Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2011

Courtesy of Bottega Tokyo

The story of how Liezel Strauss met Briony Timmins is a funny one. Strauss, who moved to Tokyo with her husband last May, was taking yet another trip to Ikea because “there were still these little holes in my house that needed to be filled and I didn’t know where else to go.” She spotted a stylishly dressed Timmins giggling with a friend and shamelessly struck up a conversation.

“I just jumped on her!” she recalls, laughing. Within a few minutes, the two Tokyo newcomers had discovered that they had a number of things in common, not least an almost obsessive enthusiasm for interior design. That was last fall. Two months later, they launched their interior design consultancy Bottega Tokyo. Their first mission? To make sure no one would ever have to make desperate, reluctant trips to Ikea or Muji again.

Australian native Timmins (above right) brings ten years of experience working for Sydney boutique design firm Pike Withers. Strauss, originally from Cape Town, offers the perspective of an art consultant and interiors writer who has already set up and taken down homes in London and Hamburg. They share an appreciation for timeless, “soulful” and uncluttered design, and together have combed Tokyo’s diverse neighborhoods for shops and antique markets that peddle such wares.

Bottega Tokyo offers full interior design services, down to the cutlery and linens. The pair are also planning afternoon workshops in basic decorating, color pairing, art selection and green living. Strauss (who decorated her home on an expat budget) and Timmins (who didn’t) say they can take on projects large and small. In just an hour, they’ll walk through your place and offer pointers and shop recommendations to suit your budget and taste.

“Sometimes people don’t know why something looks nice,” says Timmins. “We explain the tools—like, this looks nice because this is balancing this, and this is grouped together well. These are simple things that anyone can do.”

While Tokyo apartments are much maligned for their cramped quarters, views stunted by neighboring buildings, and awkward layouts, Timmins believes the problem of mindset bests them all. “You can make any shell your space,” she says. “When we moved here, our mindset was, ‘This isn’t going to be our home forever,’ but I think that is where a lot of people go wrong. They think, ‘I’ll just rent furniture.’ But even if you know you’re only coming for one year, that’s still one year of your life that this place is going to be your home.”

“I’ve visited a lot of expat homes that just feel very empty,” seconds Strauss. “And I believe that can have a huge impact on your wellbeing.”

Strauss is a big fan of the word “soulful,” which she uses extensively and emphatically. By this she means the sense of warmth and personality that some objects and spaces radiate, while others just don’t. Creating a soulful home, she explains, “means stepping away from brand new angular vanilla furniture.” Color and art are incredibly important, too. “You don’t have to spend hundreds of thousands,” she says. “You can spend two dollars and have something framed, and have a beautiful piece or art.”

Or you can bring the stuff from home that you love, no matter how impractical that may be. For Timmins, that means a bright pink nativity scene that she picked up while traveling through Mexico with her husband a few years ago. Not knowing that her rental agreement would bar her from putting holes in the wall, she also brought a collection of paintings, but even this problem turned out not to be insurmountable. “I just went out to Meguro Dori and found this beautiful old bench with some green metal trim and put my artwork on that,” she says. “You just have to think outside the square.”

For more information see www.bottegatokyo.com.