For video producer Takashi ‘Ryu’ Harada and graphic designer Nodoka ‘Kamado’ Miyamoto, renting in Musashi-Kosugi required careful planning. The couple named their apartment Yoshinani House after the Japanese word for “whatever works.” Kamado even designed a house logo based on the word’s first character, which now hangs above the kitchen. This isn’t a home based on a single style, but creatively shaped by the ways the couple actually lives.
The narrow entrance is packed with solutions to building rules. The back of the front door is decorated with magnets to hold umbrellas, solving a restriction against leaving them outside. A shallow shoe cabinet holds everyday footwear, while keys and accessories sit above for easy reach. A neat stacking slipper rack holds many pairs for guests. Given the building is older, the couple were given the freedom to personalise it, using an old bucket hat as the entrance light shade and drilling holes to display artwork.
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Originally intended for daily tasks, the hallway’s glass whiteboard is now illustrated with portraits of Ryu drawn by friends on his birthday. The entryway feels personal throughout, with items chosen for function and sentiment rather than strict design rules.
Because the couple loves to cook, a sizable kitchen was a priority. They needed a gas cooktop to use their existing cookware. The rental’s three-burner stove allows them to make weekly pasta for friends or a taco night for Ryu’s birthday. Surrounded by dozens of small improvements, the kitchen is filled with “life hacks.” A motion-sensor light brightens cupboards, and a MagSafe phone mount keeps recipes in view. Drawers are organised by use rather than size, including useful collectables like mixed paper coasters. A small fridge and shelving unit divide the kitchen from the living area, while a fabric noren with the Yoshinani House logo hangs above.
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When friends visit, the furniture shifts to accommodate the group. The dining table is movable, and Kamado likes that the unique collection of accompanying chairs stand out on their own. “I find it fun that they stand out on their own… I want guests to be able to choose whichever chair suits them,” she says. A pendant ceiling light is plugged into a track light so that when the table is moved, the lights can shift too. Also fixed to the ceiling is a convex IKEA mirror, for taking large group pictures at gatherings. The living space’s modular sofa can expand into a single bed for overnight guests. Along a display wall, shelves built from reclaimed apple crates hold books and everyday objects. The television is even cloaked in a patterned towel, blending into the collection of art and personal items. “It felt strange to have a black, reflective void in the room, when you can use it to display something,” Kamado says.
The apartment’s traditional tatami room takes on whatever role is needed for the day. Sometimes it’s a second living room for watching films; other times it’s a studio or Kamado’s workspace. The room’s biggest transformation came when the original wardrobe’s doors were removed, and the niche was converted into a dedicated work area. Beneath the desk, a small trolley holds art materials and clay tools that can be rolled into place whenever the need arises, then packed away just as quickly. Items that could no longer be stored in the wardrobe were relocated next to it, in the space that connects to the bedroom. This area now holds cleaning supplies, laundry items and medicine, hidden neatly behind a removable curtain.
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The apartment’s only room without a window is the bedroom. Easy to feel dark and enclosed, the couple warmed the space with a wall-mounted paper-based lighting fixture by Sakae Mark. They kept storage open with a large steel shelving unit and a clothing rack for seasonal outfits. The same thinking continues into the bathroom, where improvements come in centimetres. A narrow five-centimetre gap beside the washing machine houses a very slim storage trolley. Above, three-tiered shelves are held up by a tension rod, creating space for towels and toiletries. “The wall surface is uneven, so suction cups and magnets don’t work. That’s why we try to hang things for storage as much as possible,” says Kamado, like the towel rack, which hangs a refill pack of shampoo.
Harada and Miyamoto use a narrow five-centimetre gap beside the washing machine to house a storage trolley. The bathroom features three-tiered shelves held up by a tension rod, creating space for towels and toiletries. “The wall surface is uneven, so suction cups and magnets don’t work. That’s why we try to hang things for storage as much as possible,” says Miyamoto, like the towel rack, which hangs a refill pack of shampoo.
