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There is a relationship between people and the houses they live in. People imagine how their lives could be lived as stress-free as possible when designing and building houses, however upon completion something is often discovered to have been left out or missed. This is similar to interactions among people themselves. Meeting someone new you are not completely aware at first, but the more your relationship deepens you come to know their true character. And so today we bring you Cocoro Okurayama, a female-exclusive sharehouse 7 minutes walk from Okurayama station on the Tokyu Toyoko line. It has already been 4 years since the house first opened its doors, and we headed on over to check out their recently renovated common-use areas. The renovations were carried out upon discussions with the residents about which aspects are inconvenient and how the house could be made more user-friendly, and just by looking at the finished product it goes without saying they’ve really upped on the functionality of the house. Now, without further ado, let’s head on inside!! |
「Cocoro Okurayama」House Details Page
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 Having a look out back before going inside we find a clothing line in the garden area.  Returning to the front we open the door and head inside. In the photo on the left is the shoe storage cupboards.  These brand new cupboards were put in with the renovations. There is also a shelf for boots. |
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 The green-colored sofa stands out against the wooden furniture. It’s also quite comfortable to sit on.  The dining room may seem like a simple design but if you look closely at the chairs you will notice that each is slightly different. The lighting fixture is also from IDEE. |
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Managing this property is Arco Design Works. The manager worked for a company doing housing and hotel planning, design and interior design before breaking away to go independant and now develops houses with both functionality and convenience. The plan is to continue to develop more houses in line with the Cocoro series unified by its consistent theme.
They also gain points for demonstrating that they manage their houses by listening to the needs of its tenants by endeavoring to create even more simple environments to live in, as can be seen by today’s remodeled common area.
Due to there already being tenants living in the property during our visit we were unable to show you the rooms, however as several of them are being considered for remodeling we hope to bring you updates on that front in the future.
Return home to be welcomed by good quality furniture bathed in the warm glow of the lighting. You’ll love sitting on the green sofa, and your daily routine will become one of waking up early on weekdays to calmly eat your breakfast with a coffee in one hand. Your days off will be spent getting into cooking following along with a recipe on your tablet and hanging out with friends at the dinner table.
Looking around at the house after speaking with the manager, the above scene played over and over in my head, most likely because they had spent time focusing on not only design but functionality as well. This visit really made me rethink my definition of what an easy-to-live-in house was.
/Author: Kagawa
