A part for its sweet aroma and for the options (removable bench, traditional cover) probably the most notable feature of this tub is to be compact. With a height of 580mm, if you turn it sideways you can even make it pass trough a 600mm opening!
So, for all of you who gave up installing an ofuro for dimensional problems, take out your measuring tape…and check again!
This tub was order-made for a client. Then the client had to change dimensions and we made a new one. This outlet tub is sold at 80% of its value. Also considering the included options (removable bench, traditional cover) it looks like a deal too good to believe!
Our friends at Nora Studios sent us a few of the preliminary photos of a recent bathroom installation. It’s stunningly beautiful. The contrast of warm wood and cool stone is magnificent.
Ofuro specs: japanese Knotless hinoki wood bathtub (quarter-sawn) dim L1060 x W660 x H629mm (ext. dim.) 570mm(deep) nat. oil @ apron, wood dowels. Iron brand at front side top-right (Accessories are available from our shop)
It is difficult to understand it from the pictures as the sizes are so laser-perfect… but the tub feet are recessed in a ditch which collects the drain water as well as the overflow. Amazing detailing!
Following all the talks in April and May, we are finally ready to start with the enrollment of students interested in learning the traditional japanese wood construction crafts!!!
We are starting a new renovation project and are ready to enroll students. Officially we are aiming at July 1st but if you are planning to come to Japan in June, we are basically ready to welcome you anytime.
The students will both the taught the principles of the craft and will also have the possibility of working in the actual construction site. It will be an experimental phase with the following conditions:
Thank you again for the smart ideas and the kind support about the project of infusing new functions in the Kiwata-house in Wakayama.
Last month I presented the conceptand we are now discussing on how to implement it. Apologizing for the delay in getting back to you, let me summarize the main points.
The first chart exemplifies the structure of the project. Striking a parallel with the cycles in agriculture: *rooting = 5 basic ideas I illustrated in the mailing message *seeding = based on the (biased) opinions of all of you who replied I selected some concepts and lines of intervention *watering = many of you gave me great indications for the overall branding *growing = some ideas about the promotion and management *reaping = goals to be fine-tuned, reached and further developed.
In the PDF (see below) I am also including a selection from the comments I received from all of you.
The concept that stuck me the most are: ONE DAY IN LIFE: * the house provides the experience of “just a normal day in prewar Japan” * second meaning: one day in the life of each visitor. We want to leave a memory that can entangle with and become part of their personal story-roll.
TOTALLY TRADITIONAL – TOTALLY CONTEMPORARY: * the house is historical and original therefore should not be faked. Any addition or modification should be in harmony but cutting edge.
MUSEUM OUTREACH / COLLABORATION * we should explore the possibility of operating in connection with a famous museum. This could widen the scope of the project and hopefully make it become a model for other beautiful houses in Japan that could be rescued and preserved.
This is all for now. We have more meetings coming up this month and I will keep you updated on the solution that the owners chose and about the next steps of the project.
From the beginning of this year I have had the privilege to associate with Jogan Yoshio, kimono designer in Kyoto. I visited his atelier, had the chance to attend some events with him and we are also starting to collaborate on some projects (such as the one in Wakayama) .
He is really the quintessential Japanese artist/craftsman: soft spoken, passionate and humble. His right arm is the charming Hiroyo, with feline eyes riding high heels and sports cars: it feels like she could have just come out from a 007 movie or a Lupin III cartoon. The matching and the positive contrast of different elements is somehow a trademark of Jogan sensei.
He practiced since his childhood in the ateliers and along the water streams of Nishijin, the area where Kimonos are woven, dyed, block-printed, painted and embroidered with the collaborative work of dozens of separate companies. Kyoto is famous for its rigid and at the same time soft structures. Rules are not written but are so strongly encoded in the social behaviors that create a kind of invisible system of relations that puzzle the westerner. The secret is to learn every thing with the body rather than with your rational mind.
Rules are not there to be discussed but can be interpreted. Traditional patterns cannot be modified but of course are filtered through the sensibility and the DNA of each individual artist. I think you will understand what I mean by watching this video:
check below for more photos and info to purchase the book.
We made a new production of hinoki oil, both DSB quality (young trees) and SR (special reserve kiso valley old growth hinoki)
I bottled 100 – 10ml. flasks per type, and I am willing to sell the rest in larger bottles at a discounted price. DA – DA – DA -DADADA DA ! A) 1 bottle 100 cc of young trees oil (plastic bottle, no drip cap) = 12,000 JPY B) 10 bottles 100 cc (1 liter in total) of young trees oil (package as above) = 80,000 JPY C) 1 bottle 50 cc of special reserve oil (glass bottle, no drip cap) = 12,000 JPY D) 10 bottles 50 cc of special reserve oil (glass bottle, no drip cap) = 90,000 JPY
*) packaging and shipping worldwide 1,000 JPY per parcel (air mail – no EMS) – one parcel can hold up to 300 ml in any combination –
stock is limited so if you are interested please contact me at japan@bartokdesign.com asap!!
this photo will inspire many! A tatami room immersed in the forest!
I received some beautiful pictures from Helen, a lucky owner of a Bartok design`s ofuro. Here is her story: When we travelled in Japan in 2013, we never stayed in hotels, but in Airbnb’s (of course, the price too is favorable) and once in a ryokan (in Nara). This gave us the best of all our Japan experiences on that summer!
We stayed with an elderly couple in Okayama prefecture, and I asked the woman (no English, just body language:) to show me how to tie the obi, as we had bought some old kimonos at the market in Kyoto.
This led to the most beautiful experience, as she was so engaged and happy for our interest, she collected all kimonos she had, showing them (her daughter is a textile artist, and had made a masterpiece of a hand painted kimono as an art project) and dressed us up – I think the pleasure of this was indeed mutual.
Then she persuaded us to wear them during a visit to a special restaurant in the forest, very traditional – and there we all sat, on our knees in our kimonos, eating all the strange and beautiful dishes. We will NEVER forget it. Well, now you got this long story (just an example, I have got so many!)…sorry for this! I just feel so passionate about making this kind of experiences available, as I enjoy them so much myself! Good luck! I look forward to follow the project! (see all the splendid pictures here below)
As you know, there is nothing more soul-destroying for us here at Bartok design than to see old Japanese homes and gardens destroyed in the name of blind speculation. From time to time we hear about the impending doom before it happens, as in the case of this spectacular garden in Nara prefecture (east of Osaka).
A person I know that empties old houses has to throw away this garden in Nara…
We’ve been given the opportunity to share these pictures and we hope that with will be able to re-home some of the ornaments or even some of the plants.
We cannot say for sure how old these items are but we hope to bring more information to you soon. If you are interested in being kept in the loop please contact me via email (urgently) japan(at)bartokdesign.com
We are deepening our relation and collaboration with the kimono designer Yoshio Jogan. Jogan sensei is based in Kyoto and went through the long and steep path of mastering traditional kimono patterns since his youth. But he believes that Art must always be in movement and the worship of a mummified tradition is not going to keep the Art alive.
Jogan sensei is a master in bridging the subtle traditional knowhow of kimono patterning into interior design, contemporary products and computer art. We will talk more about Jogan sensei in the next few weeks, but here I would like to anticipate a news that is also going to impact our Wakayama pre-war mansion re-branding project.
With the email subject line from our client “At last, the bathtub is in place” we could appreciate the hard work and effort that goes into redesigning a bathroom. Importing an ofuro from Japan takes no small effort and a huge amount of trust that we are going to get it right.
But get it right we did. Look at this stunning bathroom with its view on a miniaturized version of the Swiss Alps (or so we like to think – since the bathtub is in its new home in Switzerland). Hats off to the designers of the bathroom who have managed to create a calm and relaxing space that I am sure the owners will love for years to come.
Can you imagine slipping into the deliciously hot water after a day on the slopes?
