A Japandi tea room

A tatami room with an alcove for one scroll and one flower.

How we think about the tea room

A tea room is the quietest room in a home. Some owners use it for tea, others for reading or simply sitting.

It is usually a tatami room (a room floored with woven rush mats) with a tokonoma, an alcove for one scroll or one flower. Guests do not step into the alcove.

Here ma (the space between things) does most of the work. We choose very few pieces and leave the rest of the room empty.

Sample photos for reference. They are not rooms we have furnished.

What goes in the room

Cushions and a low table
Floor cushions in linen or cotton and a small table that can be put away.
Something for the alcove
One scroll or one vase, changed with the seasons.
About Ceramics
Paper light
A floor lamp or the daylight through shoji (paper sliding screens).
About Washi
A basket or a tray
Woven bamboo for the things used for tea.
About Bamboo

In a home in Japan

Tatami needs care

Heavy furniture with thin legs dents tatami. We choose low, wide pieces and pads, and keep the room aired so the mats do not take in damp.

Paper screens

Shoji paper is renewed when it tears or yellows. That is ordinary upkeep, and we can arrange it before you arrive.

Mainly villas and townhouses

Most tea rooms are in houses. If your apartment has a tatami room, we can plan it in the same way.

Deciding from abroad

A tea room has few pieces, so it is easy to decide from photos. We send each choice with its size and price.

Scrolls and vases are chosen last, once the room is finished and you have seen it in photos.

One way to split the budget

A sample only. If a home had a furnishing budget of ¥5,000,000 (about US$31,650), the tea room might take about ¥600,000 (about US$3,800) of it, divided like this.

Cushions and low table	¥200,000 about US$1,270
Lighting	¥100,000 about US$630
Scroll and vase for the alcove	¥200,000 about US$1,270
Shoji paper renewal	¥100,000 about US$630
Total for this room	¥600,000 about US$3,800

Sample allocation. It is not a quote and not a price list. Your plan is built from your own home and your own priorities.

Dollar amounts are a guide only, at ¥158 to US$1 (October 2026). Makers and firms charge in yen.

Estimate the cost

Move the budget and the split between pieces. The amounts change as you go.

Furniture and craft budget for this room

Furniture and craft
STAYGO fee (15%)
Estimated total

Please read before you rely on these figures

This is an illustrative estimate only. It is not a quote, an offer or a price list, and it does not create a contract or any obligation for you or for us.
Actual prices are set by each maker, shop and firm, can change at any time, and are paid by you directly to them in Japanese yen.
Our fee is 15% of the furniture and craft budget, under pilot terms that we confirm with you in writing before any work begins. The minimum furnishing budget for a home is ¥5,000,000. Our fee is paid in yen, usually by bank transfer; the deposit can also be paid by card.
The ranges and splits shown are samples, not based on quotes. Dollar amounts are a guide only, at ¥158 to US$1 (October 2026).