Sōan or hiroma — which tea room suits you?

A two-mat universe or an eight-mat guest room? How to choose by working back from how you'll use it.

Tea rooms divide broadly into 'sōan' and 'hiroma.' Neither is better or worse — you choose by how you'll use it.

A sōan is a small two-to-four-mat room. You enter by ducking through the nijiri-guchi crawl door — a space for quiet, focused encounter. It suits rich time for one to a few people.

A hiroma is six to eight mats. With a tokonoma alcove, you display seasonal utensils and welcome guests. If you host people often, a hiroma is easier to use.

If you're unsure, think about 'how many times a year, and with how many people' you'll use it. That is the surest yardstick for choosing a style.