Tuesday, 06 February 2018

The interior design principle of 2018: Wabi-sabi

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This year’s interior design trend principle comes from traditional Japanese philosophy and will help many of us that are struggling with our society’s constant need for perfection and novelty!

Wabi-sabi can be loosely defined as cherishing life’s imperfection and impermanence, accepting its natural cycle of growth and decay. Wabi-sabi wants us to focus on the beauty of nature and the earth, and take notice that, despite not being linear, symmetrical or resistant to time, it is unsurpassable. This Buddhist-derived philosophy is grounded in simplicity and authenticity.

This means wabi-sabi is not really a designing trend, but rather a guiding principle for our entire lives. How can we use it when it comes to designing and decorating our home? Here are a six helpful tips!

  • Create interiors that mix antique pieces and used furniture alongside the new. Cracks, marks and imperfections should no longer be sources of embarrassment, but rather the signs of a properly used and loved item. Think of the beauty of your grandparent’s wooden table with all its marks, scuffs and memories! 
  • Look for unique and handmade items that match you and your personality, rather than choosing mass-manufactured homogeneous items. Each one of us is different, so why should our homes be pulled from catalogues printed in the millions?

Credits: Armelle Habib – Casier Kali Cavanagh; Elle France  

 

  • Appreciate nature and use as many quality, natural materials as possible, think wood, stone, terracotta and granite. Not only do they look great, but they will also age gracefully with you and your home.
  • Let nature be your color palette. From forest greens to stone greys to sky blues, you have no shortage of choice when making your home homage to your favorite natural scenes. Sorry no neon allowed! :) 

 Credits: Sergey Makhno  

 

  • Keep it simple and get rid of unnecessary clutter – our daily lives will already provide more than enough mess for your home without us artificially inserting more! Ask yourself if an item is functional or beautiful, or maybe both. If the answer is no, it shouldn’t be there! 
  • Don’t always seek symmetry and style your home using odd numbered items too!

Hopefully we have helped you understand this 700 year-new principle and you can get started in making your home more wabi-sabi! Don’t worry about getting it perfect! :)

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1 comment

  • Comment Link Lane Kinnear Thursday, 21 June 2018 posted by Lane Kinnear

    We started working with homeowners on tweaking their interior decorating before we list the property and it's made a huge difference in sale price. Our real estate agents have been looking to learn more about interior design so this is ideal. Do you have any advice on how to incorporate this design for those just learning about interiors?

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