People are paying more attention to the spaces connecting the inside and outside of their houses, making use of wood decks and unfloored space. The spaces can also be utilized as "second living rooms," where people can have lunch on a wooden deck or enjoy their hobbies on "doma," earthen floors that traditionally just dirt but now bridge a gap between the inside and outside.
A 42-year-old company employee in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, built a new house in March this year. After the house was completed, he ordered additional construction work, getting a wooden deck added on in May. The deck is connected to the room next to the living room. The floor of the room -- a Japanese-style room -- and that of the deck are the same height, creating the impression that the room simply extends outside.
When his parents were living in the former house before the new house was built, the space where the wooden deck is was used as a vegetable patch. When he was planning the new building, his 37-year-old wife said, "I want a space where our children can play and I can hang out laundry," so he considered adding a deck.
He consulted Satake Kogyo, a Tokyo-based company that provides exterior building services, and the company proposed that he use a service called "Kirara Stage" from Tokyo-based LIXIL Corp.
According to Yuichiro Satake, president of Satake Kogyo, the deck in this house is made of artificial wood from which stains can be easily removed just by washing with water. Satake said, "Maintenance is simple and the products are durable for a long time. I chose a wood of the same color as that of the entrance gate so that the structures have a sense of unity."
Now, the wood deck has become a favorite place for the couple's children to play. In summer, they put a portable pool out on the deck and play in the water.
"Sometimes on weekends, we put chairs and a table [out on the deck] and eat lunch and have a barbecue. It has become an essential space for us to relax with each other."
A 37-year-old man in Setagaya Ward purchased a secondhand condominium unit in 2015 and renovated it. He created a doma next to the entrance.
Before the renovation, there was an interior wall close to the entrance and he felt that this was making the inside of the unit shadowy. He removed the wall and changed one of the rooms into a space with a doma. It allows in light from the windows and makes the space brighter. He keeps items for his hobbies in the space, such as a bicycle and a guitar. He also set up a projector and a screen to watch movies and TV programs there.
He said that the new space has made him more enthusiastic than before about his hobbies, including maintaining his bicycle, practicing the guitar and watching soccer games.
His 43-year-old wife, who likes decorating rooms with plants, has placed potted plants in the space and waters them with a spray bottle every morning.
He said, "The space is a good place for us where we can really get into our hobbies and refresh ourselves. It's like our second living room."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
