10 Tokyo-Ite Tips for Small Space Living
Get inspired by clever and creative compact-home ideas, from the most densely populated city in the world – Tokyo
In a city where space comes at a premium, it can take a good deal of resourcefulness and design pragmatism to achieve the vision you’re after. Fortunately, Tokyo-ites are pioneers in functional and small-space design, creating a city that’s home to some of the most eye-catching and inventive tiny properties – as I discovered while living there earlier this year.
Compact homes are a part of our lives in the other cities around the world too, so maybe it’s time we looked east for a bit of inspiration. From maximising wardrobe space to simply thinking about rooms differently, here are a few things Tokyo style can teach us about small-space living.
Compact homes are a part of our lives in the other cities around the world too, so maybe it’s time we looked east for a bit of inspiration. From maximising wardrobe space to simply thinking about rooms differently, here are a few things Tokyo style can teach us about small-space living.
2. Maximise wall space
The long and short of it is, you’ll need to go long and narrow for bedroom storage. Tokyo residents aren’t just professionals at dressing, they’re also pros at dressing their dressing rooms and wardrobes (as well as using them for more than just their clothes). Top-to-toe is the Tokyo tradition, and this means you’d best be ready to go floor-to-ceiling with storage.
Create columns of shelves or opt for tall, modular units into which you can fold smaller pieces of clothing. Built-in storage will generally max your space to its full potential if you can stretch to bespoke. Fix up some small curtains to hide any items that stick out and jar with the aesthetic (Tokyo-ites even use curtains for bunk beds to add some privacy).
Try a system like this one – a hanging space for shirts, tray shelves stacked with T-shirts and undergarments, shelves for books and jumpers, and shoes sitting snugly underneath it all. There you go, you’ve used the whole wall.
The long and short of it is, you’ll need to go long and narrow for bedroom storage. Tokyo residents aren’t just professionals at dressing, they’re also pros at dressing their dressing rooms and wardrobes (as well as using them for more than just their clothes). Top-to-toe is the Tokyo tradition, and this means you’d best be ready to go floor-to-ceiling with storage.
Create columns of shelves or opt for tall, modular units into which you can fold smaller pieces of clothing. Built-in storage will generally max your space to its full potential if you can stretch to bespoke. Fix up some small curtains to hide any items that stick out and jar with the aesthetic (Tokyo-ites even use curtains for bunk beds to add some privacy).
Try a system like this one – a hanging space for shirts, tray shelves stacked with T-shirts and undergarments, shelves for books and jumpers, and shoes sitting snugly underneath it all. There you go, you’ve used the whole wall.
3. Freshen up your fold
It’s one thing to have tall and narrow storage units, but how do you fit anything in them? Well, Tokyo has the answer. Try folding clothes into little upright parcels, a technique made famous by Japanese author Marie Kondo in her bestselling book on the ‘magic’ of tidying. Folding clothes this way not only makes them easier to store, it also helps to compartmentalise your belongings, so you can see what’s what at a glance. Keep smart shirts and dresses hung apart and fold the rest away.
In Tokyo, where storage options tend to consist of the aforementioned tall, narrow shelving unit and a rail to hang shirts, employing this method of folding is the optimum, and often the only, way to save space. And in a city with such fantastic shopping options, residents need every bit of extra storage they can get.
The art of decluttering, Japanese style
It’s one thing to have tall and narrow storage units, but how do you fit anything in them? Well, Tokyo has the answer. Try folding clothes into little upright parcels, a technique made famous by Japanese author Marie Kondo in her bestselling book on the ‘magic’ of tidying. Folding clothes this way not only makes them easier to store, it also helps to compartmentalise your belongings, so you can see what’s what at a glance. Keep smart shirts and dresses hung apart and fold the rest away.
In Tokyo, where storage options tend to consist of the aforementioned tall, narrow shelving unit and a rail to hang shirts, employing this method of folding is the optimum, and often the only, way to save space. And in a city with such fantastic shopping options, residents need every bit of extra storage they can get.
The art of decluttering, Japanese style
4. Make rooms multi-functional
More often than not, no room simply functions as just one room in Tokyo homes. A living space changes to a bedroom and then to a work space before you’ve even had a chance to get the green tea on. It’s a design vision we can easily adopt back home.
Instead of following stock rules of having segmented rooms for specific purposes, try installing a fold-out wall bed in your living room to create a guest bedroom.
This London home is a bedroom by night and…
More often than not, no room simply functions as just one room in Tokyo homes. A living space changes to a bedroom and then to a work space before you’ve even had a chance to get the green tea on. It’s a design vision we can easily adopt back home.
Instead of following stock rules of having segmented rooms for specific purposes, try installing a fold-out wall bed in your living room to create a guest bedroom.
This London home is a bedroom by night and…
… a living room/workspace by day!
With most Tokyo residents living in single studios, rooms like this are commonplace and essential to comfortable and practical living. Roll-out futons are a popular, less-permanent choice for studio residents in the city, as they function both as a bed and a comfy floor cushion to lean against.
While you may not live in a studio, if your home is on the small side, you might want to take this multi-purpose concept and use it on a smaller scale. For instance, try a fold-down shelf to create a table or part-time work station in a tight kitchen.
In Tokyo, the notion of multi-functional even extends to the bathroom. Homes usually have cloakrooms, which often come equipped with a loo that has a sink on top – a great space-saver.
With most Tokyo residents living in single studios, rooms like this are commonplace and essential to comfortable and practical living. Roll-out futons are a popular, less-permanent choice for studio residents in the city, as they function both as a bed and a comfy floor cushion to lean against.
While you may not live in a studio, if your home is on the small side, you might want to take this multi-purpose concept and use it on a smaller scale. For instance, try a fold-down shelf to create a table or part-time work station in a tight kitchen.
In Tokyo, the notion of multi-functional even extends to the bathroom. Homes usually have cloakrooms, which often come equipped with a loo that has a sink on top – a great space-saver.
5. Divide and conquer
In line with making a space multi-purpose, Japanese interiors often have room dividers, traditionally in the form of shoji screens (those light paper doors so synonymous with Japan).
The trend now is for open-plan spaces, but a translucent divider like this one can be a good way to give a room multiple functions while still letting light through and retaining the option of having a bigger, more open space. Shoji screens are low-cost and lightweight, and they remove the investment and work of putting in a hard wall, making it easy on both you and your wallet.
Open shelving is another way to create a more permanent but equally light-sharing divide.
Let Japanese shoji screens slide in
In line with making a space multi-purpose, Japanese interiors often have room dividers, traditionally in the form of shoji screens (those light paper doors so synonymous with Japan).
The trend now is for open-plan spaces, but a translucent divider like this one can be a good way to give a room multiple functions while still letting light through and retaining the option of having a bigger, more open space. Shoji screens are low-cost and lightweight, and they remove the investment and work of putting in a hard wall, making it easy on both you and your wallet.
Open shelving is another way to create a more permanent but equally light-sharing divide.
Let Japanese shoji screens slide in
6. Tier it
This can seem like a big investment and structurally isn’t always an option, but creating a mezzanine gives a small space some depth and dimension. As a large number of homes in Tokyo are narrow, the answer is often to build upwards. Visiting any studio home, you’re likely to find a little loft space that functions as a bedroom or storage space.
If height is on your side but not width, see if you can invest in an extra level, like the one in this slim studio (you won’t need Planning Permission, but will need it to comply with Building Regulations). If you have the option and budget, equip it with a spiral staircase as a more user-friendly and eye-pleasing alternative to a ladder.
Alternatively, check out double loft beds, which could also boost valuable floor space without involving any structural work.
This can seem like a big investment and structurally isn’t always an option, but creating a mezzanine gives a small space some depth and dimension. As a large number of homes in Tokyo are narrow, the answer is often to build upwards. Visiting any studio home, you’re likely to find a little loft space that functions as a bedroom or storage space.
If height is on your side but not width, see if you can invest in an extra level, like the one in this slim studio (you won’t need Planning Permission, but will need it to comply with Building Regulations). If you have the option and budget, equip it with a spiral staircase as a more user-friendly and eye-pleasing alternative to a ladder.
Alternatively, check out double loft beds, which could also boost valuable floor space without involving any structural work.
7. Leave a space unfilled
We talk a lot about clutter, but it’s time to say sayonara (Japanese for ‘goodbye’) to all that mess. Space is so prized in Tokyo, that residents routinely view it as a feature in its own right – the mantra being that sometimes emptiness can be beautiful.
In a small space, it may seem counterintuitive to create this kind of breathing space when you could be cramming in more stuff, but it can be good for the soul. In fact, in Japan, incompleteness is considered beautiful, as it enables contrast with the busy.
So next time you decorate, leave a corner untouched or a wall blank and see what you think. This dining room is a great example of making this sort of emptiness work – the logs, flowers and soft cushion ensure it’s not a stark corner, but that luxurious white space keeps this interior feeling quiet and calm.
We talk a lot about clutter, but it’s time to say sayonara (Japanese for ‘goodbye’) to all that mess. Space is so prized in Tokyo, that residents routinely view it as a feature in its own right – the mantra being that sometimes emptiness can be beautiful.
In a small space, it may seem counterintuitive to create this kind of breathing space when you could be cramming in more stuff, but it can be good for the soul. In fact, in Japan, incompleteness is considered beautiful, as it enables contrast with the busy.
So next time you decorate, leave a corner untouched or a wall blank and see what you think. This dining room is a great example of making this sort of emptiness work – the logs, flowers and soft cushion ensure it’s not a stark corner, but that luxurious white space keeps this interior feeling quiet and calm.
8. Choose natural materials
In Tokyo homes, especially small ones, blonde woods such as hinoki and red pine, as well as bamboo, are popular materials for furniture. It’s thought that using natural materials in small spaces creates a mutually beneficial relationship with nature and encourages us to look out beyond the confines of the walls.
The various woods in this Japanese kitchen – in the floor, table, chairs and decorative branches – lend a breezy, relaxed feel to an otherwise tight space.
Add pale wood to add character without creating clutter – and don’t forget a houseplant or foliage, too: timber, white walls and greenery is a classic look.
See more kitchens embracing blonde wood
In Tokyo homes, especially small ones, blonde woods such as hinoki and red pine, as well as bamboo, are popular materials for furniture. It’s thought that using natural materials in small spaces creates a mutually beneficial relationship with nature and encourages us to look out beyond the confines of the walls.
The various woods in this Japanese kitchen – in the floor, table, chairs and decorative branches – lend a breezy, relaxed feel to an otherwise tight space.
Add pale wood to add character without creating clutter – and don’t forget a houseplant or foliage, too: timber, white walls and greenery is a classic look.
See more kitchens embracing blonde wood
9. Rethink awkward spots
It’s not always immediately obvious what to do with a small or awkward space, whether that’s within a tiny home, or merely a small corner of a more spacious abode. But as Tokyo-ites will tell you, there’s always something that can be done.
Leaving your space empty or blank is one option, as already mentioned. For other ideas, look at it with fresh eyes: the owner of this lovely but tricksy window alcove has turned it into an indoor balcony with the addition of a rocking chair, some pot plants and a clever visual trick with the two-tone floor.
In a similar vein, you might reinvent a landing by furnishing it with a small, comfy chair, a miniature bookshelf and a desk lamp – voila, your own makeshift reading room.
Alternatively, a blank wall in a city apartment with no outside space can become an indoor garden, if it gets enough sunlight. Simply mount window boxes or pots on your wall and fix some vertical wires to hooks near the ceiling, up which climbing plants can grow.
It’s not always immediately obvious what to do with a small or awkward space, whether that’s within a tiny home, or merely a small corner of a more spacious abode. But as Tokyo-ites will tell you, there’s always something that can be done.
Leaving your space empty or blank is one option, as already mentioned. For other ideas, look at it with fresh eyes: the owner of this lovely but tricksy window alcove has turned it into an indoor balcony with the addition of a rocking chair, some pot plants and a clever visual trick with the two-tone floor.
In a similar vein, you might reinvent a landing by furnishing it with a small, comfy chair, a miniature bookshelf and a desk lamp – voila, your own makeshift reading room.
Alternatively, a blank wall in a city apartment with no outside space can become an indoor garden, if it gets enough sunlight. Simply mount window boxes or pots on your wall and fix some vertical wires to hooks near the ceiling, up which climbing plants can grow.
10. Accept your home
As much as we might dream of a larger home, sometimes you just have to make the best of what you’ve got and can afford. Tokyo residents are renowned for their fascination with all things miniature, so let’s channel that joy and celebrate our home’s smallness, accepting it’s just as beautiful as larger properties rather than lacking something.
Next time you go home, whether it’s to your one-bedroom city flat or small terrace house, instead of looking at it and thinking a small space limits you, try thinking of it as a challenge – what can you do next to make this space work? Tokyo, as demonstrated, certainly has some ideas.
TELL US
What do you love about your small space? Share your tips in the Comments.
MORE
Browse more beautiful compact spaces
As much as we might dream of a larger home, sometimes you just have to make the best of what you’ve got and can afford. Tokyo residents are renowned for their fascination with all things miniature, so let’s channel that joy and celebrate our home’s smallness, accepting it’s just as beautiful as larger properties rather than lacking something.
Next time you go home, whether it’s to your one-bedroom city flat or small terrace house, instead of looking at it and thinking a small space limits you, try thinking of it as a challenge – what can you do next to make this space work? Tokyo, as demonstrated, certainly has some ideas.
TELL US
What do you love about your small space? Share your tips in the Comments.
MORE
Browse more beautiful compact spaces
Known as a tokonoma or simply toko in Japan (an alcove or niche to us), the tradition of having little, stage-like spaces is hundreds of years old. In Japan, they’re typically used to create a greater sense of space, and for displaying personal possessions, such as a scroll or a plant (think bonsai), yet the concept can be reimagined into an Australian home and put to practical use.
Where possible, opt for recessed spaces and wall niches in living and dining areas, using them to display a rotation of precious, beautiful objects without intruding on a small room. Or use them in bathrooms and bedrooms for tucked-away storage. In small sleep spaces, a niche can be the perfect bedside nook for a book and a glass of water.