Tips for fellow homeowners

1. Decide on the theme of your house and work from there. It makes it easy to narrow down the ID and furnishings, giving you more time to source for better and cheaper stuff for the house.
2. Set aside a budget for everything including furniture, appliances, and of course renovation.
3. Choose a good designer who understands what you want for your home.

1. Decide on the theme of your house and work from there. It makes it easy to narrow down the ID and furnishings, giving you more time to source for better and cheaper stuff for the house.

2. Set aside a budget for everything including furniture, appliances, and of course renovation.

3. Choose a good designer who understands what you want for your home.

Fuss–Free Japanese Minimalist Home

The Japanese style of minimalism has found its way into Singaporean homes in the last couple of years. It's not surprising though—homeowners have come to love the focus on eliminating unnecessary frills in their interiors, such that the home's style evolves around clean and uncluttered living.

Both agree that Japanese minimalism is how their dream home should look like. So they engaged The Minimalist Society to work on their 4-room HDB unit in Boon Lay, spending a total of SGD$45,000 (2018 price quote) on renovation works.

Inspired by how Japanese designed the house to be simplistic yet being able to utilise storage space fully. We believe that form follows function and a beautiful house should also be practical—a house where we are able to relax and be comfortable, and should also be easy to maintain.

We wanted a bigger living room so we hacked a bedroom adjacent to the living room to create a huge space that we can host our friends for parties and gatherings. The hacked space became the relaxation area and we have placed bean bags and bookshelves to make it even more cosy. It is one of best places to relax during the weekends.

Furniture pieces in their home is the modular sofa from Muji. It is made out of different pieces that can be mixed and matched to form an L-shaped sofa or just a long sofa. Or it can be shifted away if more space is required. This sofa gives the couple versatility in managing their space. (CLICK HERE TO WATCH MUJI UNIT SOFA VIDEO)

Plan your life using efficient design and highly versatile products. Achieve a simple, pleasant life that lets your personality shine.

We only create products that are necessary in everyday life, in forms that are truly necessary.

MUJI has remained true to this philosophy since it was founded in 1980. The idea of what is truly necessary differs from person to person. Individuals become attached to different things and have different priorities in life. Our vision of Compact Life is a simple and comfortable life that embodies the particular values of an individual. 

The MUJI Compact Life vision does not involve living without material goods or living in a minimal sense. With the help of versatile products designed for organising life, the personality of the individual can truly be reflected. 

MUJI Interior Advisory Service

Everyone wants to live in a cozy and inviting home. Despite the dense living environment in a nation, optimizing the use of space is vital for a spacious and convenient home design. MUJI Interior Advisory Service is now available, offering recommendations on MUJI furniture and storage for a space-efficient home. Let’s create a relaxing living environment with the aesthetics of simplicity.

Interior Advisor would propose MUJI furniture according to the information provided by customer.

1. Bedroom: Selectio of bed. Bed linen, etc.

2. Storage: Solving the storage problem of Wardrobe, Chest, Living room, Kitchen, etc.

3. Dining Room/ Living Room: Selection of Sofa, Dinimg Table, Working Desk, Chair. etc.

4. Color Matching.

5. Simple 3 D Simulation

6. Consultation with Interior Designer on the owner's needs.

Insights for Living Comfortably

Yataro Matsuura, Author and Editor.

Being aware of what is ‘just right.’ It is a simple, logical approach that anyone can use.

A Personal Sense of Scale

Having served nine years as chief editor of the magazine Kurashi no Techo, author and editor Yataro Matsuura now offers insights and advice for everyday life on his website Kurashi no Kihon, a site affiliated with the popular Japanese recipes website, cookpad.

In the insights and tips he has offered in essays and interviews, Matsuura has advocated living thoughtfully. The idea of living thoughtfully and the concept of Compact Life would seemingly reflect each other in significant ways.

“What is important is to develop your own personal sense of scale. When you do, you naturally know what is necessary and what is not. How many of a certain item do you need? What type of that particular product should you buy? Living comfortably requires a firm grasp of your personal big picture when it comes to food, clothing and shelter.”

In 2002, Matsuura founded COW BOOKS, which offers mostly second-hand books. It is in fact a bookshop, though bookshelves cover only two facing walls with a long reading table and chairs in between. It is a space with a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. Offering a much more limited selection of books than typical new or second-hand bookstores, COW BOOKS features only those books that inspire Matsuura himself.

“This is a privately owned shop, and I cannot take responsibility for recommending a book that I have no interest in myself. That is why there are only books that reflect my own values. You could say that this is the bookshop that matches my personal sense of scale.”

Simple, Logical Rules

Still, many people have trouble deciding what is necessary and what is not. Matsuura advocates looking for overall balance and setting priorities.

“When there is something you want to have, ask yourself if it really suits who you are now. This is an important question. For example, when I see someone in their 20s wearing a luxury brand watch, from my point of view, it gives me the impression of not matching who that person is. It is certainly not too late to wait for this type of watch until you have more life experience. Similarly, someone who lives in a small studio apartment, for instance, should begin by getting only what would fit in the space they have — not too much and not too little — just the right amount. If what you really want is a great sofa, then your focus should be on moving into a room big enough to suit a sofa like that.”

When it comes to your wardrobe, setting specific upper limits in advance — five shirts, five pairs of pants, 10 pairs of socks, for instance — makes it easy to decide what clothes are necessary and what are not.

“If you try hard to stuff your closet, you may be able to fit in 10 shirts. But, instead of that, it is less awkward and clumsy to limit yourself to the number of shirts you decided and needed — five. It is similar as having a meal. Find the amount that is just right, the amount that leaves you a little bit of room. This is not so much a matter of personal taste. It is a simple, logical approach that anyone can use.”

A personal sense of scale leads to greater independence, as well. This requires looking at oneself objectively and respecting others’ sense of personal space. Living comfortably, whether by yourself or with your family, should start with setting your own rules for yourself.

Finding What Comfort Means to You

To begin with, Matsuura’s definition of “living” does not have to do with collecting material objects, but rather with creating spaces in which one feels free and comfortable spending time. “It’s that feeling you get in a holiday morning when the sun shines gently through the window and reflects off a blank wall or an clean floor — that feeling of ‘Aah, that’s nice.’ I want to cherish that feeling. I don’t want to create an environment in which I can’t experience this. I don’t need objects that block the window or shut out the sunlight. Empty space with nothing in it is more comfortable for me.”

Matsuura shares a window-related memory from his childhood at a time when his entire family lived modestly in a seven-square-meter room in an old apartment complex. Although his family was not well-off, Matsuura did gain an insight for living comfortably that he is still proud of today.

“My mother cleaned the window every day. Our apartment was the only one with a window that was always sparkling clean. Thanks to my mother, our room was bright and filled with sunlight. To be honest, that is what living well means to me.”

Who is Yataro Matsuura:

Born in Tokyo in 1965, Yataro Matsuura is the producer and representative of the COW BOOKS bookshop, as well as an author and producer of the Kurashi no Kihon website. After returning to Japan from the United States in 1996, Matsuura established m&co.booksellers in Nakameguro, Tokyo. m&co operated a mobile shop out of a truck, as well, and this venture captured popular attention. In 2002, he opened his current bookstore, COW BOOKS. Matsuura worked as chief editor of the magazine Kurashi no Techo from 2006 to March 2015.