Minimalist design and smart solutions for small spaces

The spaces we live in are not always very generous and the need for basic pieces of furniture - bed, table, chairs, desk, wardrobe - makes everything seem even more cramped. This makes us feel uncomfortable, because wide, airy spaces make us feel good. That's why I was really excited when I discovered the Japanese furniture manufacturer's designs Hirashima. These are furniture pieces with minimalist design, incorporating clever solutions that make it possible to use one piece for many purposes.

If there is a people in this world who are as good at woodworking as they are at minimalist living space design, it is the Japanese. Not infrequently we have shown how traditional woodworking where they continue to process wood, having even very old evidence - hundreds of years - which shows that they were doing it very well even then.

This time, however, it's modern, well-made furniture, mainly made of oak or walnut, finished with oil and sometimes with various textures that make it even more attractive.

For woodworking, the Japanese in Hirashima have abandoned the chisel and other traditional tools and switched to computer-controlled machines - CNCs - which they see as a continuation of their right hand. And in the Japanese tradition everything is done with the utmost attention to detail, it is pushed as close to perfection as possible.

The company's concept is based on comfort and tension. They say the two terms do not repel each other but on the contrary, they work together. It's about comfortable tension, brought into a comfortable space to create a special pace of life. This is the ideal space designed by Hirashima. And Hirashima's style contains minimalism, modernism and dynamism, combined with functionality and naturalness.

Pieces of furniture that combine the ideas of minimalism and functionality are very simple and that's why they are so smart. For example, a sofa that can also be a table for the couple who, after watching their favourite show, want to sit comfortably at the table, not eating "on their knees" at the small table in front of the sofa.

Or the crib that no longer forces you to sit with your laptop in your arms, sliding on your pillow and dozing off before you finish your reports. And imagine what this bed would look like facing a large window or a glass door to the terrace (balcony).

I'll give you one more example: what do you think reading is like at this desk, part of a library-like policy, next to a fireplace? Doesn't that seem unimaginable for a block apartment?

Even though the furniture is made in Japan, in Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture, it is also available online under the brand name Island Plan. For those who find it inaccessible, I advise them to admire the designs and be inspired by them when they decide to furnish their home in minimalist style. They're sure to find plenty of great small furniture makers making pieces that are right for their space.