Warm up in Japanese style with a warm kotatsu table.

Half of winter is already over, but the onset of warmth is still far away. If you want to create a cozy and warm place in your home and at the same time you are not alien to Japanese aesthetics, try getting a kotatsu - a traditional Japanese table, under which it is so pleasant to warm up with family and friends. What kind of furniture is this, what is its feature and where to find such a table, read below.

The kotatsu design includes a low table frame covered with a thick blanket. A tabletop is placed on top of the blanket, and under the table you get a “hut”, insulated from the cold.

Moreover, a heating element is placed under the table, due to which it is very warm under the kotatsu.

Initially, the function of the heating element was performed by an open hearth in the floor of the room, which was heated with coal. Later, kerosene and gas options appeared and, finally, the most popular due to their safety and lack of odor - electric kotatsu.

Typically, an electric heater is located in the table frame, and all you need to do is plug the table heater into the mains, cover it with a blanket, and place the tabletop on top.

Physical warmth and spiritual unity

Since kotatsu is a Japanese invention, you won't need chairs for it. While warming your feet under the kotatsu, you sit on the floor, on zabuton pillows, any other pillows, or just on the carpet.

You can comfortably dine at the table, work on your laptop, or chat with relatives and friends over a cup of tea.

Of course, only the lower part of the body is warm, but this is enough to warm up and feel the cozy atmosphere of the house.

In addition, our houses have heating in any case, and kotatsu can be used instead of a heater on particularly cold days (in Japan, winters are warm, so you can warm up with kotatsu without heating, but here it’s only an addition).

Due to the kotatsu blanket, it is much more economical than heaters that heat the air throughout the entire apartment - your feet are warm, cozy, and economical.

By the way, in Japan, kotatsu is used not only in homes - there is even a kotatsu train.

In terms of a friendly atmosphere, will you be able to communicate differently with a person while actually sitting under the same blanket with him?

Sitting at the same table and hiding your feet under one warm blanket, family members or friends feel freer and closer to each other.

In addition, if you use a kotatsu alone, you can completely crawl under it and enjoy the warmth and cozy influence of your favorite “hut” from childhood.

And your cat will simply be delighted with the kotatsu.

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Buy or make it yourself

Of course, it’s easier to buy ready-made kotatsu with a removable lid and a heater in the frame. For example, AliExpress has a fairly large selection of kotatsu, and prices start from $94–99.

You can make it yourself, however, you will have to buy a special heater for the kotatsu, which is guaranteed not to start a fire.

You can buy it on Ebay, for example,  this one  or a cheaper model . The table itself can be purchased at IKEA, for example, this coffee table with a shelf.

The heater is screwed to the table top using fasteners, the table is covered with a blanket, and a removable shelf is placed on top of it. You can read more about making a table with your own hands here .

What do you think about Japanese kotatsu heating? 
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