Hasta La Ideas

This 120-year-old Kyoto townhouse was once used as a seed plantation, but has been carefully restored to create a guesthouse that celebrates Japanese interior design traditions (+ slideshow).

The Kyoto Moyashi House, also known as Moyashi Machiya, is a typical example of Kyoto’s historic machiya houses – traditional townhouses that usually contained both a shop and home for their owners.

Once common in the city, the machiyas are gradually disappearing as both real-estate developers and homeowners shy away away from conducting expensive repairs, and instead choose to replace the buildings with contemporary properties.

In response, house owner Masashi Koyama saw an opportunity to turn his old building into a tourist attraction. Working with his sister Akiko Koyama and architect Uoya Shigenori, he planned a full restoration.

Functioning as both as a guesthouse and an events space, the revamped building showcases a number of interior design traditions, from tatami-mat flooring to paper-covered windows and sand-textured walls.

Akiko Koyama said the concept was primarily about “bringing to light and honouring the traditional architecture and construction process of machiyas in Kyoto, dating back to over a century ago”.

“It is hoped that this building remains, that is is respected and well looked after, that is is revitalised when necessary, and that it continues to be a connection to the past for many more years to come,” she said.

The owners had no official record of the house’s age, but traced it back as far as 1893 thanks to the discovery of a newspaper inside one of the walls. What they did know was that the building and its grounds were used for growing malt seed – a key ingredient for making sake, soy sauce, mirin and miso.

This led to the name Moyashi Machiya, which translates as Malt Seed Townhouse.

The layout of the building is dictated by the presence of two gardens – one at the back, and a more central courtyard.

Communal rooms are organised around these two outdoor spaces. A large dining room sits in between the two, while the lounge and kitchen wrap around the courtyard.

“These gardens were significant when considering natural ventilation through the building and a fundamental natural light source into the dark interiors,” said Koyama.

“Doors are opened up in the warmer months to integrate both gardens into the living space of the house,” she added.

“The central garden becomes the open thoroughfare from kitchen to lounge room, kitchen to dining room, dining room to lounge room.”

The much smaller upper level contains a bedroom, which overlooks the courtyard, and a tearoom.

The renovation involved uncovering the building’s traditional wooden structure, revealing the craftsmanship that went into its construction.

Tatami mats cover floor surfaces throughout the building. Although these firm mats have been commonly in Japanese houses for centuries, these days they are rarely found in more than one room.

The paper used to cover windows is washi – a traditional paper made from plant fibres, which creates privacy without blocking light – while sand was used in three layers to add texture to the walls.

These elements are complemented by mid-century furnishings, as well as contemporary kitchen and bathroom fittings, and other details such as hanging bicycle storage.

“The Moyashi Machiya renovation aims to educate individuals about traditional architecture, the role of nature in design, and about the thought processes, the concepts, the materials and the craftsmanship involved in such a design,” said Koyama.

“Natural materials – such as wood, sand, papers, rocks and straw – make up the bulk of new materials brought in for the project,” she added. “Synthetic materials were used very sparingly and grudgingly.”

Machiyas proliferate in Kyoto’s historic centre but, after centuries of being erected by skilled carpenters using traditional techniques, they are starting to be replaced with car parks and apartment blocks.

Other attempts to revive old machiyas include a project by NAAD that involved lining a 100-year-old house in plywood and another by Q-Architecture Laboratory that celebrated ad-hoc extensions.

Meanwhile, Royal College of Art graduate Adam Roberts developed a proposal to stack machiya properties on top of one another to make them more cost- and space-efficient.

Photography is by Tess Kelly.

The post Guesthouse opens inside revamped century-old machiya house in Kyoto appeared first on Dezeen.

 When I ‘Lunched’ with Dr. Mehmet Oz on the eve of the debut of his namesake magazine back in 2014, I was struck by his incredible charisma and approachability. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one. In all my years covering the Michael’s crowd it is the only occasion I can remember where a slew of other famous folks literally lined up to meet another celebrity.

Jill Herzig, Diane Clehane and Jill Seelig

This didn’t come as a surprise to Dr. Oz The Good Life’s editor in chief Jill Herzig, who joined me today along with the magazine’s publisher Jill Seelig and Hearst’s Allie Haake. “Some people really freak out when they meet him,” said Herzig. Herzig recounted an anecdote about the hilarious reaction the wife of one of Dr. Oz’s cardiac patients had when she first met him. She found out about the encounter while doing a web series about the effect the good doctor has had on his patients. “These are people who owe their lives to Dr. Oz.,” Herzig explained. “For the most part, people don’t know he still does surgery and when he does, they often don’t know he’s going to be their doctor until the last minute. This woman whose husband was having surgery once made Dr. Oz leave the room until she could put on a full face of makeup — she’s wasn’t ‘ready’ to meet him — and her husband was having heart surgery!”

It’s Oz’s unique combination of accessibility, star power and credibility that have made the Hearst title a hit with readers and advertisers alike. In an anemic advertising climate, ad pages are up 17 percent through the October 2016 issue, attracting new advertisers including Pantene, Sherwin Williams and California Walnuts, and the title is among the top 10 best selling magazines at newsstand this year. “We provide an environment that elevates their message,” said Seelig. “[Advertisers] understand there’s an extra level of trust which makes us unique.”

Herzig told me that even with his grueling schedule of seeing his patients and taping his daytime show [more on that later] Dr. Oz is “very hands on” with the inner workings of the magazine. She has weekly meetings with him and is in “constant contact” through email. “Editors on the staff feel free to email him and often do. They always get a quick response.” And, Herzig noted, it doesn’t always have to do with business. “I have a friend whose son was hurt out in Los Angeles. I emailed Dr. Oz about it at 11:30 at night and at 11:35 he responded with names of people for him to see. He really great that way and he’s that way with everyone.”

Oz’s reputation as the go-to doctor for the global age is obviously enhanced by his popular daytime television show, which has been renewed through 2019. “That’s a huge boost [for the magazine,]” said Herzig, who told me there are no plans to experiment with Oz-free covers. “It’s still extremely important even at the two-year mark.”

Both the editors and advertising staff have an “unusual” and highly synergistic arrangement with the staff on Oz’s show. “We co-create content,” said Herzig, who has also appeared on the broadcast. “For our January-February diet issue, the show’s producer worked with us during the show’s July hiatus. Our schedules could not be less synced up, but they are willing to do whatever they need to make it work to cross promote [the magazine and the show]. It drives us to do our best.”

For her part, Seelig “collaborates” on advertising buys with Sony, who distributes the show. “Their sales team and our sales team work together on tent pole and custom [ad packages] for advertisers. It’s mostly custom [programs].”

Herzig also works closely with Oz’s medical team on the show, a staff of six headed by Dr. Michael Couperpain, who serve as the clearing house for every bit of medical news and information included in the broadcast. “They vet everything and nothing gets taped without them going through all the details.” But Oz is the final word with the magazine. “He sees every page.” Lisa also credits Oz’s wife Lisa Oz, the magazine’s editor at large, for keeping everything running smoothly. “She’s incredible.”

Oz was intimately involved with the special report on heart health in the upcoming November issue. “It’s his area,” said Herzig, who noted that since she came on board a short time after the test issues in 2014 she’s become much more educated about the effect certain foods have on the body and as a result has cut back on foods with added sugar and sworn off daily desserts.”Now I save it for really special occasions.”

By the time coffee was served (true to her word, Herzig didn’t touch the cookie plate), we’d covered all the health myths and newfound realities we’ve discovered over the years. Surprisingly, Herzig told me that during her days as EIC of Redbook, she praised all sorts of serums and sunscreens but rarely used them. All that has changed.  “I know better now.” I can’t imagine why.

Here’s the rundown on today’s crowd:

1. Camille Douglas

2. Andrew Stein

3. Producer Terry Allen Kramer with Felicia Taylor some other well-heeled blonde gals.

4. Barry Diller

5. Sony Television’s Steve Mosko

6. Mrs. Richard Oldenburg

7. Euan Rellie

8. Jolie Hunt

11. Bob Friedman and Robert Halmi, Jr. ; Second seating: Beverly Camhe

12. Maryam Banikarim

14. Jimmy Finkelstein

15. British Heritage Travel’s CEO Jack Kliger and Jean Louis

16. Barry Frey

17. Jonathan Soros

18. Tivo’s Tom Rogers

20. Joan Gelman and Lynn Goldberg

21. Steven Stolman and Michael McGraw celebrating Steven’s new book, The Serial Entertainer’s Passion for Parties.

22. PR maven Judy Twersky, Dr. Robi Ludwig and Kathy Levine celebrating Kathy’s birthday who took a celebratory selfie with me when I stopped by their table to say hello. Cheers!

23. Bob Towbin and Vincent Mai

24. Michael’s newest regular Julian Niccolini  with Paul McDonnell, and Ed McDonnell. A little birdie told me Ed was bigwig at Seagram’s back in the day.

25. Tom Goodman and Rick Rielly. Tom, whose firm is celebrating its milestone 20th anniversary this month, tells me the guys were classmates back in the day at Scarsdale High School.

26. Anne Jones

27. Jill Herzig, Jill Seelig, Allie Haake and yours truly

28. Matthew Sippel

29. Betsy Donovan

Diane Clehane is a FishbowlNY contributor. Follow her on Twitter @DianeClehane. Send comments and corrections on this column to LUNCH at MEDIABISTRO dot COM.

Want a reminder that simple, beautiful, problem-solving design changes the world? Well, too bad. Instead, look at this golf club that’s also a portable urinal.

Sometimes I research old TV advertised products to learn about unexpected consumer “needs” I’ve never considered. When there’s-got-to-be-a-better-way there’s a fifty-fifty chance I’ve got no idea what the problem is. The UroClub falls in the “???” column, and because I’m not a penis-sporting golf lover I guess I missed its debut. In sum, it’s a golf club the length of a seven iron with a .5 liter hollow handle, a screw off cap, and an entirely un-ergonomic opening for guy golfers to carefully aim at when the clubhouse is catastrophically far away.

You’ve got a golf cart and I can see the clubhouse behind you, you liar

If the idea of peeing into the hollow handle of a golf club on the middle of the green doesn’t sound terribly low key, don’t worry! The UroClub comes with a clip-on “privacy towel” in totally covert forest green. It does a 0% job at distracting onlookers from your Chinoed groin, but it does show off that you’re too successful and self-confident to even bother looking for a bush. 

And if you’re grossed out by the idea of transporting a sloshily loaded club for the rest of the day, well, that’s what the Help is for. 

Consider its use, its transportation, its cleaning, and then consider that its designer is going to make more money than anyone in your ID school graduating class, because it was definitely invented by someone wealthy enough to spend time de-hydrating themselves on golf courses in the first place. Seriously: a Floridian urologist created this.

So relatable

Golfers aren’t known to tolerate discomfort, so he’s really locked in on something. Just don’t mix it up with this. 

New Jersey-based Flamingosis (aka Aaron Velasquez) released his gorgeous record Bright Moments a month ago. The sample-based album, which the artist worked on for several years, features a lush, layered sound that’s part hip-hop and part funk, with……

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Hugs are more therapeutic than you’d think. Even one hug a day can help drastically reduce depression, anxiety, and stress, boosting your happiness. Hygge presents quite the lifehack with its design that you can hug. Shaped like a human torso with an arm loop that hugs you back, the Hygge can be hugged or cuddled, making you feel warm, fuzzy, and happy! Maybe plush toys shouldn’t only be for children!

Designer: Jaeyoung Han