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How To Create A Zen Oasis In Your Home With Japanese Design
If you’re feeling stressed out and overwhelmed by your lifestyle, then Japanese design might help. The country is famous for having the longest-lived population of any major country in the world, despite the average working person spending an appallingly long amount of time sitting at their desk every week. And that’s why the people who live there have paid so much time and attention to figuring out how to build the perfect living environment.
If you also feel stressed out after a busy day, then this post could help. We take a look at some of the ways you can create a zen oasis in your home and feel at peace with your life and situation.
But just before we start, a word on Japanese design. What is it exactly?
Essentially, it’s all about simplicity and harmony. Japanese designers attempt to evoke natural beauty, helping people feel more at home in the country’s large cities. Interior environments assist with feelings of well-being and mindfulness, allowing people to take their minds off the world.
So, without further ado, how can you create a zen oasis in your home? Let’s take a look at your options.
Declutter
The first step is to declutter your space and get rid of anything that shouldn’t be there. Many people live in messy environments which disturb them mentally and make it hard to concentrate.
By contrast, Japanese design emphasizes and values minimalism, stripping back unnecessary room elements (something it was doing before the movement became popular in the West). You’ll notice that traditional Japanese rooms look sparse, even clutter-free, and, in some cases, incomplete. That’s all a deliberate design choice to provide your unconscious mind with the room it needs to relax.
Choose Natural Materials And Colors
The next step is to choose natural materials and colors that might fit your Japanese interior theme. Make extra use of cotton, wool, linen, and silk – a material that was only available historically from the Far East. These materials add warmth and colors to spaces, making them feel more inviting.
You might also want to consider getting an interior barn door with natural knots in the wood. Sliding doors have been popular in Japanese room design for many decades, and continue to be so.
In terms of colors, you’ll want to stick with gray, beige, white, brown, and black. Japanese interiors don’t often use highlight colors of any kind as these can make rooms feel excessive.
Add Greenery
With that said, you can add natural greenery to zen interiors. Bringing nature inside the home helps to create a connection with the mind of god beyond changing psychology.
Plants also offer practical benefits. These include things like improving your mood and cleaning the air. Some species also emit a delightful perfume that transforms how your spaces smell and make them more inviting.
Various plants suitable for Japanese interiors include:-
Bonsai trees
Orchids
Ferns
Bamboo plants
Succulents
Many of these species are oriental but don’t require much watering or sunlight. You can place them in your kitchen, living room, bedroom, or bathroom.
Add Moving Water Features
Living water features are another essential element of Japanese interior design. Adding moving water creates a sense of freshness and tranquility, while the soothing sound of flowing water immediately puts you at ease.
Adding water features to your interiors is simple and straightforward. For instance, you might want to do things like:-
Installing a fountain
Building a pond at the end of the garden
Adding waterfalls to indoor and outdoor spaces
Including vases or decorative bowls filled with water
How you add water features is entirely up to you. Some systems now come with miniature pumps that recycle existing water through a closed loop, letting you run them all day. Others are solar-powered, running for a few hours before they need to recharge.
Use More Soft Lighting
A final way to create a more zen oasis in your home is to use more soft lighting. Most Western interiors feature dozens of high-intensity spotlights to illuminate the space, but you’ll rarely find this level of lighting in Japanese design. That’s because the purpose is to create a sense of balance. When lighting is too bright, it can be disruptive for people. Harsh lights can strain the eyes.
To introduce gentler lighting in your home, consider using lamps, lanterns, string lights, and recessed lighting. These options create a more diffuse lighting ambiance that looks great whenever you walk into a room. It’s more relaxing and romantic, perfect for couples.
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