ISSUE. 148
APRIL2015
CONTENT
1: ON TOUR 6 : THE GREEN SPACE 10 : QUOTE 12 : IDEA 14 : INSPIRED 16 : DIY @home
INSIDE
BEAUTIFUL & AFFORDABLE
PREFAB HOUSE
The Japanese retailer Muji has built a cult following by offering nearly any object you could want in your home for not much money and proportionately great design. Now, the company is offering one more item to its line of 7,500 housewares: Actual houses. And there's a very good economic reason for the ambitious new venture.
2 Meanwhile, the Window House was designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who created the simple gabled home in 2008. The home's windows can be adjusted and moved according to the buyer 's wishes, which means the views can be tailored to fit whatever site is available.
Another Kuma design, the Tree House, is more open than the window house an gives the buyer a wide veranda and porch. Muji actually offered fans a chance to live in this version for free for two years in order to study how well the design worked.
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Behind the Business Model But beyond Muji's reputation for good design, what's driving the company into the construction market? It turns out there's more to the story than catering to Muji's minimal-minded followers. To see why, it helps to look at how Japan's building market differs from that of the U.S. or other countries. Earlier this year, Freakonomics described Japanese homes as "disposable," citing statistics that demonstrate how the average lifespan of a home in Japan is only 38 years, compared to 100 in the U.S. More often than not, Japanese homeowners will buy a house only to demolish it and build a new one. It's a problematic scenario, because all the money a buyer pours into building a new home is essentially lost a couple decades later, and then reinvested by the next owner. Considering the staggering cost of homebuilding in Japan, as Freakonomics writer Greg Rosalsky puts it, it's simply a terrible investment. Muji, on the other hand, is offering an alternative: A design -focused home that costs a fraction of what a bespoke home would. These prefabs won't change Japan's current homebuilding dilemma, but they do offer a more economically feasible alternative to hiring an architect to create an entirely new home. All that helps to explain why these little homes are available for customers who live in Japan only—but considering the rate at which Muji is expanding within the U.S., that may not last long. As one Muji exec told Forbes this summer, "Muji is low-key and not flashy. Maybe someone outside Japan finds it cool. We don't want to say so ourselves."
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THE TROPICS INC. AND GUIDE TO THE EASIEST INDOOR PLANTS
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They specialize in large, more exotic indoor plants. Not just fiddle leaf figs or money trees, but so many weird indoor plants that I had never seen before and that I didn’t know really existed. I will warn you, these larger trees are not cheap – most of these plants have been growing for a very long time (my tree is 30 years old) so they have to account for the care and maintenance of the plant. They range from $100 – well – $10K. Not for everyone, I know, but if you want to invest in a living sculpture in your house, this is the place to go in LA.
It’s a pretty inspiring space and they have lots of smaller plants that are more affordable. It’s this jungle of indoor plants that is so inspiring.
So with the help/expertise of The Tropics team (thanks, Ryan!) we wrote up a little guide to the easiest to care for indoor plants/trees. You know I love a maiden hair fern but those things die within a week (although they are inexpensive). So we t hought it would be a fresh exercise to talk about what plants we could actually keep alive and how to care for them. Here goes:
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THE EASIEST INDOOR PLANTS
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10 QUOTE
Great design is eliminating all unnecessary details.
- Minh D. Tran -
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Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
- Leonardo Da Vinci -
12 IDEA
Create your own
MINIMAL H
ho
what is a minimal home
Simply put, �A Minimal home is a clutter free home�. A minimal home has only absolutely necessary things inside it. A few pieces of meaningful art on wall, a few plants to liven up the interiors and bare minimum furniture.
a few main aspects that define it. Everything we choose to make a home minimal is as important as the things we need to avoid, get rid of or just do without.
Clean surfaces & Neutral colors
Furniture
More natural light
More open space
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HOME
ow to create a minimal home Let’s get into the details.
Look around your house. Take all the unnecessary stuff and get rid of them or give it to somebody. Keep only the absolutely essential things.
Living Room 3-seater sofa lounge small coffee table simple wall clock flat TV on the wall
Bathroom No bathtub, Just one cabinet below hand wash basin. Make sure you choose neutral shades.
Bedroom A wardrobe with glass doors. A design of a bed should be as minimal as possible.
Kitchen Keep your kitchen as clean as possible.So, have only the most important objects out on the counter
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INSPIRED : LUKE CLARK TYLER WITH HIS 78 SQ. FT. APARTMENT
THE SMALLEST APARTMENT IN AMERICA - Luke Clark Tyler shows how he designed the interior of his 78 sq. ft. New York apartment. Luke provides decorating ideas for small spaces, including furniture, storage, kitchen and bath solutions. OffBeat Spaces is on SPACEStv! watch again ? : Thank you :
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DIY @HOME :
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