New Japanese Export: "Hako-Ie" (or) Room In A Box

A special space of one's own, where you can rest, meditate, create... is what Japanese architect Asao Sakamoto was after when he created the Hako-Ie. Literally, "room in a box," Hake-Ie won a 2008 international Good Design Gold Award for Sakamoto's do-it-yourself pre-fabricated room for your home. Like Japanese food, clothing, and cars, the Hako-Ie can be exported and enjoyed all over the world.

The Hako-Ie is not your "Ikea version" of a Japanese room. Every detail of this room has had custom attention, from the authentic tatami mats to the lacquered A tokonoma cornertokonoma (a special place in the room where treasured items are displayed).

Designer Asao Sakamoto also took great pains to insure that the Hako-Ie would "survive" everywhere in the world by subjecting all the materials to environmental tests, like the weather for example. He made dozens of prototypes before he was assured that the room could withstand extreme climates.

You're probably thinking, "I'd have to hire a builder just to put this room together!"

No, it is really a DIY project. The elegant simplicity of Japanese design is so reflected in this creation, for the Hako-Ie requires no nails, screws, or power tools to put it together. In fact, only a hammer is needed. And what's more, the components of your room in a box are sturdy enough to be set-up and taken down repeatedly, whenever required.

Mr. Sakamoto said that when he finished making his version of the revered Japanese room for the world to share, he felt especially proud of his Japanese heritage.