Another great small space book, Space: Japanese Design Solutions for Compact Living, has been on shelves since 2004, but is filled with contemporary noteworthy design. It is primarily filled with custom construction. Space is a premium in Japan and there are several examples of structures that use minute parcels of land to create mini masterpieces. One such home is built on a thin L-shaped lot in Tokyo where the lots are referred to as unagi-no-nedoko or “eel beds”. At 3-floors high from the front, it looks like an elevator shaft. Space: Japanese Design Solutions for Compact Living is filled with a wealth of design ideas form a society that has been dealing with limited amount of real estate for a long time.
The book does lack some of the things I enjoy in other books like floor plans, but many of the spaces are so small that they are not required. It does however give the dimensions of many of the plots; the small size of many are mind-boggling.
I would divinely recommend Space: Japanese Design Solutions for Compact Living more for an abstract idea reference than a practical how to guide. The book itself is a handsome little addition to any library with great photos, a pleasing color pallet and a small 7x7 design; I know you have the room for it too.
Space: Japanese Design Solutions for Compact Living
Author: Michael Freeman
Publisher: Universe Publishing (August 7, 2004)
Hardcover: 224 pages
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