Update and a note on storage!

One of the things we are looking forward to most about our new house (aside from Ogura Cocktail Hour...goes without saying) is all the storage space we will have. When we planned the storage, we looked at how we live now (yikes!) and thought about how we can simplify our lives through the act of giving everything a home. Our current living situation includes a range of ad hoc set ups that really don't work for us: food is stored in boxes on the floor, a collection of shelves make up for a complete lack of kitchen space, as does another collection of shelves in the bathroom/laundry/hole in the wall, not to mention the chaos that lives in our entry way - what with everyone's shoes, umbrellas, coats, hats, sports gear, etc etc etc, or the slightly annoying but persistent presence of everyone's (clean!) laundry that hangs out on the stairs waiting to be put away by those who own it. So, here is how we solved our little problems...

The gekkan (entry way) storage cupboard. This is for all shoes, sports gear, coats, hats or whatever, which are now all hanging out in the entry way of our house. This doorway will have a noreng (Japanese door curtain) instead of a door, so that the air circulates all year round - big time winner in the Japanese rainy season and summer, when everything goes mouldy.

This cupboard's got it covered to the left...

...and to the right!

To the left is the back kitchen counter, which is being made by the carpenters, and to the back is another large storage cupboard - this will be our food pantry (just to give you an inside scoop on how excited we are about this cupboard - not only will we be able to fit more than a day's supply of food in it, but we can also give a home to the box of rice that lives on the floor!)

Looking from the front to the back.

This is the top of one half of the storage cupboard for clothes near the bathroom. This half is for hanging, the other half has shelves.

This little beauty is a late addition. Right next to the cupboard under the stairs that will house the washing machine, this is the perfect place for the washing basket. NO MORE CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR! Hmmmm....in a perfect world, that is.

The washing machine cupboard, complete with back shelf for all the washing stuff.

And speaking of the stairs, here they are with their railing and side wall complete.

Looking upstairs.

Looking down the hallway towards my study - stairs on the right with cupboards underneath.

Along with the antique cupboard (which has only recently been installed), there will also be a large cupboard under the two sinks which will be here soon.

This is the upstairs sink area. Along with the cupboard underneath, the oak mirror is also a cabinet, and there is one more set of shelves on the right hand side.

These shelves are in the walk-in closet off our bedroom. The other day, these shelves looked very different. There was just two, and the bototm one was almost 1 meter deep, so it was hard to open the window. The carpenter fixed it within a day for us, and hence we have a much more useful stack of 3 shelves and will also be able to open the window. Hats off to him that he pointed it out and asked if I was OK with it!

The other side o the walk-in closet has two strong hanging pipes and one more shelf.

Nice and roomy!

Hello! Where's that ladder going?

To more storage, of course! I was so chuffed when I saw that not only was the ladder itself pretty good looking, but also the whole storage area has Japanese oak floor boards too. 

Storage in Ben's room. Sorry about the picture - bit fuzzy!

So, while we know that years of not moving will inevitably lead to all of these storage areas being overloaded and somewhat of a fire hazard, we're excited to have them. For me, I'll just be glad to get so much crap off the floor and off shelves where it all gets dusty and gross (and leads to more cleaning, which is never a good thing).

It was a beautiful day today, and the light in the house was streaming in. By the time I took these pictures it was almost 5pm, so I was surprised how light the house still was. 

Ben's room (right), Kaoru's study (left).

I don't know why, but when I saw this photo, I thought it looked like we already live there. Perhaps it's all the stuff on the floor.

The railing has been added to the balcony too.

This is the view from one of the windows in our walk-in closet. We have only been in our next-door neighbour's house once, but I LOVED it - complete with loads of velvet, it's like a 1970s porn star pad. Not at all what I expected from the lovely couple next door who used to tend the veggie patch our house is now on. These roof tiles remind me I'm in Japan! Not that I could forget.

This week we would like to ask the builders if it's possible to put a hook into the ceiling of the free space for a single hammock. Wouldn't that be awesome! Oh, and last week we received our other, brightly coloured Mexican hammock, which is so big it will fit the whole family. Tops.

Big Mexican hammock for Ogura cocktail hour ; )

The chair hammock I'm hoping to get for the free space. Pluck a book from the shelf, relaaaaax!

What do you think?!!!