Young professionals in Tokyo typically live in micro flats that are cramped and inflexible. We designed this flat in order to maximise the possibilities of such a typical Tokyo apartment. The important considerations are privacy (separation of sleeping space for instance) and openness (a room large enough to entertain a small party of friends without exposing clutter). A typical scenario is that a bachelor lives in the flat and then gets married. The apartment must transform to support their coexistence in such a small space.

The solution is in the furniture. There are two units that pivot off the walls. They are mobilized by wheels attached to one end. These function not only as furniture but also dividing partition. The necessary furniture to support living in the flat (a table, bed, wardrobes, etc) fold out of these mobile units. Their arrangement and orientation cleverly solves the problems presented when certain functions do not match (dining vs. sleeping for instance). One unit is the dining/working unit, whilst the other is bedroom unit.

As nearly all fittings are within these containers, they can be prefabricated off site and brought into an existing apartment shell. This means that they can be delivered very economically and built to an extremely high standard. White vs. red lacquer-like finishes create a visual demarcation between interior and exterior surfaces of the units. Colours can of course be customized.