It all makes sense… this article on traditional Japanese homes describes exactly how I’d like our space to be, with a touch of western flair of course (I don’t think the computers and surround sound speaker system really fit in to traditional….). It also explains why I keep thinking we need to just get rid of our bed for another futon… OK, I’m the only one that didn’t figure out that Futons are traditional Japanese beds….

Anyways, have a read. I didn’t know I would get so much clarification on my ideal loft vision from a discussion of traditional Japan….

Interior Space

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.

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 (see pp. 64-67) 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. (See Pls. 55, 57, 76.) 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.

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.

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