Where is the clutter??? =p
I love that book case in the kitchen area. I just went to Muji USA website but I can't seem to find it. Any idea?

You've both made great use of the space! Nice splashes of color, and despite the apartment being compact, it appears airy (in part thanks to the gorgeous blonde floors.) Also, Zadie Smith is amazing and White Teeth is an incredible debut novel. Nice collection of books!

I think the white book case is an IKEA Lack shelf. I do recognize the dining and open kitchen shelving (against the glass wall) as Muji, though. They have simple, functional, minimalist furniture.

What a cute story. Its expensive and not easy to start over in a new country when you don't get to ship all of your furniture and things. This is very inspiring and very clean place.

MonicaK there is a store in NYC and here is the online store. I buy their clear plastic bottles for dish soap and hand soap, shampoo they are the best looking.
http://www.muji.us/store/

love your story and your space. the mirrors behind the couch are great and make it feel spacious.

Wow! Great use of such a small space! Very clean and inviting.

I was born in this neighborhood!!! So cool! My parents lived in a little apartment like this when my dad's work brought them to Tokyo (he was a journalist).

Are those consumer information stickers on the side of the tub? Can they be removed?

Cute place.

Your place really resonates with me as my husband and I just moved back from a very similar apartment in Seoul. I too learned to bake without an oven while having a washing machine in the kitchen!

Beautifully designed and such a welcoming, colorful space. Well done.

How does one bake without an oven???

Sweet place :-)

i LOVE muji !

"What Friends Say: Kawaii!"

lolll, for some reason i find this response so adorably, perfectly appropriate ^___^

well done! for such a small space, i think it's smart to keep it clean and visually open with your neutral colors as the base and pops of color here and there. lovely and elegant.

such a lovely home !!!

Gosh, I know it's a small space, but it doesn't feel small at all! It seems so open and airy. You two definetly made the most with what you had. It looks great!

WOW. This is a dream! I have to ask: How do people get such a polished finished look in their places? Even with a good deep cleaning, I can't seem to get my place looking quite so finished/polished/perfect.

I think the "mirrors" mentioned are just the illusion of the bedroom sliding wall behind the couch. Pretty space. Good job!

Anyone know where to find a sofa like that (wood base + detachable angled back pillows)? No dice on Muji or Ikea websites.

Love the home. Briony is the best name ever.

I may not understand the photo--do the bathroom walls double as the shower stall?

BigBlueMug - try the Case Study Day Bed at Modernica (site not working) or DWR

MonicaK: Muji makes a line of furniture not available in the US. They will ship it abroad if you buy it in Japan, but it's not for sale abroad.

Miami's Elaine: That whole room IS the shower/bathtub room. First you wash; then you bath. The toilet is in another room that they didn't show.

What I want to know is, why did the photographer deliberately leave out the TV corner of the room?

What a wonderful home you have! It's so colorful and inviting. Great job!

One question - where did you find the fantastic dish towels that you have? I've been searching for colorful dish towels. Thanks!

Though not of Briony's doing, that waist height mirror at the shower seems rather..... peculiar.

What a GREAT place! Very cute, and I love all the artwork and other items (especially that teal water jug!).

I'm glad Mexico's not the only country that doesn't use an oven. I just moved into my first place with an oven in 5 years, but I've gotten so used to only cooking with the stove that I use the oven for storage haha

It looks so much bigger than my 55m2. I would add a small (microwave size) oven on one of the counters and additional storage on the kitchen walls; then again, not everyone cooks :)

Why would people stack books vertically? It's functionally ridiculous. It makes books for showing off instead of for reading.

The bench also doesn't make any sense. You can't sit on it with pictures resting behind you.

The tidiness of the place is quite impressive.

@Daily Nuance-"Though not of Briony's doing, that waist height mirror at the shower seems rather..... peculiar."

Its very typical to have the mirror this low, its about washing not to use to put make up on. The hotel I stayed in when I was in Japan was positioned the same and sometimes you shower sitting down.

Why would any stack books vertically? Well limited space get more books per section its functional and looks good.

seriously, can you get them to do a how-to on baking without an oven? That would be an awesome thing to know how to do in any space-cramped city (and it IS how-to month after all, isn't it?).

Re: ovenless baking, it looks like they have a toaster oven in their kitchen. I have a great little Cuisinart one myself, and I can use it for baking, roasting - it's small but mighty! I wouldn't want to try a loaf of bread or anything in there, though! :)

I second the request for more details on the ovenless baking. Can you make muffins or bready things in a toaster oven?

Why is stacking books functionally ridiculous? They are paperbacks and only about 10 deep at the most. It's not like it's hard to take one book.

Cute place!

I love that they didn't wipe the sink down before the photoshoot :) it makes this place feel lived in rather than a model home.

Love what you have done in such a small space. I am moving from a 425 sq ft apt to a 250 sq ft apt, lots of good ideas at AT! Where does everyone get the "Keep calm and carry on" posters?? I must have one!!

Really like this apartment -- so clean, airy, and bright. I love when AT features these small urban spaces. One thing I would suggest for this space is a rug to better define the living area and separate it from the dining area.

@ S.J.P. for the posters search ebay uk

I love it! I'm in the process of building an 800 square feet space (addition to our family home) and will also have an ovenless kitchen. I will make do with a toaster oven and a microwave/convection oven.

I love the bookshelf and disagree with the comment that its functionally ridiculous. Even on a standard bookshelf, I tend to "stack" my books. You eliminate the domino effect of all the books falling over as you pull a book out and it is easier to organize by topic, size, etc. And yes, in a small space, you utilize vertical space that would otherwise go unused. I currently own the 7ft sapien shelf from Design Within Reach and love it, fits up to 70 books in the smallest spot.

What most of the smaller spaces house tours don't show however is the closet space, which I would be curious to see. Is the assumption, there isn't much to see as far as closet space goes. I've built a huge storage area in my space so that the living/bedroom can remain uncluttered and I do tend to be a clothes/bag/shoe horse.

I love your apartment! You've done a great job with the small place. I love the light wood floors. I usually don't care for those vertical bookshelves, but for some reason here it works. It takes up very little visual weight.

S.J.P.

For the posters you can also try or just google it:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&q=keep+calm+and+carry+on+poster+etsy&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sfgirlbybay

Lovely home! I love that you kept such a small space light and airy! Thanks for sharing!

Nice mesh of cultures and incredible use of space. Love the pop of color and the way it's used graphically.

But please, if I see the "keep calm and carry on" print one more time...arggg. It's become so trite.

love this! but can someone tell me where i can find that bedside table? the only thing i've come close to seeing if the offi mag table, but i really don't want that extra magazine slot. any ideas?

Lovely place! I like how it doesn't look like your typical Japanese apartment, but carries a stamp of James & Briony.

Muji! They recently opened a branch where I am and it's a really wonderful place to go to for your storage needs.

@moondust "Not everyone cooks"? Are you kidding me? If you actually read the post you'd see that she opened a cooking school and they aren't allowed to add additional storage to the walls. You didn't look at the pictures either apparently because they already have a toaster oven; it's clearly visible in the second large picture on the post.

It looks great! I just moved into 700sf but I think the layout of James and Briony's place is much better. It helps that they decorated so well. I'm jealous! :)

Re: oven-less baking: I lived in Seoul for 3 years with a kitchen similar to James' and Briony's Tokyo one and I baked cakes, muffins, breads, you name it, all in a small toaster oven. It's absolutely possible, just sometimes takes a little creativity. :)

@mgberns
It's the ikea benjamin stool, which is no longer sold (or listed on the US website, anyway).  Bit disingenuous omitting ikea from the resource list, I think.... :p

Does this place look "light and airy" partly because there is no rug in one big open space? I have a similar floorplan in my small condo, one room with kitchen, dining area and living space. I have 3 rugs separating the dining area, living space and media/books area. Should I take out all the rugs and expose the hardwood like this space? Will that make the room bigger and contribute to the "light and airy" feel?

Kawaii!

Sugoi, ne???

@ Victoria W
Perhaps I should have said: not everyone cooks the same kind of food? Is this less offensive? There are some kind of cuisines, like mediterranean that heavily rely on an oven. I'm not sure if it's the same with Asian cooking.
And the storage is really inadequate for my standards, what can I say? I can never get enough space on a kitchen.

I thought the oven was a microwave, because it's placed so high; I know I would have a problem checking out my food every 20 minutes if I had to step on a stool every time. At such height I would also have a problem handling the trays (maybe I'm too short!).

What a well-written, interesting interview. Obviously the interviewer and subject know each other (since they're in biz together); I guess that helped make this stand out in the writing department -- I really got a feel for the people. And the interview gave a very interesting glimpse into the daily operations of a Tokyo apt. Thanks for a good read!

THis appartment has everything I love: space, light, emptiness when needed, colors. I sure wish we would move to Tokyo tomorrow; we may be sent there by my husband's employer, but now, I'm in a hurry...

By far one of my favorite house tour ever.

"That whole room IS the shower/bathtub room. First you wash; then you bath. The toilet is in another room that they didn't show."

That answers my question. I didn't understand why the water controls and shower head were outside of the tub. The tub is more for soaking?

super amazing!! I love how it has Japanese touches, but doesn't look forced, as in "I'm living in Japan so here is my Japanese apartment!". and it looks *huge* which is quite an accomplishment. totally excellent!

Can someone explain Japanese flooring to me? It's always lovely but I swear it's the same flooring in every apartment I see.

I adore this space. Well done.

Definitely a nice lesson in balancing color the right way. As for the gripes about the "Keep Calm and Carry On" please ignore those people. We hang art in our home because we love it and it speaks to us, not because we we're tying to impress others. Also I've never seen a lack bookshelf look as amazing as it does in your home. Kudos for a job well done!

chiclittleme.blogspot.com

The poster and the complaints are both tired, but ultimately, if your place is being features on AT I would think there is a little bit of "showing off" going on, wouldn't you?

Great little apartment.

I need me a Muji store in Northern California NOW. Has anyone ordered from their online store?

I love the simplicity and organization of this apartment!

Thanks Moondust and E.I.F on where to buy the "keep calm" posters. I am new to AT and have only seen the posters shown on house tours. I love it and if it's overused....well, so be it. My new place is going to have no oven either just a microwave/convection oven so it's good to read people have no trouble baking/cooking in them

I knew there must have been an Australian connection when I saw the Bison jugs. My husband is in Tokyo at the moment so seeing your post makes me think of him.
Regarding the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster, I don't think it is as widely used in Australia as it seems it is in the US.

i love the display of photos in the kitchen. is that a sort of instant film you used? lovely, bright, marvelous home.

Wow, thank you everyone for your lovely comments on our little home, we are so happy that you love it as much as we do!!

@thatmegathing
Here in Japan, that size photo print is a standard option, so we were lucky enough to be able to print many photo memories to hang above our sink.

Briony & James you both have done so well to make such a warm & happy home .Your family will be so proud of you two.

@terry in silver spring
You have the right of it. You should be clean before you get in the bath (something to keep in mind if you decide to brave the public baths/onsen). :)

@mslewis
Well... Tokyo has suburbs/quieter neighborhoods too; it's not just one huge neon monolith. o.O And if you're near a train/subway stop, the world is your oyster....

SJP
I live in No. Calif. and have seen the Keep Calm posters at Target and Cost Plus World Market which are both chain stores as far as I know so that might be a starting place for you to find one.

Sounds like we have a pretty similar story.

My husband got a job here in Tokyo, so we moved here this past summer with just two suitcases, a carry-on, and a backpack each. Our apartment came fully furnished (furniture to dishes), which helped a lot. Unfortunately, all are used pieces acquired here and there by the landlord, so none of it looks very good or goes with any of the other pieces.

But I'm grateful for these things, since our budget is too tight to be buying furniture and whatnot right now. We'll be in this apartment for about another year and half before we have to find our own place (and get our own stuff). So we're saving up in the mean time.

Hope you guys are liking Tokyo so far! I know that I am. And who knows? Maybe I'll bump into you at Ikea. ;)

@ mindfeck -- i think you mean stacking books horizontally (sideways). we have thousands of books & live in a 700 square foot place & stack our books both horizontally & vertically. horizontal stacking is great for large art & architecture books & since there are only 3 to 4 books per shelf, books are quite easy to access, which we do all the time since they're our work books.

For readers who aren't familiar with Tokyo apartments, this one is a LOT nicer than typical ones. Azabu Juban is an upscale neighborhood. 550 sq. ft. is quite roomy compared to many apartments in Tokyo.

I love Japanese bathrooms, they're the most practical, functional bathrooms on the planet. Nice to see (from a distance) the small genkan area by the front door where people typically leave their shoes. It would have been great if these photos focused on the Japanese aspects of the apartment, like the genkan (brilliant idea for an entryway, the ultimate "landing strip"), the appliances in the kitchen, and some close-ups of the bathtub and toilet.

Japanese people usually leave the stickers on their appliances, including the tub. They'd want to the next tenants to know how to operate everything. I'm sure the landlords would be peeved if this couple peeled the sticker off of their tub. You have to accept those things as part of the modern Japanese aesthetic!

QUEEN CARMELITA
Thanks, I am in Canada and we don't have a Target store here yet but will have to travel to Washington to have a peek.
Thanks again.

I came from Japan, lived in Tokyo about 10 years, and know how small living space is in that big city!
I don't know how much a rent would be like nowadays, but when I lived there in the 90's, I paid 7 man yen per month for my puny little dig with 6 tatami-mat-room-with-a-bath-and-a- jokingly-tiny-kitchen, so this apartment looks to me at least 15 man yen. (Sorry to be so graceless to talk about money!!!)
Now I live in Montreal, and I do miss that Japanese bath room. The mirror is low since the bath room is designed for Japanese people who sit on a low stool while washing themselves next to the tub, before diving into it. Why sit? Because they relax while in the bath room.
I actually want to buy and install a Japanese bath room in my current house in Montreal because warm bath is truly relaxing. I believe that the bathing culture is the key for Japanese people to survival in that insane level of stress.
I sincerely hope that James and Briony and all the rest of non Japanese people living in Japan enjoy the wonderful nature and culture of my country.

where are the pillows and kitchen towels from?

@silverpen
The cushions are mix from all over! The pink one on the bed is an antique from Morroco, and the blue one next to it is a Tord Boontfe design from Kvadrat fabrics. The mix on the sofa are all made from Kvadrat fabrics with the striped ones being Paul Smith designs.
The tea towels were picked up from a market in Perth, Western Australia!!
Hope this helps.

Love your cozy nest.

The multicolor theme and the photos in the living room and open kitchen is so happy, and at 550sqft, it doesn't look small at all, and very hip and airy!

Adore the cute bohemian bedding and cushions too! And love vertical bookshelves, they really help to decorate space and help with storage. And yes, toaster and microwave ovens are a great invention!

please ... where did you find your sofa? it is great! would love one just like it myself!

What I want to know is: How did they hang the picture in the bedroom??