By now, you’d have seen how people DIY all sorts of home decor: gallery walls, gold-dipped ceramics, rope shelves—the list goes on. However, we’ll bet our bottom dollar you haven’t seen anyone who’s handmade their window screens, until now. Check out this couple’s shoji screens that they built by themselves.
@un____home now we need to replace this way too orange tatami bed!!! #singaporehomes #tiktoksg #fyp #unhome #unstudio #furnituremaker #renovationseries
Shoji screens made from washi & wood
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that the homeowners, who DIY-ed every window screen in their flat, run a small custom furniture shop called Un Studio. Having been around since 2020, the studio manufactures and sells small batches of handmade homeware and furniture.
Image credit: @un____studio
“We love to build home goods and thought the best way to express our approach to craft was to DIY every piece of furniture in our own home. And that was what we did. At the time, we were just about to renovate our home, so we chose to start crafting the windows first because the dimensions were fixed,” the couple shared.
Image credit: @un____studio
Made from either New Zealand pine or cherry solid wood and stained or coated in hard wax oil, each set of windows took between 2-6 weeks to be completed. “Usually, traditional shoji screens are built using soft wood like hinoki, but it’s not easy to find this type of wood in Singapore. So we had to settle for the next best thing.”
For the grid, the homeowners used washi which is a traditional Japanese paper. Processed using fibres from the inner bark of specific trees, these papers are much more durable than regular paper that’s made with wood pulp.
Image credit: @un____studio
Within the home, there are 3 traditional shoji screens and 2 Yukimi shoji screens. Unlike traditional shoji screens that slide from left to right on the track, Yukimi shoji screens can be opened from the bottom.
“Yukimi shoji screens tend to be installed lower so you can get an unobstructed view of the outdoors in a seated position. In Japan, these screens are usually used in the tea room or reading room.”
With a deep appreciation of the wabi-sabi philosophy, which is to be in harmony with nature, the couple incorporated the Yukimi shoji screens in their office and living room. Not only does this allow them to appreciate the view outside, but they’re also able to air out the common areas of the house.
Accepts custom shoji screen orders
Image credit: @un____studio
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of accomplishment when you build something with your bare hands. But if you can’t, you’ll be happy to know the owners of Un Studio can make pretty much any DIY project happen To get your shoji screens custom-made, all you have to do is hit them up via email at hello@un-studio.store.
Besides shoji windows, Un Studio will build just about anything for its clients. This so far has resulted in everything from dining tables and chairs to bookshelves and cabinets. They even handmake ceramic goods and host workshops to teach you the know-how and let you in on some DIY secrets.
This HDB flat has DIY shoji screens on its windows
These days, more and more people are putting on their Bob the Builder hats. We recently saw a $6K DIY home renovation project that transformed a 5-room integrated home. This time, the owners of Un Studio come through with handmade shoji screens for the windows in their HDB flat.
For more home renovation inspos:
- Kyoto hotel HDB renovation
- Traditional Japanese townhouse renovation
- Modern industrial terrace in Serangoon
Cover image adapted from: @un____studio
Drop us your email so you won't miss the latest news.
