The one thing that you have to bear in mind with this little idea is that it is, as yet, only an idea. But the concept is far from little! My preparation has been fairly thorough, despite having no particular location in mind - first of all came the sketch shown below, produced rather fast on some 3D gardening software (amazing what you can turn a wood fence into). Then came a scale architectural model featuring the real details of the gravel flooring, stepping stones, bare trees and wooden gazebo. Slight revisions were made to the model after I drew the gazebo structure in total 3D detail using CAD engineering software, but to appreciate the whole effect you have to imagine an amalgamation of all three images. So imagine just how great your room could look without any clutter and even without any appliances. Just a place to sit back and relax, and escape from the world...

I should mention that the scale model was based on the dimensions of the living room of my apartment, and that the design is therefore applicable to all the apartments in Kanada Kodan. It could of course be adjusted to suit any small tatami room (approximately 6 tatami mat size). If you're wondering where the tatami mats themselves have gone, they've been removed from the floor for two reasons; in order to create the couple of inch drop required to retain the new gravel floor covering, and also to allow the entire design to be removed/moved. In short this concept would be 100% removable, with no holes or repairs necessary.

The room is lit by a lamp under the roof of the gazebo, in addition to some well-placed floor level underlighting. The gravel flooring gives the advantage of concealing any wires or structural supports. One thing I haven't prepared for this design is a cost estimate, but it wouldn't be hugely expensive, because the materials are so basic. If anybody particularly wants me to, I could certainly do a little research into it. I'll finish by once again saying: