Name: Jon Hindley & Liezel Strauss
Location: Shibuya-ku — Tokyo, Japan
Size: 1,900 square feet
Years lived in: 3 months
Last year when I posted our new London home during Augusts' Setting Up Home theme, little did I know we would be living in Tokyo a year later! As always, it was very important to nest in a record time since we might not be around for that long. I realize all too well the "right" way to make a home is to do it with loads of patience, love and non-haste. There is plenty of love in our new place but living in 10 different homes in the last 9 years taught me that it is crucial to create a space you love no matter how long — or how short! — you intend to stay.
We were stunned to find this amazing space in central Tokyo — especially considering we saw smaller apartments a few blocks away for the same price. The major difference — our new place is not an expat apartment. This means none of the appliances are in English — we still have no idea what the robot lady is saying every time we switch on the bath (no taps) and the fridge and oven are yet to be conquered!
Our biggest challenge was trying to furnish the space without spending a fortune. Tokyo truly is the most expensive city. Thank goodness for IKEA! What excited us the most about our space was the big roof terrace. After living in Europe for 5 years, we were ready to embrace a proper summer! It was our dream to have a grass roof and when we read about the turf Toyota developed here in Japan, it seemed destiny. Unfortunately the whole process went spectacularly wrong (as it does all the time in a country where you don't speak the language) and we ended up with decking. Ha! Nevertheless we are in love with our new home and we feel very blessed to be here.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Eclectic
Inspiration: Our travels
What Friends Say: 'You have a lift in your house!'
Biggest Embarrassment: We have a lift in the house!
Favorite element: The roof terrace and the big glass windows — and of course the location.
Proudest DIY: Trying to plant grass on the roof, it was a spectacular flop, but I'm still proud that we gave it a shot.
Biggest Challenge: The idea that we have to leave one day!
Biggest Indulgence: The computer corner in the living room — we bought the mid century chair, lamp and desk from local antique shops.
Dream Source: If I had my way, all the furniture, art and accessories would come from South Africa, we have some amazng designers and artists! My favorites are Haldane Martin, Heath Nash, Gregor Jenkin, Moonbasket and SkinnyLaminx
Best advice: Nest wherever you are. Even if it's just for a week!
Resources:
Kitchen Hardware: Island Unit: IKEA
Kitchen Furniture Made from recycled church benches. Eat Sleep Live.
Living chairs in studio and wooden chair on roof: Inherited from grandparents
Sofa: Habitat
Antique Desks, desk lamp and office chair: Acme
Coffee table, blue office chairs, red locker unit and TV cabinet: IKEA
Art: Cement women sculpture in living room and white dog: Kenau Botha, Bronze sculpture in living room: Rossouw van der Walt , Polaroids in bedroom: Stephani Schneider, Albino reindeer: Frank Stockel, Wooden angels: Jackson Thembe, Wire "you make it easy": Heath Nash , 'Shy girl' in the bedroom: Francois van Reenen, Painting in bathroom: Elwin Buchel, Tretchikoff from Spitalfields market in London and all other art from markets in Swaziland.
Beds & bedlinen: The Sleep Room
Bookshelves & ladder: IKEA
Roof Terrace: Beds from IKEA used as sofa's, pillows from IKEA, Space BBQ from the Conran Shop,
Images: Liezel Strauss
• HOUSE TOUR ARCHIVE Check out past house tours here
• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour Submission Form.
• Are you a designer/architect/decorator interested in sharing a residential project with Apartment Therapy readers? Contact the editors through our Professional Submission Form.
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Emi & Nathan's Natural History
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Sprout Side Table
5 Things Paris Taught Me About Travel
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Can you please give tips on moving your sculptures safely around the world? In our last move, one of ours was broken. Any secrets for successfully protecting them?
3 words on why this place was so cheap:
Fleshtone
Kitchen
Cabinets
But I would have taken it too - It's a great house in an amazing city.
Can I say "ass" on AT? Because this is one cool ass place. I'm loving your gorgeous sculptures and that totally awesome outdoor terrace. Please tell us what you do with those IKEA beds when it rains. Are they covered in outdoor fabric? Such a great idea. I want to copy.
That space looks huge. Amazing.
I spy a City Moleskine!
dear bepsf:
this apartment isn't cheap. it's inordinately expensive. an almost 2000 sq ft apt. in Tokyo, esp. Shibuya, is almost unheard of except for the very wealthy. i asked my japanese husband how much he thinks it costs to rent a place like this and he couldn't even come up with a figure, *that's* how much this place costs. that said, very nice place and beautifully furnished. just kind of misleading to let people think they got some kind of deal on it, because they most certainly did not. unless their company is paying for it, then that's a different story. also, i thought apartment therapy was for people with smallish places trying to make the most of what they have. plenty of examples like that in tokyo, some very resourceful and creative problem solving for tiny spaces.
Tokyo certainly is expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Personally, I feel that London is a more expensive town than Tokyo, even with the weaker pound sterling and the stronger yen.
The thing about Tokyo is that the high end is very expensive. But there's also a moderate range of goods and services that is comparable in price to many western cities (Paris, NYC,...). And then there are bargains, which are often overlooked by travelers and expats. You just have to know where to look (hint: get away from the expat hangouts).
Using Ikea furniture because it's cheap and Tokyo is expensive seems odd to me, considering the choice to live in 1900 sqft in western (not central) Tokyo. Then again, if I were to move to a different city every year, I would save myself the hassles and choose fully furnished corporate housing. Different strokes...
Enjoy your stay in Tokyo!
i have never seen such a big japanese apartment!
WoW!!! Having had the great chance to live in Tokyo for 2 years (Daikanyama!) I must say that even if Joh says Shibuya is not central Tokyo (geographically) it certainly was the center of Tokyo for action and fun. And yes, that place must cost a fortune but hey, if you can afford it, why not?
Have fun, its an amazing city!
Tokyo is not a cheap place--- pricing for a place like this is pretty easy to find on a search (in English). Craigslist is growing and yahoo auctions Japan certainly provide a lot of cheap and interesting items---mcm Japan is quite cool--a tad bit more utilitarian looking from what I have found. Japan is an amazing place in regards to cost of living. Living outside of the city centers-- the price drops. Living far from a train station it gets even cheaper. Also, while the rest of the world has faced continual inflation despite roller coaster economies Japan has not had any inflation. 5% sales tax! It doubled from 2.5 about 15 years ago--everyone was in shock!
Nice apartment by the way!
oh where did you get that adorable coat rack?! i love it ...
I moved from Tokyo, in the Nakameguro section last year after spending 3 years there. It was also not in a Western area. We lived in about 1,000 square feet and it cost $4,500 a month - not including any utilities or services of any kind. To me, Shibuya is still very much in the center of Tokyo. If you are served by any of the metro lines, then that is central Tokyo. This is a lovely building - I love the outdoor space.We had two balconies but no one is allowed to really use them -and you certainly could not grill on them, as the smell of smoke easily wafts into other people's living space. There are some great design places in Tokyo - Muji, Okay, etc., etc. But it is all expensive!
I love the yellow and white cotton/dhurrie rug in the living area. Where did you find that? I've been looking for that rug for weeks now, but cannot find it online. Thanks.
I'm very curious to know what your plan was for the turf roof. Even though it didn't work out. Please post. Thanks! And thanks for sharing your cook house...
i'd get really tired of doding the angle statues each time i got in the fridge.
Wow. This must definitely cost a fortune and then some, but it's true - if you've got the kind of money to spend on a great place, why not?
katydid1016, I think the rug is Ikea.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50168285
Wonderful space and artwork: I found myself pausing on some of the photographs as compositions in their own right- beautifully shot and engaging!
katydid1016, thank you for the rug source. i was just about to ask!
You have transformed Your house into a home, it has lots of soul and great decor. Is it a Tadao Ando house?
The house design is timeless (as in le Corbusier's designs of the mid-1900's). What concerns me is a presumably 220V air conditioner IN THE SHOWER!? I know this is about design and not life safety, but whoa. That'll wake you up in the morning! Granted, there is probably something about Tokyo electricity that makes this perfectly acceptable and safe, but wow. Great house regardless!
ooooh...I can't tell you how much I love your sculpture...love you even more for obviously loving sculpture enough to invest in some great pieces.
Love your space as well. Life is good...isn't it?
Love those Angels. Mr. Package statue not so much. This is a palace even compared to my house. I like the fleshtone cabinets. Beats my plywood any day!
I've never seen an apartment in Japan that looked less like an apartment in Japan.
Really, why bother going there?
As someone who's lived not far from Shibuya (just at the eastern edge of Setagaya-ku), I must report that my jaw dropped open when I read the 1900 sq ft number. Kinda makes me that of that elderly woman with the 42-room apartment on lower Fifth Ave.
Hello, do you want to drop us a line? We have seen you are looking for a house swap in the UK and we are looking to go in Tokyo during Easter. So, if you want to come see the Royal Wedding, our house is a similar size and a beautiful period property. hope you will have this message soon! Daniel daniroy@gmail.com
LOVE. That's all I can say. Especially the shower tub combo! The sculpture, the everything. I love it all!