Japanese Apartment Design

About Japanese Apartment Design

The majority of the population of Japan lives in a small area around the southern tip of the country because the north of the country is mountainous and cold (save one major urban area in the north). The majority of the people who live in this crowded southern area of the country live in the cities, meaning there is a highly dense population centered in just a few areas. In fact, while there is some bickering between the experts, many people believe that Tokyo is the most populated city in the world. Everyone has seen shots of Tokyo in the movies; it definitely brings new meaning to the term “bright lights, big city,” with a constant throng of people moving through an almost space age urban landscape.

It should come as no surprise then that the living quarters in Japanese cities are very small. All of those people have to live somewhere! These circumstances have made the Japanese the masters of designing for small spaces. The typical Japanese apartment is 400 square feet, and yet, thanks to some clever design tricks, it can feel much larger than that. And before you dismiss Japanese style as too minimal and modern for your tastes, hang on. That minimal style which we associate with Japanese style does have a place here, but you can easily take the principles behind the style and apply them in a style that is more to your tastes.

Key Points of Japanese Style

Lose the Clutter Now, and Lose it Often

One theme you will see running through all Japanese apartments, whatever the specific aesthetic design, is that clutter is kept to a minimum (and that is an understatement). If there is something you need to keep, then you need to have a place for it. If you’re not sure where to put it, ask yourself if that might be an indication that you don’t know how or when you’re ever going to use it either. Nothing makes a small space feel even smaller than tons of clutter threatening to engulf the entire living area. Be brutal and ditch what you don’t absolutely need, and keep a watchful eye over your place so the clutter doesn’t start building up while you’re living there. If you can’t bear to part with your possessions, rent a storage space and keep them there until you get bigger digs.

Open Space

A lack of clutter certainly helps make a space feel more open, and there are other ways you can open up your space as well. Walls dividing a small space into many small rooms can really chop up the place, making it feel smaller. Of course, you won’t have a choice about that if you’re already in an apartment with this kind of layout, but you can help counterbalance the effect with mirrors on the walls to add depth to your rooms and by using lighting effectively. Allow as much natural light as possible to flow though the entire apartment and forgo the single overhead lighting for a series of lamps with natural light, bright bulbs.

If you have a studio apartment, you can incorporate Japanese ideals more easily to make your space more functional and feel larger. Many people use dividers to separate their spaces in studio apartments, but instead of using solid dividers, go for Japanese shoji dividers and doors instead. These semi opaque screens will allow the natural light to flow freely throughout the room while giving the privacy and division of space you desire.

The Right Furniture

Ever been to a traditional Japanese restaurant? The tables are low to the ground, and everyone sits on pillow on the floor. This is a great way to save space, and if you want to take the Japanese aesthetic all the way, you will give yourself plenty of extra room. Some people just don’t want to go this far, however. Western culture dictates furniture to be a necessity. But you can have your cake and eat it too, in this instance. The reason this low table and pillow set up works so well in small Japanese spaces is because it is small and unobtrusive. The furniture you buy should be the same. Skip the heavy, dark wood pieces of furniture that take up a ton of space while closing off large areas of the room. Instead, go for small pieces made of light colored woods, with light colors of fabric. When possible, choose furniture that lets light pass through it – a sofa on which the legs are visible, an end table that is propped on legs instead of a solid base, and so on.

More about Japanese Apartment Design

For more information about Japanese style design, give these sites a try:

• Tatami Room
• Cherry Tree Design