Japan Modern: New Ideas for Contemporary Living (Paperback)

by Michiko Rico Nose (Author), Michael Freeman (Author) "For Japan, the last decade of the last century was dominated by the collapse of its super-heated but hitherto staggeringly successful economy..." (more)
Key Phrases: washi paper, tatami room, Japan Modern, Reworking Tradition, Personal Statements (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This insightful book, filled with mesmerizing images, presents a glimpse into the changing face of Japanese design and architecture." -- Phoenix Home and Garden --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Japan has always intrigued the world with its deceptively simple blending of architecture, landscape and design. Zen temples, the famous tea ceremony, formal gardens, the use of wood, paper and other materials in the form of screens and floors all have evolved over the years to create a varied, yet indisputably unique style. Of the 40 homes profiled in this book, each home represents in its own way the changing face of Japanese interior design and architecture.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Periplus Editions (October 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 079460398X
• ISBN-13: 978-0794603984
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,329 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #7 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Architecture > International > Asian
  #72 in	Books > Home & Garden > Interior Design > Decoration & Ornament
  #78 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Architecture > Landscape

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-candy -- but also brain-candy, January 30, 2006

By	Michael K. Smith (Gonzales, Louisiana) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Japan Modern: New Ideas for Contemporary Living (Hardcover)

I've long been interested in the Japanese approach to design of all sorts, but especially architecture. Coming from a much different tradition, the solutions to problems and needs for shelter are often very different than those arrived at by architects with Euro-American tastes and training. Some of the examples depicted so beautifully and discussed so shrewdly in this volume are rooted strongly in Japan's history, such as an old farmhouse relocated to Tokyo and fitted into an urban neighborhood. Others are playful, like the house with a lawn on the peaked roof, watered by a sprinkler system on the ridgepole, and with the courtyard floored in clay roof tiles. There's a two-story "miniature" house with a footprint not much larger than two parking spaces, but which still manages to be a very comfortable environment for actually living in. And, naturally, there are structures *so* experimental, you might not realize they were houses if you weren't told. There are homes in this collection I would love to live in, and others that would probably give me nightmares, but all of them are fascinating.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Examples of Truly Innovative Design, April 23, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Japan Modern: New Ideas for Contemporary Living (Hardcover)

This book provides total eye candy for design enthusiasts. Not your typical formulaic shoji screen stuff. Very original solutions to design problems from a Japanese perspective. I find it very inspiring and look at it all the time.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning spaces!, February 8, 2002

By	Amy Gavin (Yokosuka, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japan Modern: New Ideas for Contemporary Living (Hardcover)

This book is filled with page after page of stunning rooms and living spaces in Japan. A must for anyone who believes all Japanese live in cramped, dark, unattractive homes. An excellent conversation starter and coffee table book.