::Metropolis Tokyo :: INTERIORS

Trina O'Hara reveals the personal touches that three foreigners have brought to their Tokyo homes.

There are many reasons why we look forward to a new country of residence-none more memorable, or satisfying, than unwrapping our belongings from home and arranging them in a new setting. It's a telling moment, though, when the "essentials" don't fit, don't match or don't work and we realize we have to adapt to our home as much as to the culture outside our front door.

In Japan, however, our homes seem to be more private and we rarely get a chance to see how others deal with this interior-design conundrum. So here is a sneak peek into three expatriate apartments. Their owners tell us how they started with some Western-style furniture, a little free space to bring new objects into their life and the desire to record a Japanese experience in their decorating. The results may provide you with some elegant, inventive solutions for your own "global mix."

Urban deluxe
An exuberant, colorful living space, high on the "feel-good factor" wasn't always the case for Ramon, a Spanish-born Australian whose last home was an old Queensland worker's cottage with 3-meter-high ceilings. In Tokyo he was faced with a small, dark "box" with ugly carpet, glass sliding doors, paneled walls and low ceilings. The house's only saving graces were its small garden outside and close proximity to work. Ramon's interior needed a touch of theater, so he started with a few cherished possessions and a burst of warm color.

"From loving antique European, farmer-type furniture, I found myself getting nostalgic over weathered Japanese artifacts," Ramon says. "I like to collect boxes, though I'm not sure why the fascination. I like their sizes, shapes and variations, especially medicine boxes, suitcases and tansu. My favorite piece is a sushi box that I turned into a coffee table by adding castors. I also collect red things, like wooden lacquer plates or artwork with red in it.

"The other thing I find myself doing is collecting statues, masks and quirky figurines. I was told by an interior designer that it's like having lots of people in the room, so it gives the room a happy, personable atmosphere. However, my Japanese friends think it's a little strange; they believe the soul of the owner resides in these objects so they get a little spooked. While my room can look Japanese, I guess I tend to use items the Japanese do not."

Blank slate
Unlike reviving a dark disaster, Samantha had the reverse problem when moving into her brand-new apartment in Tokyo. Coming from the United Kingdom, Samantha was used to old, converted buildings with a real sense of history. In Tokyo she entered a white, minimal high-rise she describes as a "blank canvas with no real character." So for Samantha, decorating took on an entirely different emphasis.

She says, "In Japan, I have to bring in character from the outside to create a living space that embraces both old and new. I like the feeling of giving something old a new home and hopefully passing it on to the next generation. So I love to collect scrolls, lacquerware, ceramics, ink stones, brushes, old calligraphy, obi and kimono, photography, even garden accessories like stone lanterns. Since living in Japan, I look at things in a very different way and I really enjoy creating a space that balances uncluttered contemporary with old and interesting."

Samantha says the only thing she hates about her home now is the fact she will have to leave it one day.

Color finds
When Samuel Thawley and his fiancé came to Tokyo, they were faced with another common ailment in the expatriate community. Namely, furniture provided by the company in a style not their own. Decorating their home required making the most of the existing furniture, stamping their space with their own style and satisfying their desire to capture a contemporary Japanese aesthetic.

The couple love portrait paintings, their red couch and strong graphic shapes in a room. So it wasn't long before rugs, lamps and shapely lacquerware were added to the mix. They too enjoy rich reds, together with a hint of black and the warmth of wood. And like Samantha and Ramon, they like nothing more than mixing contemporary and classic styles with flea-market finds.

Curious, we asked our residents their favorite places for products to line their "nest" and remarkably their answers were almost identical. All three frequent contemporary stores like Cibone Aoyama or Living Motif in Roppongi, then for all things rustic or Japanese they go to Togo flea market, Oedo Antique market, Michael's in Azabu-Juban and Otsu or Bonvoyage store in Meguro.

If you are experiencing expatriate life for the first time or the "umpteenth" time, no doubt you have taken a different approach to living in the big city. And like our three residents here, the best part about these experiences is that they lead you to exciting new discoveries, helping you shape a "global" home that is truly unique and memorable.