Tokyo apartment packed with colour and texture

You know the old adage “less is more”? This Tokyo apartment breaks that rule and the results are stunning.

The three bedroom, two bathroom apartment in Tokyo’s Nagatacho district has been renovated by Adam Nathaniel Furman — a British architectural designer. The owners, who are sociable and enjoy hosting dinner parties, wanted to inject some fun into their 1,700 square metre home so they could dazzle visiting friends.

“They are very eccentric, not in terms of dress or outward appearance; they just don’t accept norms,” Furman said in an interview with The New York Times. “They enjoy finding new things to like between them.”

The architect rearranged the floorplan so you enter through a small foyer and short hallway leading past two single bedrooms before opening up to a large living room. The kitchen and dine-in island are connected to this space, which is only separated by a change in flooring material. The lavender carpet in the living room ends abruptly where green-striped vinyl flooring begins.

When discussing the design elements, Furman and his clients would often end up talking about senses, tastes, and food. When shopping, the couple came along with the architect and actively participated in the process.

The kitchen and bathroom benchtops are made from a semi-translucent artificial marble manufactured by LG Hi-Macs. “If you put that in front of people who love colours, they will fall in love,” Furman said.

It was a little harder to get his clients to agree to the suggestion of yellow bathroom fixtures. The couple wanted to source everything from Japan, and the faucets by Arne Jacobsen are Danish. But the architect won them over, and the taps are one of the stand-out features in the area.

After working within architecture firms, Furman set out on his own two years ago and traditionally prefers using artificial materials in his installations. Here, however, the couple asked for more natural details in their home so he chose custom-made cabinets made from spruce and utilised aqua tiling in the kitchen backsplash.

Furman likes to eschew traditional design practices and instead prefers to take a fun approach to his works and this Nagatacho home is the epitome of joyful.

Source: The New York Times