At the crossroads of Japanese spirituality and interior design, wabi-sabi invites us to slow down. What is the secret of this philosophy? And how can you adopt this minimalist and warm style in your own home? Find out everything you need to know about the art of imperfect perfection.
What if we learned to let go once and for all? After Danish hygge or lagom dear to the Swedes, get to know the Japanese wabi-sabi. More than a philosophy, wabi-sabi is a state of mind that invites us to be content with little, to (finally) appreciate imperfections, to honor craftsmanship and ancestral know-how, but not only that. In decoration, wabi-sabi appreciates interiors that can easily be described as “nature-painting”. Far from those, sometimes too perfect, that we see in magazines or on Instagram.
What is Japanese wabi-sabi?
Straight from Japan, the wabi-sabi is a way of life that celebrates the art of imperfect perfection. Between simplicity, conviviality and spontaneity, it encourages us to seek beauty in the unexpected. Etymologically speaking, it was born from the association of two Japanese words: wabi which means simplicity, humility and living in harmony with nature and sabia reference to the passage of time, the transience, the beauty and authenticity of age.
The wabi-sabi style
Easily assimilated, wrongly, to the aesthetic of the dilapidated, messy or sloppy, wabi-sabi is much more than that. It celebrates the beauty of the natural. Perfection is not of this world and attachment to objects, to material things, is vain. So we could summarize the style wabi-sabiderived from Zen Buddhism. This concept is based on authenticity and the patina of time on the one hand, and simplicity and minimalism, even emptiness, on the other. With wabi-sabi, we are content with little, we purify our interior to return to the essentials with objects and furniture that are both useful, practical and simply beautiful.
Wabi-sabi in decoration
More concretely, how can you honor wabi-sabi at home? Modesty in the face of the beauty and authenticity of nature is essential: raw wood and stone are almost left in their own juice. The dominant colors are light and neutral, evoking natural elements. As for the objects, imperfect, ideally made in an artisanal manner, they are marked by wear: patina, cracks and shocks are all symbols of the durability of a few rare products which cross generations and endure over time.
The book to know everything about wabi-sabi
To go further, we cannot recommend the book of wabi-sabi, or the art of imperfect perfection. So well written by Julie Pointer Adams, former artistic director of Kinfolk magazine, this work is a veritable bible of wabi-sabi. Throughout the pages, the author and photographer distills the very essence of this art of living which invites us to pay subtle attention to beings and things. Enough to approach wabi-sabi in a natural and relaxed way. How to receive by creating a welcoming and joyful environment? How can you make your home a haven of peace by using sustainable materials and making room for nature in your decoration? But also how to cook wabi-sabi with recipes that are as simple as they are delicious? All these questions and many others are on the agenda of this accessible and beneficial work. Enough to (finally) stop being self-conscious and free ourselves from the dictates inherent to the consumer society in which we live.
