stupahead's Profile

Hey, I just want to say that it's wonderful our little kitchen has kicked off such a lively discussion. Thanks to Dana for taking the time to photograph it and write it up. It was lovely having her come over, drink tea and hang out.

There were a couple of questions that I thought it might be fun to try and answer.

First of all, the sitting platform. The house has a few other features like this, which were inspired by a combination of boat furniture and Zendo design. The table does indeed pull out to provide more room for diners and loungers and also to allow people who aren't comfortable sitting cross-legged or seiza to dangle their legs. People have slept on it as well and it's pretty comfortable. The storage space underneath is used for extra dishes, infrequently-used serving items and linen.

Splomo asked an interesting question about shoe-protocol and the "inside-outside" nature of the kitchen and bathroom. We were keenly aware of this when we were working out the design. In a lot of traditional houses - not just in Japan - the "wet areas" are out back, either under a shed roof or really outside in a courtyard. In fact, given the way it's put together, it's likely that the original version of this house was the same. We wanted to honor this and so, as you can see in some pictures, there's a dividing line and the wet part of the kitchen is floored in green concrete which continues on into the bathroom. (There's a soaking tub built into the bathroom slab as well but that's another story.) The mossy green of the floor, the big windows and the heather and sky-blue stucco in the bathroom are all meant to refer to outside spaces. At the same time, the kitchen is the heart and central gathering place of our house. It didn't make sense to ask people to put on slippers - thereby shielding themselves from their environment - when entering. Our shoe protocol is as follows: leave your shoes inside the front door, barefoot inside the house, slippers on when you're going out back or onto the roof where there's an in-law shack.

Finally, regarding "mis-en-place", I'd say that, like everything else, it goes in waves. Since the kitchen is really our living room as well, it gets cluttered. The girls bring stuff in and leave it on the counters. We are constantly making tea or coffee or something else and only partially cleaning up. The table always has a project or two on it in addition to food and drink. It's a very dynamic place. But... there's a tremendous pleasure and utility in squaring everything away. We tend to do this before we cook big meals and at the end of the day. Still, it's safe to say that our kitchen looks the way it does in pictures most of the time (sigh).

Nothing whatsoever is hidden.

I have never been able to pull off "formal" when throwing my own parties, but I come from a family that was very good at it and I have to say that I have a certain nostalgia for it. Just as with formal Zen practice, there is something tremendously fulfilling about sitting down for a long, delicious meal at a table where each and every fork, glass and plate - all implements great and small - is in its right and proper place and where there is a shared consensus about how and when to use them all. The other thing about these affairs in my family is that they were always a tremendous amount of fun. Everyone usually got very witty, made little speeches, proposed toasts and, essentially, shone like a little star - even the relatives who I didn't usually like - because they were all supported by the common understanding of what was going on.