by MUJI 無印良品
Why is it that we unreservedly feel that the hanging scroll, the bud vase and the tea utensils arranged in a tearoom are beautiful when we look at them? Of course, the objects themselves are things of beauty; but when they are placed in a space where there is nothing unnecessary, their outlines are highlighted, and it seems as though their merits are brought out even further. It is because of well-organized spaces that good containers and beautiful bowls stand out. In the past, the lives of Japanese people abounded in this kind of beauty.
Living carefully with few things
Placing only a few things around means choosing things. And what's important is that there are empty spaces around things. Empty spaces produce a resonance in us. Looking at life today, inundated with things, and you could even think that affluence is inversely proportional to the amount of things you have. This is because you lose sight of a lot of things because of the number of things increasing. It would be a wonderful thing if you could live carefully, with few things. Being careful is being considerate. It could be said that it is also engaging in the act of "placing" something consciously. The empty spaces that arise with this action are things that we want to see materialize in modern life, too.
Storage space creates empty spaces
By not scattering things around in a room, day-to-day life becomes something rather simple. Looking at the floor plans of modern apartments from this perspective, it appears that storage space is obviously lacking. Even thinking that you want to live unencumbered by things, what's necessary is necessary. Usually with newly built apartments, customarily more than 10% of the floor space is given over to storage; but it can't be said that this is sufficient, even accounting for ease of use. What we mustn't forget is that the Japan of yesterday had the leeway to enjoy empty spaces because in the backyards of houses, there were storage rooms like warehouses.
Even in "Collective Ideas on the Shape of Homes", we have occasionally proposed various ideas regarding storage.
To enjoy empty spaces
The floor plan of the home we visited this time is an example of the actual home after it has been renovated. A large area has been set aside for storage space, while the bedroom has been made smaller to account for this. Unnecessary items are not placed in the bedroom, which is just for sleeping, but are stored in the storage room. And the other rooms likewise don't have a lot of things in them, making for an uncluttered space.
Having a space with nothing in it. And then in that space, placing only one thing that is really important. It can be said that this is enjoying the spaces around things, a typically Japanese aesthetic consciousness. In order to realize this, it's necessary to be equipped with an ample-sized backyard. Many people want to have large spaces, but no matter how big the space, you can't enjoy the spaces around things if things are all over the place. Having a large space with just a few things in it rather than having a large space - how about thinking in this way?
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