WABI-SABI

INTERIOR DESIGN

There’s beauty even in imperfections, and that’s what wabi-sabi means. The concept of wabi-sabi finds its roots in old Japanese traditions. It embodies the true spirit of Japanese design, lifestyle, philosophy, art, culture, and personal feelings, all in one. 

If you visit Japan, you’ll notice that the people and the culture appreciate the innate beauty of animate and inanimate objects – from broken crockery to molding furniture, and misty landscapes to distorted reflections of nature on the water.

In this respect, the idea of wabi-sabi involves the understanding that each thing on this planet, whether living or not, ages with grace, and becomes more beautiful as it breaks, fades, or scars. It is the understanding that old and worn-out things have their own elegant charm.

Shadows of leaves cast on a white wall with two clay pots on a wooden surface.

ORIGIN OF THE

WABI-SABI

AESTHETIC

While wabi-sabi is a Japanese philosophy, it comes from traditional Chinese Zen Buddhist culture. Some can even trace the origin of its story back to a 16th-century Japanese legend that involved Sen no Rikyu, the monk that played a hand in theorizing tea ceremonies.

According to the legend, the monk wanted to learn the ancestral art of tea ceremonies, in the process of which his tea master also asked that he look after the garden. Just before presenting his master with his work, Rikyu shook a cherry tree in the garden, such that its sakura flowers fell to adorn the ground – and this imperfection of the fallen flowers brought so much beauty to its surroundings, that it gave birth to the concept of wabi-sabi.

The ‘enso’ symbol is used to depict the concept, which comprises an unfinished circle created as part of an infinite stroke or motion, typically made using black ink.

Modern dining room with a white oval table, three wooden chairs with beige cushions, a large floral centerpiece, two white pendant lights, a window with beige curtains, and minimalist decor.
A bedroom corner with a beige upholstered bed, a round side table with a yellow vase, a white book, and dried branches, a textured brown wall behind, a large cone-shaped wall sculpture, and wooden flooring.

CONCEPTS OF WABI-SABI

Modern dining room with a round white table, wooden chairs, and a built-in wall shelf with decorative items. Hanging pendant lights illuminate the space, and a branch decoration is mounted on the wall.

Aesthetic

As a Japanese aesthetic, wabi-sabi has a sharp influence on modern life as it corresponds to the beauty that lies in humility, austerity, and the ephemeralness of life.

Imperfect

According to the Buddhist idea of Dukkha, life is fundamentally painful and unsatisfactory. The symbol for wabi-sabi also depicts life as rusty and lonely. In light of this, the idea behind adopting wabi-sabi is to embrace the imperfections of the things around us.

Objects made using the wabi-sabi aesthetic are therefore asymmetrical and are replete with imperfections. Feel free to use asymmetrical furniture or objects that may be mismatched around the home.

World View

Wabi-sabi adopts the idea that things are imperfect, that nothing is permanent, and that’s the idea one should ideally view the world with.

Transient

The presence of green leaves in your home is enough to boost its overall aesthetic. Try keeping plants on your windowsill, or add to the greenery in your balcony by adding small houseplants like a rubber tree, prayer plant, a fiddle-leaf fig, ficus, or hoya. Indoor trees and indoor plants add to the overall bloom scape and give your home a beautiful, welcoming vibe.

Refined

While wabi-sabi may be born out of imperfections, the aesthetic is not easy to master. Nothing with imperfections can be considered wabi-sabi; the term is used sparingly to describe objects that emit the highest ideal of beauty – in other words, something that can be considered both pleasing and imperfect.

Minimalist hallway in a modern home with wooden shelves on the right, a light-colored wooden floor, and a window with curtains at the end.
Modern kitchen with wooden cabinets, a gray stone backsplash, and a central wooden dining table surrounded by six wooden chairs with black cushions. Six white pendant lights hang above the table, and there are large windows with beige curtains on the side.
A modern interior space featuring a textured beige wall, a wooden door, a large vase with dried plants, a stylish chair with a rounded back and beige cushions, a white textured rug, and a round ribbed gray side table.
Modern minimalist shelving unit with a textured stone wall behind it, holding a glass jar with a branch, a wooden bowl, and small decorative black berries.
Minimalist living room with a wooden console, empty picture frame, small lamp, a few books, a mirror, a beige vase with a branch, and woven baskets, with a wooden coffee table and rug.
Modern living room with a dining area, gray walls, wooden furniture, hanging pendant lights with straw shades, a large plant, and decorative shelves.
Minimalist kitchen and dining area with light wood furniture, hanging woven pendant lights, and neutral color palette.
A minimalist room with a wooden slat wall, a potted plant, a table with cups and a thermos, two wooden chairs, and a large pendant light.
Modern kitchen with concrete pendant lights hanging above a marble countertop, minimal decor, and wooden stools.