Clean. Balanced. Zen.
These are the words that best describe and sum up a typical Japanese home.
Japan has always been one of the top countries most travelers want to visit. It is no doubt that the country’s scenery and the Japanese people’s way of living are worth seeing and emulating. Their ancient tradition still transcends even up to this day and many are adopting their balanced lifestyle of simplicity and harmony. The Japanese culture, style, and aesthetic have immensely influenced designers and creative thinkers not just in Asia but all over the world.
The Japanese style is far different from other Asian interior and architectural styles. It’s heavily based on basic furniture shapes, symmetry in elements, and open space—all evident in a Japanese styled house. Not to mention that there’s a juxtaposition of serene and modern features while maintaining the minimalistic designs of both exterior and interior aspects. This provides so much comfort and tranquility to any homeowner.
There are a lot of Japanese styled home ideas to take inspiration from to achieve an enveloping peaceful simplicity in our lives. Here are some ideas that are sure to bring a zen ambiance into your home.
1. Incorporate Natural Design Elements
Inspired by the Japanese traditional Zen philosophy, the inner essential quality of this philosophy comes out from the organic flow and the poignant relationship of nature with architecture. This widely trending aesthetic keeps a strong bond between your home and the natural world. The use of natural elements such as wood and bamboos are common in most Japanese houses.
Putting some greenery indoors will give a sense of Japan ambiance. Bonsais and bamboos are the typical plants used to ornament homes but a similar Japanese style can still be achieved with other ornamental plants.
Just beware of putting colorful florals as they’re not commonly seen inside a Japanese home. Simplicity is the key.
2. Infuse ‘Less Is More’ Principle In Bathrooms
Make the bathroom cozy and inviting by infusing the ‘less is more’ concept into your bathrooms. The Japanese-styled bathroom is the best place to rejuvenate, revitalize, and relax. Choosing the right elements for your bathroom and incorporating them is the key that helps in achieving the soothing and calming sensation.
Considering minimalism in your interior design will pave the way for a more spacious, simple, yet elegant-looking bathroom. Keep the walls plain or neutral in color. Install vinyl planks or porcelain tiles on your floors. To soothe your eyes, maintain a common color and theme for your fixtures and cabinetry. Organize your bath essentials accordingly in their respective cabinets—shampoo bottles, soaps, lotions, clothing, bathrobes, and luxury white cotton towel, among other things.
3. Use Minimalist Furniture
Minimalism is a common design principle implemented in Japanese homes for centuries already. However, minimalism once again made waves when Marie Kondo exposed ways on how to declutter, highlighting the importance of living with only the most essential things.
This applies in choosing furniture with multiple functions as it saves space. It’s essential that every piece of furniture has a useful function; everything must be arranged properly in a specific space.
To adopt an authentic Japanese styled home, furniture must be minimal and not over-the-top. You may use a mix of modern and traditional furniture types such as chabudai (tables with short legs) and byobu (folding screens) while keeping a clean and simple aesthetic.
4. Make Way For Open Spaces and Natural Lighting
Natural light is one of the key elements to achieve a Japanese-styled home. As minimalism takes precedence in the overall concept, it’s important to eliminate design elements that make the space look cluttered. You can do this by allowing the white color to dominate the area, making the natural light bounce and reflect.
There are perfect ways to brighten up your home, such as putting large and wide windows and having skylights. These bring serenity to the interior space, prompting your home’s oneness with nature outside.
Avoid using blinds and thick curtains as they block the natural light from entering your space. It is better to accent the windows with light and see-through curtains to still light up your home brightly while protecting your privacy.
5. Go For A Neutral Color Palette
As mentioned above, to keep tranquility inside your home, less is definitely more. This can be further achieved by using colors that are not eye-popping but relaxing and calming to the eyes.
Color palettes are color combinations in an organized manner that can be placed throughout a space.
Choosing the right color palette such as neutrals and basic colors can keep the natural aesthetic soothingly superior. Japanese-inspired homes typically make use of wood colors, whites, and grays for their palette.
The best way to choose is to look outside and observe nature to get some color inspiration that can be infused into your home. The use of light-colored wallpapers with minimal prints is a great option to accent the walls as well. Also, greens must not be removed from the concept because houseplants can really amp up the style.
6. Add Zen Home Pieces
Meditation. Tea. Yoga. Each of these words speaks of one thing—peace.
Japan has a very sophisticated culture that focuses on finding inner bliss. This idea can be applied to your home by having spaces that give a sense of peace and quiet, perfect for meditation or afternoon tea.
Soft fabrics, zen-inspired wall arts, green plants, tatami cushions, koi fish, and traditional Japanese ceramics are some of the zen pieces that you can add to your home. If you want to shop for these Zen pieces online, you may look for Japanese marketplaces, such as Maple and Moon, which offers nature-inspired home products.
Key Takeaways
Your home must use natural and earthy colors as a way to accommodate nature. Aim to have clean and uncluttered surroundings, too. Features such as bamboos, wood, natural lighting, and water are very evident to the Japanese culture and design; they are the features that are best to be incorporated into your Japanese styled home.
Iskra Banović is our seasoned Editor-in-Chief at BlueFashion. She has been steering the website’s content and editorial direction since 2013. With a rich background in fashion design, Iskra’s expertise spans across fashion, interior design, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and culture.
