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Hi everyone, it’s Twilife.
Continuing our main living area room tour, today I’ll be showing you the space where we enjoy our meals and relax afterward: the “Dining Room and Cozy Retreat (Koagari).”
＼ Click here for the overall Room Tour ／
A Sunlit Dining Room
We designed our dining space to feel like a cafe, drawing in light from the large windows at the front.
Unlike the living room, which receives crisp, direct sunlight, this area is enveloped in a soft, diffused glow.
To keep the space from feeling heavy, we were incredibly picky about the silhouettes and textures of our furniture.
Furniture with an Airy Vibe
The centerpiece is our dining table from Antry, which has a charming vintage-like texture.
For seating, we paired two paper cord chairs with a matching bench, also from Antry.
We chose delicate, slender designs for everything to maintain an open, airy feeling in the room.
Above the dining table, we hung a pendant light from Flame, known for its distinctively large shade.
While the shade itself has a strong visual presence, we balanced it out by ensuring the surrounding items had light, airy silhouettes and textures.
We unified the curtain rod with a brass one from Antry, and we use the same sheer curtains from natsusobiku that we have in the shoe closet, enjoying how they gently sway in the breeze.
Perfectly Sized Wall Decor
On the dining room wall, we built a small niche, obsessing over the exact height and depth dimensions.
We usually use it to store everyday items like room fragrance and hand cream.
Above it, we hung an adorable KUMIJI pendant light with a hand-hammered brass shade, and we bring in a touch of the seasons by displaying flowers or branches on the Antry side table.
To prevent cords from trailing on the floor when using a hot plate on weekends or working on a laptop, we installed a brass interior outlet perfectly matched to the height of our dining table.
Standard dining tables are usually made at a height of “72cm.”
Even if you haven’t picked out a table during the design phase, we recommend asking your builder to set the bottom edge of the outlet at “75cm from the floor (72cm table height + 3cm).” This ensures the outlet will conveniently peek out just above the tabletop for almost any standard table.
Our Cozy “Koagari” Retreat
Right next to the dining area, we created a small, raised seating area (known in Japan as a “Koagari”) of about 3 tatami mats (approx. 5 sqm / 54 sqft).
It adds depth to the open-concept room and serves as our cherished relaxation space.
For the entrance to our cozy retreat, we went with an adorable arch shaped like a loaf of bread.
The secret here is that we asked the builders to intentionally add thickness to the wall (furring out) to give the archway a really solid, substantial look. Thanks to this little trick, it feels like a very special, private space, almost like being inside a Mediterranean villa.
The Only Solid Wood Floor in the House
While our house primarily features tiled floors, this is the one spot where we embraced Sumitomo Forestry’s signature style by using “solid oak flooring with a brushed texture (Uzukuri).”
The brushed finish makes the wood grain stand out three-dimensionally, making it feel incredibly comfortable against bare feet. It has become our special spot for lying down and stretching out.
We connected the back of this raised area to the dead space under the stairs to secure deep storage. We stash seasonal items like our Christmas tree and guest bedding completely out of sight here.
Also, this raised space acts as the perfect “evacuation zone” (safe base) when the robot vacuum is running, lol.
Movie Nights & Healing Time
On the ceiling light fixture, we installed an Aladdin X (formerly popIn Aladdin), which is a projector and ceiling light all-in-one.
We project movies onto the blank wall of the Koagari, watching foreign dramas while eating dinner at the dining table, or lounging on the wooden floor at night to enjoy a home theater experience.
To quickly close off the space when guests arrive, we installed a manual roller blind embedded in the ceiling at the entrance of the Koagari.
The trick here is to have the builders install it so the fabric rolls down with the back facing the entrance (reverse roll).
This minimizes the gap between the wall and the screen, allowing you to partition the space cleanly with zero visual noise. I highly recommend this trick if you plan to install one!
＼ We Can Introduce Our Home-Building Team! ／
If anyone is currently considering building a house with Sumitomo Forestry, we can introduce you to the amazing sales rep, architect, and interior coordinator (IC) who supported our home build.
If you want to work with a highly skilled team, please feel free to reach out via our contact page below!
＼ Next up: The Finale! ／
Thank you so much for reading to the end.
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