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Smart Living in the City |
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While it's common to think that living in the heart of the city is an almost impossible task without proper income, you'd be surprised at how easy it is to live if you just share everything aside from your most private goods. Up until around a decade or so ago, the mainstream idea was to rent an apartment with a friend and keep rent costs down together, but looking for a roommate can be a hassle in and of itself. The current method of co-living wasn't as popular at the time, and your options for partners and a place to stay were limited. This is now the generation where the renter has more choices to fit their preferences, from living in various parts of the city to trying out new housing concepts.
While there exists a multitude of such options, spanning buildings to land, we will introduce the latest property of 'ARDEN', a series of houses that gives you the experience of what should be called 'high-class living.' The house opened its doors in the Higashi-Shinjuku (east Shinjuku) area of the sprawling metropolis of Shinjuku ward. The closest station, Higashi-Shinjuku station, boats two lines, the Toei-oedo line and the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin line. The JR station Shin-ogikubo, positioned nearly the same distance as Higashi-Shinjuku station – about a six minute walk – allows use of the Yamanote line, riding from the heart of the city to Roppongi and Shibuya. We paid a visit to Mai, the ambassador of this sharehouse and our guide for the day. Let's take a look at Arden's new property! |
「ARDEN Higashi-Shinjuku」Property Details Here
Arden Higashi-Shinjuku is situated five minutes walking distance from Higashi-Shinjuku station's 1a exit. The stylish exterior of the new building really catches the eye.
The entrance is located on the end of the brick-style wall.
On the wall hangs ARDEN Higashi-Shinjuku's nameplate. A notable service ARDEN provides are regular English conversation and activities where participants can connect with foreigners and study English called 'English Community'.
The entrance is opened by use of electronic key.
After entering through the entrance, you can see the washroom and rooms all on one floor.
All five rooms are lined up along the hall on the first floor. The washroom is behind the last door down the hall.
And with that, let's take a look at the rooms.
Every room has this particular furniture set-up. While some of the rooms differ slightly in size, they're essentially all the same.
Plopping down on the bed feels great and is very comfortable.
The beds installed in every room are of the Mujirushi brand.
Next up is the restroom; let's check it out.
The mirror, towels and even lights are all high-end items.
One bathroom is put together very simply.
The bathtub is around the same size as one would find in their house. Smaller females may have an abundance of room in it.
Aside from the bathtub is the shower room. The shower room is quite popular and can get crowded, so if you give it up to the other females in the house you may gain some brownie points. The toilets, of course, are fitted with washlets.
The second floor is set up identically to the first floor, fitted with rooms and the washrooms, so let's go up to the co-living space on the third floor.
The co-living space on the third floor also has two rooms. While having a room next to the co-living space may be a problem for some, the doors are fitted with soundproof materials; as long as people aren't shouting, you apparently can't hear anything. Let's now take a look at ARDEN Higashi-Shinjuku's main space!
The living room, reminiscent of an overseas hidden cafe, welcomes you!
While it's a new building, the vintage taste of the furniture produces a comfortable old-style feelings.
The third floor co-living space is about the same size as an LDK (living room, dining room, kitchen) apartment. Let's take a look at the living space with the sofa first.
The box-style shelf a fancy addition. It's a luxurious item on display.
Watching television on the large TV while drinking alcohol from a glass; in this space, you can enjoy the delights of an adult on another level.
ARDEN Higashi-Shinjuku's concept is 'Vintage cafe style', we're told. Even the tiniest item of furniture exudes refinement and class.
By accenting a bit of green into the room, the strong vintage flair of is naturally balanced out into a bright atmosphere.
By playing some Jazz or R&B from the music speaker, the atmosphere of a Friday night bar comes alive.
Next up is the dining room.
The dining room table and chairs are all made of wood. Mai took note of how each chair had a different design.
The open-hanging style light bulbs, and their pendant design, really adds to the atmosphere!
And the kitchen, designed with wood and plenty of silver and brown accents, gives off a cool vibe for this manly kitchen.
Instead of a direct flame, the fire source uses three IH plates. It, of course, also has a fishing grill.
The unit kitchen's drawers are also filled with tons of cooking supplies.
As long as you don't have a very specific cooking style that requires special tools, you shouldn't have any problems cooking. There are also three kinds of kitchen knives: santoku-knives, petti-knives and bread-knives.
Since the surroundings of the sink are widely used, the counter can be used to place food on. The finished product can be passed out to the rest of the room easily.
From the kitchen, you should be able to send out a delicious smell to your housemates in the living room and dining room. So how about it? – ARDEN Higashi-Shinjuku.
While sat in the corner of the metropolitan Shinjuku, the house itself is placed in a calm and quiet residential area. However, even in the midst of such a city as Shinjuku, this stylish and modern sharehouse has the kind of atmosphere that fits its surroundings and really stands out. Sharing while living in the city means you can save your time, money and a bit of something more. With ARDEN, you can learn more about communities like this and live an intelligent urban life.
Your new lifestyle is on the way. How about shaking things up a bit and trying out a new way to live that's not the norm?
/Author: inamine
