KERRI FUKUI'S STOREFRONT SIMPLICITY
A big part of what we love doing here at our COLLECTIVE is celebrating the unique character of spaces and the people who inhabit them. As the Covid-19 pandemic shook up our content creation world with limited opportunities for accessing the spaces of others, we looked inward for ideas. We’ve continued having really deep conversations (remotely) with each other and our clients about the curiosities and quirks of our spaces now that we’re in them damn near 24/7. What we appreciate about the bones of our buildings, the unique parts of our properties that suit us (or don’t), and long-delayed projects that we finally had time to tackle.
Enter COLLECTIVE Casas, wherein we open the doors wide to the abodes of our team members. From snug historic apartments to sprawling mid-mods, lovers of downtown SLC living and those appreciating some elbow room in the foothills. It’s made us fall in love with and appreciate our Salty City and her environs all over again from the perspective of our own doorsteps.
Our photographer, Kerri Fukui, was the perfect person in said COLLECTIVE to launch this series, with tools at the ready to photograph her own space (check out more via her Instagram @japanese_hair_farmer). With tripod and camera timer at the ready, Kerri captured a typical day in her open, loft-like pad, a former small grocery store in Rose Park. cityhomeCOLLECTIVE founder, Cody Derrick, sat down with Kerri via a video call to dial in on the details of life in the store.
"oh, shit...well, now I guess I'm moving."
Cody Derrick: So, I know a little bit about how you landed in this particular house, because I was there for conversations at your previous place and introduced you to this one. Tell us more about how you landed here.
Kerri Fukui: I feel like it started really early, actually: you have a dream or you start dreaming of where you want to live, or ideas around what you want some day. I always wanted a lofty style space, but it was also really important to me to have a yard and a garden. So, I dreamed that up years ago, but I just kind of pushed the dream away and it got set aside. And then you came along, Cody, at some point--what, eight years ago?--and flash this place in front of me. And then everything is kind of aligned with what I had dreamed up but hadn't really thought about it in years. I saw this place and I was like, “Oh, shit. Well, now I guess I'm moving.”
CD: When you first walk in the house, what is it that makes you say, “Oh, my god, I love my place”?
KF: Initially when I walk in the house, first thing I do is kick off my shoes. I like that I can go from my house into the backyard and be barefoot. But inside, the best part is this house’s simplicity, especially in my favorite spot, the living room. It's got a bunch of windows in the front; it's very bright, very light. That's my alarm clock: I just rely on the light coming in to wake me up. That or my chickens.
CD: Chickens, hell yeah!
KF: Yeah, they like to make a lot of noise in the morning. I just have three: Yolko Ono, Feather Locklear, and Barbra Q Chicken.
CD: So, your previous condo didn’t have a yard, but I know a big draw of this house, for you, was having a good amount of outdoor space to garden.
KF: If I have spare time, the majority of it is spent back there. I’ve got a tiny patch of grass that I just use a little push mower to maintain, and I’ve got five garden boxes, so I can grow quite a bit of food. When people come over, that's where I would prefer to spend the time: in the backyard.
CD: Any unfinished projects?
KF: I’ve got a two-car garage and that’s still a work in progress. Eventually I’d like to get a hammock in the yard, maybe a pergola, and I’ve love to have a soaking tub.
CD: So, what’s a rad day in the life of Kerri Fukui look like?
KF: When I wake up the first thing I do is go out into the living room because the light comes in here in the morning and it's so energizing. That's kind of how I charge for the day. I eat my little smoothie bowl or whatever, and I might do some editing in my home office. And then I break away from that to do some yoga or meditate. Spend some time in the garden and sunbathe -- you gotta get that vitamin D!—and pull some weeds. It's kind of moving back and forth between spaces all day because I don't want the stagnant energy.
"I just feel so at home here, and it's such a comfort; that's what i've been embracing."
CD: How has your house been helping you get through this pandemic?
KF: I’ve really been thinking about that. If I had still been in my condo, it would be a different mental challenge for me because there isn’t that escape of going into the backyard and getting the sunshine. The main room is nice with the big open space because I can roll around on the ground. I’ve got my yoga space, I can do cartwheels, dance, whatever; it's all very open. I just feel so at home here and it's such a comfort; that’s what I’ve been embracing.
CD: You have such a gift for making a home feel homey in your own unique way. How do you choose what things you welcome into your home?
KF: Well, it’s been a process. I do like unique pieces, or pieces that come from friends or family, or someone expressing their talent. All of the art is from friends and a lot of the pieces in the house are from local craftsmen. And furniture from my dad and my brother. You know, we piece things together.
CD: Would you be willing to share some advice for folks who might be trying to have a homier environment or are making their house their own?
KF: Have a dream and then one day it just might come true!
