The fine line between poverty and elegance is sometimes no line at all. The traditional Japanese country house was a production unit. There were no bedrooms-people simply slept where it was convenient. Traditionally, the futon was aired and stowed away every morning, so setting up wherever was not much of a disruption. Japanese architecture is the foundation of “modern” Western design. A trip through a big box furniture store is little different from a look at Edward S. Morse’s
Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings. The differences are mainly a matter of texture.
Get the most out of your housing dollar by planning flexible, multi-use rooms. My place works best when each room has a place to sleep, a table for work or meals, and at least a couple of comfortable chairs for ease. Building these possibilities into the inventory means that visitors and changes in use are not disruptive.
A place to sleep doesn’t have to mean a bed-a hammock, army cot, or self-inflating air mattress will do sometimes. A round pedestal table keeps circulation easy, and the classic director’s chair, Gold Medal if possible, is equally comfortable at table and for lounging. It also suits many body types and sizes.
Early Western strategies are much like the Japanese farmhouse. The eighteenth century room was a rectangular chamber with no fixed purpose. The slender furniture was moved toward whatever source of light was best for whatever people were doing.
The medieval hall house was one big room. The master and mistress slept in the corner of the hall in a four-poster bed. The rest of the household slept on benches and chests that lined the walls. Cooking happened over an open fire in the center of the space, and people dined at a “board and trestle” (planks and sawhorses) that was taken down after meals to permit other activity in the space. Persons of rank had chairs with arms (the director’s chair originally was a portable throne). Others sat on stools. Children stood at the table.
The hall was similar to the Northwest Indians’ long house, that had a series of open bunk compartments along the walls. The four-poster in the corner of the principal room was common in early American houses, and it’s a sensible way to get the most out of the best piece of space under the roof.
More after the jump.
