Browse our Chinese Korean and Japanese furniture by room of use

While winter is definitely not my favorite season, experiencing it has brought about new delights for me. While my first experience of winter was by no means extreme as it was in Japan, sometimes it would be a challenge to keep warm because not many houses use central heating. Most houses in urban Japan are usually smaller than average, so individual space heaters or room heaters are usually the norm.

There is a particular type of heater however that made my Japanese winter experience very memorable. It is a traditional space heater called a kotatsu. While kotatsu are traditionally Japanese, there are similar devices in other countries such as the Persian korsi.

Today kotatsu consist of a low table with an electric heater hidden underneath its surface. Inserted underneath the tabletop and above the heater is a comforter-like blanket (futon). This blanket traps the heat coming from the heater so that the interior acts like a convection oven

Toronto got its first sake brewery last spring. In fact it's the first sake brewery in eastern North America. The Ontario Spring Water Sake Company has a retail store and tasting bar in the Distillery District open to the public where novices and connoisseurs alike can enjoy fresh unpasteurized sake brewed locally using spring water from northern Ontario. The water source is an important part of the sake making process: it helps create sake's delicate taste, and rigid restrictions are placed on the concentrations of chemical substances in water that can be used for sake. Water used in sake brewing tends to be groundwater and that's what makes Ontario Spring Water Sake Company so special, Ontario's abundant sources of spring water gives these brews a particularly fresh and delightful flavour.

Image 1 and 2 via Ontario Spring Water Sake Company

A member of the brewing society of Japan, the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company, brews "Junmai" (pure rice)

Greg Laciak is Greentea Design's lead designer. When Greg's not helping clients plan their dream kitchen he's often in the showroom giving it that quintessential Greentea vibe. With an unmatched eye for what's beautiful and how it all fits together, The Design Tree is delighted to have Greg as a guest contributor. This month in celebration of the holidays, Greg lends the showroom some festive magic.

Taking inspiration from traditional Japanese country houses (while adding in other Asian elements), I decided to celebrate the season with this whimsical showroom display.

Caption: Actual Korean floors (Marus) are used as platforms to feature our contemporary take on the traditional Hibachi. Hanging above is the much commented on Jizai hook, fish and kettle.

Caption: An antique kimchi pot holds our "Holiday Tree" The floor lamps are from Cherry Tree Design and the paper lanterns on the tree are often used at festivals in North East Asia.

I created this stunning displaying using a striking Martha Stewart color

Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

One of the shops in Takeshita-doori Street, Harajuku's main road (original image)

For most people Halloween is definitely about the dressing up. I have had some friends who spent almost an entire month in advance preparing their costumes before the Halloween weekend to get it just right, ordering wigs, painting clothes, and finding just the right shade of eyeshadow to really tie it all in. In other parts of the world, however, dressing up isn't just reserved for Halloween.

The fashion scene in Tokyo is known for both its diversity and uniqueness – it's probably the only city with such extreme variation in fashion subculture all happening at the same time and in the same place. In this metropolis the term "anything goes" is literally taken to an extreme.

Image from Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery

One place in particular in Tokyo has recently gained lots of attention thanks to the likes of musicians and celebrities like Gwen

Via famillesummerbelle, this is the artist's paper cut creation for a recent art exhibition and fundraiser to support rescue and rebuilding efforts in Japan.

Papercutting is an art that's got quite the history, one that's evolved uniquely in places all over the world. From jian zhi in China and kirigami in Japan, to papel picado in Mexico and the Jewish art form that dates back to the middle ages, the art is imbued with its geographical and cultural roots.

There's been a renaissance of late too. Artists and artisans are breathing new life in this tradition perhaps as a response to the increasing digitization of our world. Take a look at these creations.

Tiny But Mighty

Helen Musselwhite papercut terrariums via Oh So Beautiful Paper

I am always in awe of how paper can be transformed. From the ideas and worlds in books to the art created through folds and