolitan areas such as Tokyo is at such a premium, ceilings in high-rise buildings are often built low to make maximum use of the available space. Thus the difference in level mentioned above may be reduced to only a few inches. Nevertheless the entranceway is an essential part of every house or apartment, and the difference in level is an important visual clue to inform Japanese that this is where shoes are removed before entering the interior.


As a Storage and Display Area

In addition to the stone step and other accessories—such as a cushion or chair that may be used when removing one's shoes—the entranceway in Japan contains a cabinet for all of the shoes belonging to family members and house slippers which they change into. (Visitors' shoes are usually left on the floor, unless they are staying overnight.) Although umbrellas, coats, and hats are also kept here, in the average Japanese house, the shoe cabinet usually retains a separate identity, and the top of it is used as a display area.

The formal entranceway is decorated to symbolize its role as a buffer between interior and exterior, formal and informal, clean and unclean. Yet, since it is a confined space, decoration is kept to a minimum. Should the head of the house have some kind of collection, part of it may be displayed. Alternatively, seasonal flower arrangements may be placed on a small stand, on a fixed shelf, or on top of the shoe cabinet. Shoji, a single-leaf screen, or a mere wall will provide an attractive backdrop for the display. Instead of freshly cut flowers, flower boxes, potted plants, or bonsai may be displayed.

Suggested layouts for entranceway with and without accessories.

Section of raised interior: (left) with stone step; (right) without stone step.

Placement of shoe cabinet