Only going back home for 7 days a year - how do you fit in beds and desks?

A couple of days ago, a reader left a comment,

asking about the problem of being away most of the time and only occasionally going home:

they wanted to "conjure up a bed and a desk for each person,"

while normally it could still serve as a leisure room.

This question is a bit tricky,

but it's exactly worth using as a chance to discuss how to create flexible spaces at home.

It should be made clear first that

Fox has always been against using transformable furniture like Murphy beds.

Although at first glance they look flashy, fundamentally

they don't fundamentally change the way space is used.

In fact, there's no real difference from a sofa bed,

you still have to fold the quilt, store the bedding, and so on.

In Fox's view,

this can actually be broken down into two questions:

1. How do you create a flexible bedroom space that can switch between open and private?

2. How do you create a flexible study space that balances reading efficiency and space utilization?

What kind of bedroom can switch between open and private?

How do Japanese families with tiny spaces solve this problem?

Fox's first reaction was to think of

a scene from Hirokazu Kore-eda's film "After the Storm."

The male lead and his divorced ex-wife bring their son back to his hometown to visit grandma,

and they happen to run into a typhoon, forcing them to stay overnight.

To reconcile the couple,

the mother-in-law deliberately lays out two futons right next to each other for them.

via riekashiwa@ins

In Japan, to let guests better enjoy their futon time,

they will also, on top of a thick layer of bedding,

prepare disposable toothbrushes, razors, and so on.

via kagawanoie@ins

However, most families' "flexible bedroom spaces" with futons

are not ordinary rooms,

but what Japan calls "washitsu,"

rooms that Chinese people call "tatami" rooms.

We often say that sleeping on the floor easily brings dampness and makes you prone to rheumatism,

because the warm bedding comes into contact with the cold floor,

easily producing condensation.

Therefore, you need a humidity-regulating material like tatami,

and at the same time raise the floor to form a platform.

via hibiiro@ins

Even so,

that old-style washitsu mentioned above

can still be experienced when staying at a hotel,

but young people's new homes rarely use it anymore.

In most cases,

in order for the living room and the flexible space to combine effectively,

they no longer use a raised platform.

Some families even prefer to use carpet instead of tatami.

via hibiiro@ins

With the door closed it's like this,

directly changing from open to private.

Not long ago, Fox also asked Shuhei Aoyama,

"Is young Japanese people's attitude toward washitsu a rejection of traditional culture?"

Aoyama's meaning was that

even kimonos now have to be improved to be more fashionable,

only then can they gain young people's approval.

via penta_room@ins

A living room of normal size

can actually use the corner formed by two walls and sliding doors

to create a multifunctional washitsu,

normally blending into the living room.

via asukan2121@ins

The smallest washitsu Fox has seen is like this,

even though it's so small,

it can still sleep two people,

while maintaining a relatively private space from the living room.

via asukan2121@ins

The air conditioner is installed inside,

so at night you can also save electricity.

It can be seen that tatami is not the essence of a washitsu,

the sliding doors are.

via ayumi._.201@ins

Even when sleeping on the floor,

young people are not very willing to use tatami,

first, it damages easily and needs replacing,

second, it easily breeds mites,

third, its appearance and color are still very old-fashioned (a bit like a straw mat),

fourth, it's too hard...

instead they use a tri-fold mattress,

with a layer of moisture-absorbing, damp-proof mat underneath.

via noie__@ins

If you really can't accept a washitsu,

then you can also consider using a partition curtain + sofa bed.

A partition curtain can save the space needed for a wooden door to open and close,

while also providing a certain degree of privacy.

Of course, the space utilization rate definitely isn't as good as a washitsu.

Speaking of choosing a sofa bed,

Fox has also used the IKEA HEMNES sofa bed above,

it's a pull-out type, fairly convenient to use.

However, when Fox first visited IKEA years ago,

at that time being short of money,

what was bought back was this special-price 699 yuan IKEA SOLSTA sofa bed.

After all these years, thinking about it now still makes the neck ache faintly.

This sofa bed is a two-seater,

meaning that when used as a sofa,

one person cannot lie flat for a nap.

And this unfolding design

means there's no way to store the mattress,

even if you struggle to pull it open, it's still unbearably hard when sleeping.

Although this SOLSTA has already been discontinued at IKEA,

you still need to pay attention to these problems when choosing.

via xx.t.xx_life@ins

In Japan, this kind of modular sofa bed is also popular,

you can piece the chaise lounge section into a bed.

What kind of study can balance efficiency and space utilization?

via emiyuto@ins

We often think the desk should be integrated into the bedroom,

without this you can't guarantee privacy,

and thus can't guarantee reading and working efficiency.

But,

generally speaking, few people put the desk right up against the head of the bed,

usually there still needs to be a space in between for someone to walk through.

This requires at least twice the aisle space.

So some people keep a low bed in this aisle that can fold under the bed.

(Equivalent to the principle of the IKEA HEMNES sofa bed above.)

via bigjoy_2016@ins

Another way is to have the desk face the head of the bed,

which can also save a certain amount of space.

via muji_global@ins

The method Fox uses

is a modular shelving unit,

which can leave several layers for storing books and stationery,

and can blend into the clothes rack,

determining which layer can serve as a desk based on height.

The key is that you can also freely adjust the function of each layer!

MUJI, IKEA, and the well-known Swedish String modular system

all have this kind of storage furniture.

via ideaco_home@ins

However, fitting desks for three people into one small bedroom,

even using the methods above, is not an easy thing.

But if we think further,

does the desk necessarily have to be in the bedroom?

In fact, the enclosure of the desk has little to do with the room,

but whether there is a partition.

For example, use a floor-standing clothes rack as a partition,

even if there is no separate room,

everyone can still have a private workspace.

via kosodateanshin@ins

Following this idea,

as long as there are two walls forming a relatively partitioned space,

(one of them can also be a wall cabinet,)

you can arrange a desk near the dining room.

Because "the times when the dining room and the desk are used are almost impossible to overlap":

either everyone is eating in the dining room,

or the dining room is empty and most people are in the living room or bedroom,

so it will not disturb working or studying.

via livingd_works_daiichikensetsu@ins

Another space outside the bedroom worth considering is the hallway.

For example, the hallway leading to the bedroom or kitchen,

or the upper-floor hallway of a duplex apartment.

A long, narrow desk like this

can allow several people to work or study at the same time without any problem.

viayuka10.o@ins

By the same reasoning,

as long as there is a corner

and a side table,

you can work in a relatively enclosed way in the living room or beside the bed in the bedroom,

and it is not absolutely necessary to have a desk.

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