Traditional Japanese floor mats define the proportions of this house in Niigata, designed by Tokmoto Architectures Room as a strict grid of squares (+ slideshow). Tatami mats have been commonly used ...

Not long ago, tatami (thick mats made of a core of rice straw and a covering of woven soft-rush, called igusa) were the flooring material of choice for any room except the kitchen in a Japanese house.

If you imagine a Japanese room, chances are you think of something like the picture above: a simply furnished room with sliding "shoji" doors, a "tokonoma" with a hanging scroll, and a tatami mat ...