00:02There's an advantage to renovating a space while living in it, in that over time we were
00:07able to see what worked and what didn't work as everything progressed. I think we had a clear
00:15understanding of what we wanted in a home from the very beginning. We wanted to create an open
00:20space that would have exposed walls and light entering from all directions. My name is David
00:28Buchler and I live here with my partner Koichi and our cat Sophie. We worked on
00:34this project with Kei Makito, an architect from RUVIS, who helped us manage this project.
00:51The apartment is located on the west side of Tokyo. It's conveniently located
00:5820 minutes by train from Shibuya and close to Nishiyo Gikubo and Kichijoji. Areas both
01:04surrounded by nature and known for antique shopping and local bars.
01:13We were living in the apartment when we started renovating it ourselves. Most of our weekends
01:19and holidays were spent removing the walls, which separated the bedrooms. The apartment
01:24is a mixture of different materials. We wanted a very industrial space, but also a bit of colour,
01:35a few natural elements. When we found this apartment, it had been renovated two years before and had a
01:41passageway that ran from the entrance through to a central kitchen and living room area. The ceilings
01:48and older Japanese apartments, such as this one, tend to be quite low. We were able to recover a bit
01:54more height by removing all of the ceiling walls.
01:59There were three separate bedrooms, a small unit bath with a separate toilet. There were also three
02:07small balconies, which allowed in significant light. We started by removing all the walls,
02:14rooms, which divided the bedrooms. The kitchen was originally located in the middle of the apartment
02:22and we moved it to a corner under a large window. We created a custom joinery unit, which divided the
02:32living room area and the bedroom. We switched the toilet and the laundry spaces. The toilet is now
02:40integrated into the bathroom and the washing machine has its own separate space.
02:48The building was constructed in 1972. There are ten floors and we live in an apartment on the seventh
02:56floor. The entrance opens into a genkan, a space at the front door of every Japanese home where people
03:03take off their shoes and then step into the inside of the home. We placed a narrow shelf above the
03:09door
03:10There are stacked crates where we can place the shoes we wear daily.
03:15From the genkan there is a step into the apartment. The lights we used for the entrance are down lights,
03:23originally meant to be installed in ceiling boards, but we decided to leave them exposed to match the
03:28atmosphere of the rest of the apartment. The original genkan was demarcated clearly by being on a different
03:35lower level to the rest of the apartment. There was an old post box which wasn't functional anymore,
03:42so we removed it and now have a small space to decorate with little items.
03:49The kitchen has all the functionality of a regular kitchen.
03:53We chose a steel kitchen unit which is raised off the floor because we wanted something that was simple
03:59and easy to clean. As most Japanese kitchen units are significantly lower in height,
04:05we custom made this unit from Ikea which allowed us to raise the height which best suited us.
04:12It has a large sink and a four burner gas stove.
04:16On this side of the kitchen, next to the sink, there is a hanging metal shelf from Hei.
04:24This stores our cups, glasses and plates. The old medical trolley which holds some glasses and other
04:33kitchen items can be easily wheeled around and is the perfect drinks trolley when entertaining.
04:39The single lamp that hangs above the kitchen unit offers just enough light in the evening
04:44and can be positioned in any direction. There is also a large fridge and a
04:51metal shelving unit with supplies for the kitchen. When the weather is nice we can open the windows
04:58and the small door near the stove to have extra ventilation and a bit of a view when preparing meals.
05:07A small round dining table stands in the centre of the space with a single low-hanging pendant light
05:13which directs the light specifically in one place. A custom joinery storage pod in the middle of the
05:20apartment opens on this side of the dining room by two sliding doors. Inside the cupboard we placed
05:27stainless steel Muji shelving with space to store items for the kitchen. We wanted the storage unit to
05:34feel more like a piece of furniture and deliberately decided that it would not extend all the way to the
05:40ceiling. The door closes and feels a little bit like a puzzle piece. There is soft strip lighting above the
05:49storage unit which makes it cosy in the evening. The original floor had panels with a wooden veneer.
05:56When we removed this there was a layer of concrete. On one half of the apartment we kept the concrete
06:03which we treated and finished with a varnish. And on the other half we used blue PVC tiles.
06:16The living space faces into the kitchen and is divided by a thin brass strip separating the blue PVC tiles
06:23and the kation mortar floor. The soft furnishings and our growing collection of African art fills the
06:30space with warm colours against the grey of the concrete. We painted the ceiling white in this area
06:36to make the space feel brighter and reflect some light. On clear days we have a beautiful view of
06:43Mount Fuji on one side and Shibuya and Shinjuku on the other side. There is a Karimoku black sofa
06:52underneath a window, a single black armchair, a wooden mint century coffee table and side table.
07:00The custom made bookshelf is filled with art journals, magazines and photography books.
07:09This bookshelf connects the living room with a small studio space.
07:15There's a height adjustable trestle table which we both share when working on our laptops or cutting
07:21patterns and sewing. To give more versatility to the space we decided to use a duct rail to hang the
07:30lights which allows them to be easily moved around the room. The metal shelving unit has storage for
07:37things necessary in our studio space. There is a record player on top and we love listening to records
07:43when working. On the other side of the storage pod is the bedroom. This space can be closed off using
07:54the curtain hanging from the rail attached to the ceiling. We sewed a simple linen curtain which is
08:01segmented and runs across the storage unit where our clothing is stored. The curtain wraps its way around
08:08the foot of the bed cocooning the space. The space on either side of the bed is narrow,
08:13so we attached shelving from hay onto the wall as bedside tables which keeps the floor space open
08:20and allows access to the large sliding drawers underneath the bed.
08:28We decided the storage pod should be accessible from both sides.
08:33It helps to demarcate spaces and offers a bit more privacy.
08:40We chose blinds on this side of the apartment to offer some privacy from our neighbours.
08:46The afternoon sunsets from this side of the apartment are really magnificent too.
08:57The bathroom is close to the entrance of the apartment. A large galvanised steel door slides
09:03across for privacy. There is a sink with exposed piping and a mirrored medicine cabinet above.
09:11The floors and walls are painted in a colour called eraser pink with an eggshell finish.
09:17We both loved the damaged nature of the wall in certain areas and the wooden floorboard was cut
09:23precisely around it to kind of bring attention to the beauty of imperfections, adding a unique touch.
09:32Here we wanted a clean white walled space with a glass door to allow as much light in from the
09:37small
09:37window into the rest of the bathroom. The Panasonic shower and bath unit is very typical of most Japanese
09:42homes. We're lucky enough to have a window which is lovely to open in the summer when taking a bath.
09:48It also allows some light into the rest of the bathroom.
09:54The toilet was originally housed in a separate room next to the bathroom,
09:58a space which we completely opened up and placed a washing machine and laundry supplies inside.
10:08In a small space everything is amplified. You know, spaces are a lot smaller here in Japan. Carefully and
10:16accurately crafting details in both design and construction is essential. For example, how many
10:22millimetres should be used for the floor baseboards, how should the wiring be organised etc. And also
10:30opening up the ceiling to add extra space.
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