Lessons in a Compact Life – A Collaboration with Muji Australia

Photography: Jiawa Liu and Kurt Ji

The problem with country-envy is that all the things you think are better ‘over there’ never quite line up with your pristine imaginings. Like many sheltered Asian kids in the brave 2000’s, I was completely Japan obsessed, or at least with the high school romances under cherry blossoms (Sakura) and scifi adventures in shining metropolises, so often portrayed in Japanese animation exports. So you can imagine my disillusionment when my gap year in Japan revealed that reality amounted to long days of boring classes at a countryside university, in which, while sakura did feature, no romance blossomed; my 20 square meter closet of an apartment was crammed inside the jumbled and flaking outer suburbs, where, space being a premium, roads were nothing more than alleys, and scarcely a single home had a wall to itself.

It was in this context that I first came across the warm brown and beige shop front of a Muji store in an Osaka mall. Its clean and airy aesthetic cast a stark contrast against the cluttered environment into which I had already begun to assimilate. There was so much in this brand that summed up for me the ‘real’ Japan. While not yet in a mindset to articulate this as ‘minimalism’, I simply found myself instinctively connecting with brand’s philosophies – quality, functionality and simplicity.

With so little space to go around, it is perhaps not surprising that Muji (‘Mujirushi Ryohin’ in full, meaning ‘No Brand Quality Goods’), cemented a cult following in Japan, long before it became the newfangled thing in the west. Muji is better described by its lifestyle approach rather than a style or type of product offering. Indeed, the Muji brand touches on virtually ever aspect of lifestyle, from food and beauty to apparel and homeware. It has even built an apartment in Tokyo which showcases the quintessence of a simplified Muji lifestyle. All Muji products are born of the simple idea of facilitating life, both aesthetically and functionally. But perhaps the thing that attracted me the most to the brand is the lessons that one can learn about living a compact life by simply browsing the shop.

Functionality first
There is a strong sense, even without reading the ‘About’ page, that products begin at Muji as solitions to lifestyle needs – in other words, functionality is the foremost consideration. No Muji product is solely decorative, or purport some superficial purpose (no plethora of novelties rationalised as piggy banks here). Rather, there are simply life’s basic luxuries like well made organic cotton shirts and their signature acetate storage boxes. One cannot help being subconsciously swayed to Muji’s bias for viewing products as inextricable from lifestyle (and never simply for sake of ownership). The lesson here? Collect only those things which enhance life.

Space must be actively created
Space may not seem to be an issue in western homes, which are vast compared to those in Japan. Yet somehow, I have seen tiny Tokyo apartments that seemed more spacious than a 4 bedroom Australian house. Perhaps it’s the mistake we often make of treating space as whatever is left. In a space starved country like Japan, there is an almost matter-of-fact understanding that space is something that needs to be actively created. This is illustrated so well by Muji’s space conscious product designs. Their clever storage options envision a compact life where there is a place for everything and everything has a place. Even the shape and size of the products are carefully considered, for example, refillable toiletries bottles that are rectangular rather than cylindrical, and are made in standard sizes, ‘designed to make your bathroom neat’. And for a more literal lesson, you must check out Muji’s 4 Steps for a Compact Life and other poignant articles.

Calmness in personal space
That the home should be a place for relaxation and escape from the hustle and bustle beyond, is a foregone conclusion in my mind. As for achieving this, there are practical considerations, which one only needs to walk down the aisles at Muji to discover – a limited palette of lightweight colours, clean lines and shapes, and recurring elements that create continuity and balance throughout the home. The home is treated as place where life is free to flow, with a light and airiness that is so uniquely Muji.

Find your Muji Australia store here.

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