Enjoy imagining your life at Cocoro Mejiro

Choosing a place to live is a series of ongoing compromises. It is often said that the closer to the city, the more compromises and concessions one must make. That said, when thinking about moving house it is natural to want a place more comfortable and closer to work than where you live in currently. Today we will introduce to you Cocoro Mejiro, a female-exclusive sharehouse in Shinjuku. The house is on the 10th floor, the top floor of the building, however by using the elevator there will be inconveniences. There are no other tall buildings around and you can gaze out over the city from the house balcony. Housing a maximum of 6 tenants, this house has ample space for all and examples of its functionality can be found throughout. It would be much more enjoyable imagining a life here than dealing with the reality of making compromises with another property. Without further ado let's have a look inside this comfortable city residence!!

5-minute walk from Mejiro station on the Yamanote line. You will see the building housing Cocoro Mejiro after walking straight along Mejiro-dori towards Ochiai. The entrance was renovated this year to a chic, calm design.

The sharehouse is on the 10th floor, the top floor of the building. It is accessible by elevator and you'll feel like you're living in a high class apartment building.

The front entrance. With a skylight in the ceiling I get the impression that it would be bright and cheerful in here during the day without turning the lights on. The shoe storage shelves are of high capacity. There is also space to store boots.

The living and dining area creates an almost too comfortable atmosphere with natural light shining in through the large windows, top quality IDEE furniture and solid birch wood flooring. A cityscape extends out beyond the window as the view from the 10th floor.

The open kitchen is itself quite enclosed and is quite attractive as the sink and bench are not visible from the living room.

The sofa in the living room is impressive in shade of sky blue and the area can be used in many different ways.

The chairs at the dining table have beautiful curved backs and are comfortable to sit on.

The dining table is arranged right next to the kitchen. You can just imagine the spirited conversations that could take place around this table.

You can look out over the city from the verandah. The view dramatically changes at night.

This kitchen has all the qualities of both an open and closed kitchen and is quite an extravagance when you realize that it will be used by a maximum of 6 people. Those who like to cook will love the large sink, bench space and the wide passage. There is also plenty of refrigerator and cupboard space.

This is the 'closed' section of the kitchen, great for people who take their time cooking without worrying about what is going on around them.

The mosaic tiles give an accent to the otherwise simple design.

Here are the washbasins. There is shelving behind the mirrors to store toothbrushes, styling products and hair dryers.

There is one shower and one bathroom, both spacious.

The laundry room is located beside the bathroom. Opposite the washing machines are shelves to store soaps and detergents.

There is a total of 6 rooms, each with its own layout. Rooms are also of a simple design, the appeal being to enjoy arranging and decorating them in one's own style. (Room 1004)

Room 1001 has a walk-in closet with satisfactory space and storage facilities.

Room 1003 is a loft-type room with its own balcony.

Room 1002. This room also has a walk-in closet.

Room 1005.

Room 1006.

Managing this house is Arco Design Works. The manager worked for a company designing hotels and houses before breaking away to go independent and now develops houses with design and convenience in mind. The 'Cocoro' series of sharehouses are unified by a consistent theme, characterized by solid birch wood flooring, IDEE furniture and the use of mosaic tiling within the house. Talking with the manager I could just tell that every last detail had been taken into consideration. In regards to storage, for example, he says that if tenants are not allowed to keep personal items in the common areas then a suitable storage area must be provided elsewhere. And sure enough, what surprised me the most when visiting the house myself was of course the design of the common areas, but also its functionality and storage facilities. Storage facilities are not just random empty spaces around the house, but arranged specifically in places upon consideration of the tenant's daily lives and in easy-to-use positions. Because of this, residents will become accustomed to using something then putting it back in its place immediately. This is perhaps due to the knowledge gained from years of experience managing other sharehouses, however I do believe that all of the trial and error in making houses in the past has lead to this house being as charming as it is. While rules and established routines are also important, a great community is sure to blossom in a residence built in a way that helps residents to keep things neat and tidy without a second thought.