ocha's Profile

Agree with Elaine. In Japan, it's customary for the new person on the block to give a little something - a new hand towel, packet of food - to the people on the right, left and directly in front as a token of appreciation, "in advance", and as an apology for trouble caused. But an American might think that the person moving in will be the recipient of a greeting or plate of cookies. So both sides wait, patiently...

re concrete, look into Sonomastone's "nucrete" which has gorgeous colors but they mix in an epoxy which makes the surface less porous and impermeable to stains. we didn't end up using it for various reasons but it is a beautiful surface.

I never would've selected those handles but I love their outsized character -- like tortoise shell glasses, bakelite pulls, wooden handles on a retro handbag. At first glance, they look like copper or brass. Lots of character and against that black lacquer? oooh, a touch of Paris (imho!).

I like the way the blue whale on the black rectangle is next to (and kind of the inverse of) the blue rectangle with the rice bowl and chopsticks. The argyle is playful!

Thanks for this post. I've been looking for a wall-mounted lamp for a small space and came up with these. But I may end up with your West Elm!

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10170695

http://www.lampsplus.com/products/George-Kovacs-Simply-Kovacs-Pierce-Collection-Wall-Lamp__97273.html

http://www.dwr.com/product/lighting/collections/claesson/claesson-koivisto-rune-w081w-wall-led-lamp.do?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=affiliate&prfrm=1&cmp=AFC-GB9049936277&utm_content=NO&utm_campaign=Claesson%20Koivisto%20Rune%20w081w%20Wall%20LED%20Lamp

http://www.lampsplus.com/products/Single-Spotlight-Plug-in-Swing-Arm-Wall-Lamp__M2822.html

http://www.ylighting.com/holtkoetter-8160-1.html

Japanese urban neighborhoods tend to be a mishmash of styles, especially in places where the housing stock was built after the destruction of World War II.

Neighbors would not take this as a "FU" but as someone who had the money to build their vision on a relatively small piece of property. Japan has half the population of the US and less livable space than California.

A lot of contemporary domestic architecture is not meant to last more than a few generations. In a country where temples are centuries old, people take things like this less seriously than we do. Curiousity more than anger would be the norm.

Hi CFYG,
"Folks in the UK embracing various styles of dress" were colonialists who demeaned indigenous dress as beneath "civilized" Western styles. Or they selectively borrowed what they thought was exotic to fulfill their own ideas of what the "other" was.

Gandhi started the khadi movement of wearing Indian hand-spun cotton to reject Western dress, inspire pride in native clothing, and to bolster employment. It's not a level playing field when one talks about the politics of dress in colonized countries.

Maybe this calls for renting the film Gandhi....!

love the kitchen floor. the irregularities are charming, like snowflakes.

I like the way the new cork floor connects the kitchen and dining area now. In the "before" picture, the white tile and cabinetry really divide the two spaces.

I wonder if the faucet is the old one. If so, I kind of admire that they're not putting into landfill something that still works.

thank you for (bravely) sharing your private space. it's fun to see a work in progress and inspiring to see that someone enjoys --and employs -- different ideas with a spirit of art and adventure. have little kids come to your place? they'd love the sliding bookcases (as would "big kids" with a sense of play). thanks for the smile today.