Japanese Home Decor
Using Japanese home decor can entail a full home makeover, with architectural features and landscaping reminiscent of Japanese tradition. It can also be as simple as hiding clutter and adding a few splashes of color and Japanese accessories. The look blends well with other decorating styles and can add harmony and calm to the home. Does this Spark an idea?
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Types
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When most people think of Japanese style, they may think of pagodas and temples, or they may think of the sleek, design-smart look of a contemporary apartment in a Tokyo high-rise. One of the more popular Japanese home-decor styles draws from the Zen Buddhist tradition. The emphasis is on minimalism, clean lines, low furniture and soothing earth tones. The Japanese farmhouse style is brighter and features exposed wooden beams, rough wooden floors, folk art, big windows, vintage fabrics and lanterns. The Japanese modern look is perfect for small spaces and lofts. It maintains simplicity but adds splashes of wasabi green, black lacquer or brilliant red.
Features
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Most Japanese home-decor interiors reflect the philosophy of "sabi," a Japanese term meaning elegant simplicity. This style can be achieved by using minimal ornamentation, geometric order and a balance of seemingly opposing features as embodied in the concept of yin/yang. Try placing a textured tatami mat on a smooth wooden floor, using a tall vase to hold a single blossom filling a wide black container with small white pebbles or using a simple white candle inside an ornate lantern to create this effect.
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Considerations
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Japanese home decor blends beautifully with a home done in a pan-Asian theme. Consider integrating a carved coffee table from Indonesia, a Chinese hand-painted parasol, an Indian lantern or Korean or Tibetan wall art into a Japanese interior. You can see this design approach in action at major import stores such as Cost Plus, Pier 1, Pottery Barn or Bombay Company. Look at the spaces created by Greentea Design (see "Additional Resources," below) for an idea of how to achieve Asian fusion in the home.
Significance
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Japanese home decor is at once beautiful and simple. Many Japanese designers believe that empty space is as significant as occupied space in a home interior. Lidded baskets or geometric containers can be tucked away to hide personal possessions. Translucent paper screens and sliding walls and doors make spaces flow and adapt to various purposes. Furniture is lightweight and can typically be stacked, stored or shifted to change a room's ambiance.
Garden
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In Japanese decor, the outdoor world is not separate from the indoor world. Curtains should be of sheer materials and blinds should have openings to allow nature inside. Likewise, the garden is a place for contemplation. Architectural features such as pagodas, gates, shoji doors, trellises and platforms adorned with tatami mats give people many angles for viewing the landscape.
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