Why you need Wabi-Sabi in your life and 10 design applications
Let’s talk about wabi-sabi.
With many people in the world obsessed with the endless pursuit of perfection, wabi-sabi is a breath of fresh air! Wabi-sabi is a Japanese word that doesn’t have a direct translation. In fact over hundreds of years the definition has changed. Loosely translated wabi means quiet, rustic, fresh or simple and sabi means beauty found in age and experience. My favorite definition is:
“Wabi-sabi is the beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete, the antithesis of our classical Western notion of beauty as something perfect, enduring, and monumental.”
Because it does not have a real translation, people have written whole books on what it is, we are just scratching at the surface here, people! To me, wabi-sabi is authenticity and acceptance of things as they are. It is rooted in nature and is all about appreciating the beauty of the passing of time.
Wabi-sabi is a part of the Japanese culture which helps frame their beautiful aesthetic and is a wonderful design principal that everyday humans, like you and I, can use. A great example of this is the Japanese art form called Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired using a gold lacquer to bring the pieces together, highlighting and even, accenting the cracks. The result is a beautiful piece of pottery with gold veins, reminding us that just because something is broken it does not need to be tossed away. Instead it can be celebrated, re-used and looked at in a different light. Isn’t this deep? Who thought you would have been so enlightened just by reading this blog today?
Kintsugi Bowl (available here)
If you have ever visited an incredibly old house, probably with large overgrown shrubs, towering trees, creaky floors, metal that has patina-ed to reveal beautiful coppers and greens – that is wabi-sabi!
If you have ever fallen in love with an old, worn, soft leather couch complete with scratches and stains but it just feels so rich and delicious that is totally wabi-sabi!
It is that homey feeling and collected aesthetic that is unequivocal. It does wonders when incorporated in design and anyone can and should do it! Who wouldn’t want their house to feel like a home, peaceful and a part of nature? Yes, please! A general outline to help you when thinking about design in this way is seeing if you can relate your space back to nature - wabi-sabi is all about being connected to nature.
Here are a few steps to help you bring Wabi-Sabi into your home or workspace:
1. Natural Light - note: this is not harsh light. If the sun is too bright, perhaps a light linen curtain will help diffuse it. If your family room has too harsh of lighting at night, try floor lamps with a soft shade instead of harsh, shadow producing overhead lights.
Diffused light softens a room. Curtains available here.
2. Earth Tone Colors - Greens, blues, taupes, greys, tans… you get the picture. Wabi-sabi is all about connecting to nature and color can help set the tone.
Earth tones at UTC Palisades. Photo by Society House.
3. Natural and imperfect materials - Wood floors, tables, furniture, extra credit for live-edge wood pieces. Note: this is not the “shabby chic” look where something is intentionally made to look distressed. Wabi-Sabi insists that nature takes its course! Stone, leather and linens are also other great natural materials.
4. Embrace the weird and funky! - It helps make your home unique and gives you opportunities to reduce waste and reuse what is existing. Just go with what you got and be creative in how you celebrate it.
5. Simplify, simplify - Wabi-sabi is a less-is-more approach and minimalism is its friend. Wabi-sabi looks out for minimalism making sure people don’t call it cold and uninviting. Instead everything in a wabi-sabi design is there for a reason, sentimental or utilitarian alike. Clutter is a “no-no” for wabi-sabi.
6. Celebrate collected pieces that mean something to you – this doesn’t mean to fill your house with more. Instead, display your beautiful hand glazed ceramic pots with open shelving and give them space to breathe - don’t squish too many things on them.
7. Embrace the passing of time and let nature take its course - The patina of copper, warm, old, leather couches and even overgrown plants add to this aesthetic.
8. Balance your home with nature – remember, we are always circling back to nature! You can add potted plants indoors and place plants or greenery outside your window to feel connected with nature.
Plants creep in the house providing a connection back to nature. Source.
9. Use candles for soft lighting and a welcoming fragrance. - Check, easy!
Candles… they smell good and providing soft lighting! (Candle available here).
10. Lastly, be authentic to yourself! - Wabi-sabi is not about being trendy, it is about listening to your inner aesthetic and what you truly like. If you put a bunch of stuff in your house that you didn’t like I don’t think you would walk in feeling at peace and at home! Listen to your heart.
Old growth Olive trees. Landscape Architecture by Andrea Cochran. Source.
I would love to hear how you plan to bring wabi-sabi to your life! Let me know!
