Engawa Is the Japanese 'In-Between Space' Missing From Most Open-Plan Homes, and Why You Should Add It to Your Design Moodboard
It's a small edging strip that allows you to meander in an indoor-outdoor spot for moments of pause
"An engawa (縁側) is a strip of timber flooring that runs along the outside of a Japanese house, sheltered by the eaves, sitting between the paper screens of the rooms and the garden beyond," says interior designer Yoko Kloeden.
Now you have a clear picture of this element of Japanese design. But to truly understand its charm and its beauty as a true blue in-between space, let's take a closer look at what it adds to a home.
And, more importantly, how to bring it into your home. So, without further ado, let's get into why you might want to add this to your moodboard.
What Is an Engawa?
Just imagine taking your slow morning (almost) outside to this middle zone.
"The best description of an engawa depends on where you're standing. Seen from the garden, it reads as part of the house. Seen from indoors, it reads as part of the garden," says interior designer Yoko Kloeden.
"It belongs to both and to neither, and that ambiguity is the point. Inside, shoji (translucent paper screens) separate it from the rooms. Outside, by sliding wooden or glass shutters. Take the screens out along an L-shaped engawa and the garden arrives as one uninterrupted view."
Yoko explains that there are two kinds of engawa and the difference is practical. "An irikawa-en sits inside the outer shutters, so it is sheltered and usable in any weather. A nure-en sits outside them, and the name is honest about the consequence, where nure means wet."
Yoko Kloeden Design is a London-based architecture and interior design studio, founded by Yoko Kloeden in 2016. Located in West London, the studio specializes in crafting mood-enhancing sanctuaries, seamlessly blending Japanese aesthetics with natural, serene elements. Each project aims to create spaces that feel both harmonious and deeply restorative, reflecting Yoko’s commitment to calm, balanced interiors. The studio provides a full range of architecture and interior design services for private and commercial clients, carefully crafting every space to bring balance, beauty, and well-being to those who inhabit it.
This simple boundaried addition will give you a space to pause.
"Open plan took out the internal walls but left one hard boundary at the back of the house — a single line of glazing, inside on one side of it and outside on the other, with nothing in between," she notes.
"What has gone is the zone that has no purpose assigned to it. An engawa is where you sit to put your shoes on, where you talk to somebody standing in the garden, where you watch rain without being in it."
Yoko explains that none of those are activities a floor plan allocates space for, and a house in which every space is a destination gives you nowhere to pause.
How to Bring It Home
Choosing materials that are breathable and translucent is key.
An engawa non-negotiable, according to Yoko, is that it has to be roofed. "An overhang deep enough to keep the rain off is what makes the space usable through autumn and winter, rather than only on the days you would sit outside anyway," she advises.
"It has to be deep enough to sit on. Six hundred millimeters — about two feet — will do it. A meter is better, and leaves room to set a cup down beside you."
Secondly, she recommends working in two layers rather than one. "A traditional engawa sits between paper screens on the inside and shutters or glass on the outside, which lets the space be opened in stages rather than all at once. Sliding doors with a second screening layer behind them do the same job," she notes.
"Carry the floor through. The same materials, or a close match, running from the room out onto the deck, so the eye reads one continuous plane instead of a line where the house stops."
And finally, she suggests marking the change with a level rather than a wall. "A single step is enough to tell you that you have moved from one condition to another, without closing anything off."
If you have more than a couple of footsteps of space, there's always room for some Japanese outdoor furniture to tie the vibe together. A cozy chair to perch on, a side table for your warm cuppa, and a throw to wrap yourself in during those stolen moments of solace.
If you want to open up your home to the outdoors, then a tsuboniwa might be more your style. And don't forget to sign up for the Livingetc newsletter to keep up with more global design ideas.
