Cool furniture, design objects and desiderata

[ValidusLA]

Why would any sane person cut something directly on a stone counter? Can you not afford a cutting board after spending tons of money on stone?

Seriously.

Different knives for different tasks. Different cutting boards for different foods.

 

[Gus]

So, top of the list in order of priority is dining table, storage for books, and something to store the amp and record player.
More than happy to hear other ideas of what we should do with this space though!

With the angles and narrow walls next to windows, how about one of the vertical bookshelves for book storage?

 

[DapperPhilly]

Why would any sane person cut something directly on a stone counter? Can you not afford a cutting board after spending tons of money on stone?

Relax, we can afford to have our knives sharpened or buy new ones.
Are you with the knife police?
Sheesh, just tried to make point regarding the durability of Fusion quartzite.
Talk about insanity.

 

[sugarbutch]

This man has fully embraced minimalism. Quit hating on him!

 

[gdl203]

I cut on my stone counters all the time

@conceptual 4est you might want to get a lattice or screen to hide the AC equipment

Are you going to cover some of the floors? It may help create different spaces to use rugs to define specific areas, but also break that large expanse of high sheen floors. Adding matte textures into the mix.

About the walls, are you saying that you can't put anything up? Or just no drilling / nails are OK ?

 

[otc]

The only true baller answer is to get wood counters and cut directly on them.

Yes, it may wear them out over time, but you can just sand them a couple times and then get new counters (ditto for if you end up with bad staining or warping). In the meantime, the cut marks show that you actually use them.

 

[double00]

^ teak makes a nice countertop

 

[DapperPhilly]

The only true baller answer is to get wood counters and cut directly on them.

Yes, it may wear them out over time, but you can just sand them a couple times and then get new counters (ditto for if you end up with bad staining or warping). In the meantime, the cut marks show that you actually use them.

You can also get stone countertops refinished.

 

[beargonefishing]

I'm just going to use Japanese water stones for my counter tops going forward.

 

[1969]

@conceptual 4est since you have a lot of layout challenges, here's a book I own and find helpful to refer back to.

Space Planning Basics 4th Edition

 

[hpreston]

^^^ This looks interesting. I'll have to find a 45 min block in between my obsessive furnishing.



I decided the above is too ugly, so I've gone the other direction with it and ordered one of these:

View attachment 1735725

Debut Carbon EVO Turntable - Pro-Ject Audio USA

Building a great high-end turntable requires design expertise. The Debut Carbon EVO give you our decades of knowledge for a hi-fi experience

pro-jectusa.com

which should fit the present shelving depth. I'm going to store my DJ gear for the time being until I next get the itch. Maybe I'll get those media shelves at that time and swap out as needed.

I have this record player (it does come with a dust lid) and love it.

Another Debut Carbon EVO owner here too. Nice piece, I’m enjoying it (and it’s lid)

I am enjoying living a vinyl-free, turntable-free life. Minimalism is where it's at.

I feel like I'll eventually get to this. My wife and I have moved a lot, and with the book collection, record collection, and clothes, it's pretty rough each time.

Happy for you @Gus, some of us are just in different places in our lives

As @justridiculous said maybe someday. Wife and I are in our current place for along time, so books, records, clothes etc all have a place. Maybe re will be a purge on the next move.

 

[conceptual 4est]

O-hikkoshi omedetou!

That space reminds me of those little "balconies" that you always see in ryokan, where there's a small armchair, glass-topped coffee table and, sometimes, a little bar fridge.

I'm not recommending that you put a bar fridge there, but it looks like a really nice place for a comfy chair and little side table, where you can relax with a book and a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the view.

thank you! Yes, our understanding is that because of the way it’s behind those sliders it’s supposed to evoke the feel of the porch in a traditional Japanese house.
So maybe we roll with that

You really don't want to have anything nice on a balcony in Tokyo - it will be covered with sooty deposits from the air pollution within a few weeks. Balconies are for plants, aircon and hanging washing. That's it.

Looks like you're definitely in the posh end of town, @conceptual 4est ! The biggest places we've ever lived in have been 2LDK (and mostly 1) and never such interesting shapes...

Sort of! (This is purely anecdotal from our search and not meant to be representative of Tokyo real estate) Our experience with the search was that there is a dramatic premium on having a freshly refinished / refurbished place. I’m not exaggerating when I say this is a full 50% larger than anywhere else we looked in our budget, and the trade off is an ugly kitchen and some marks on the trim.

even so, it’s still cheaper than our even-then-underpriced-for-the-market Brooklyn apartment we had from 2013-‘18. Hell, rent now is barely double the property taxes alone on the house we just sold and moved from. So I think we’re suffering from broken brain that New York will give you. Housing feels reasonable here.

View attachment 1736217

Is it this space on the plan?

View attachment 1736342

If so, maybe a plant in that very back corner and bench or chair in front of it. Alteratively, pack it completely full of plants?

Nope, that’s the balcony with the aircon. The nook is the space to the left of that on the floorplan. Full of plants also sounds nice!

With the angles and narrow walls next to windows, how about one of the vertical bookshelves for book storage?

View attachment 1736392


View attachment 1736391

Yeah, narrow book storage may be the way to go, although it feels awkward to have themfacing the dining area, but maybe that’s what we’re limited to. An alternative is shelving in front of the AC unit window, since it’s not like much light gets through that anyway. Still, UV and books aren’t a great match..

@conceptual 4est you might want to get a lattice or screen to hide the AC equipment

Are you going to cover some of the floors? It may help create different spaces to use rugs to define specific areas, but also break that large expanse of high sheen floors. Adding matte textures into the mix.

About the walls, are you saying that you can't put anything up? Or just no drilling / nails are OK ?

lattice/ screen could be nice, good idea.

yes, definitely a rug in the sofa area. The one we have now got moved to our bedroom because it’s a bit too matchy with the sofa and makes too much grey, so the search continues.

@conceptual 4est since you have a lot of layout challenges, here's a book I own and find helpful to refer back to.

Space Planning Basics 4th Edition

thanks for the tip! I’ll put in a request at the library. Sounds ideal.

 

[ValidusLA]

My basic ***** silverware is here. Possible at some point I will regret getting plate instead of just doing stainless or gutting it out for solid, but so it is.
6 settings only. Will probably finish it to 12 next year.

 

[sugarbutch]

Another Debut Carbon EVO owner here too. Nice piece, I’m enjoying it (and it’s lid)

View attachment 1736632

So tube. Many warm.

 

[Journeyman]

View attachment 1736217

That nook through the sliders in the second image is a really nice place to sit and chill, but again with a weird angle going on. Might be the kind of place to just have a decent chair, potted plant, and end table for coffee and book.

Is it this space on the plan?

View attachment 1736342

If so, maybe a plant in that very back corner and bench or chair in front of it. Alteratively, pack it completely full of plants?
[/QUOTE]

No, it's the space immediately to the left of that. The one you've highlighted is a small balcony (it says "barukonii" in Japanese), and immediately to the left, one the outer edge of the tatami room, is a space that is a similar size and shape to the balcony but which has windows, rather than being open to the air, and which is referred to as a sunroom (サンルーム).