Japan Style: Architecture + Interiors + Design

272 Pages·2012·26.02 MB·English

by  Kimie Tada

Japanese design strives to achieve a dynamic balance in ikebana as well as other arts. The
concept of symmetry, so important to Western design, is considered static, and consciously
avoided in Japan. Title page: Lit from underneath, the glass floor of the tokonoma alcove adds a
dramatic modern note to the otherwise traditional muted colors and natural materials of this room.
Japan Style

architecture + interiors + design
introduction by Geeta Mehta
text by Kimie Tada and Geeta Mehta
photographs by Noboru Murata
Published Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Peri plus Editions (HK) Ltd, with
editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759
USA and 61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12, Singapore 534167.
Copyright © 2005 Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd
Photos © 2005 Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd
Project Co-ordinator: Kaoru Murata All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical.
photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the
publisher.
LCC Card No 2005298891
ISBN: 978-1-4629-0595-9 (ebook)
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Front cover: The focus of traditional Japanese design is on space, and on
how each object placed in space changes it dynamically. Architectural
details are often bold, but designed so as to not detract from this space.
Back cover: The room seen through this single paneled screen (tsuitate)
is a mere five square metel's in area, but appears expansive due to the
use of simple low furniture and uncluttered lines.

Furniture-such as this display alcove, shelves and cupboards-are built
into the room to achieve unobstructed space. The bold dark lines of the
wood frames and tatami mat borders work with vertical and horizontal
planes to create an intensely calm effect.
Contents
What is Japanese about a Japanese House? 8
A Tea Master's Dream Lives On 20
Summer Style in a Kyoto Machiya 38
Exuberant Spontaneity in an Interior in Osaka 52
House of Ikebana 68
A Kaga-style Teahouse to Sooth the Soul 76
A Celebration of Lacquer Craft 88
Coming Home to an Old Machiya 98
Antiques Find a New Home in an Old Minka 108