Decorating in the Japanese Style

When considering a Japanese interior design scheme it will be very helpful for you to stay mindful of how far Eastern design ideas and culture is from Japenese interiors western world.

Balance in the universe is the essence of everything Japanese and this truly expressed in decorating of interior spaces and Japanese garden designs. In this article we will be discussing use of color, texture and focal points which are a marked departure from other decorating styles in this series. Keep your thought process openly Eastern and you are sure to find reward in the tastefulness of Japanese tradition.

Japanese Interiors as a Different Way of Looking at Colors

Black and whites interior design are not considered colors in our customary view but, throughout the Orient they are important color elements. The black interior decorator is put to distinctive use defining form and aligning structural geometry.

Consider that the most widely used interior colors are off whites and neutrals that take their cue from nature. Black doesn’t clash, it defines, and is seldom used to make a statement. It works in harmony. Think of opaque white rice paper room dividers with polished black wooden frames, a thought where calmness rules.

When choosing color, don’t let it to stand in the way of the architecture of the room. Neutrals will help you imply an orderliness which you will soon discover, should be, will need to be, an underlying objective of your entire Japanese decorating plan.

When vivid color is put to use, resist the urge to apply it in multiples. Primary colors are used to stand out and stand alone on a single object or architectural feature chosen to be a focal point.

Western thinking would have us stand back and decide “if it looks good there then lets put some more of it here” but doing so.

Red lacquer on a single bamboo post or column is a strong statement. Repeating the japanese themed decor around the room loses potency.

Continuing the Japanese search for balance

As with color, selecting materials of strongly contrasting finish and texture is not a contradiction to your goal of achieving tranquility, balance and order. Keep thinking yin and yang, the widely known Buddhist doctrine of balancing opposites.

Long grained cedar wood matched with a perfectly crafted, shinning lacquered box. Floors of engineered bamboo hardwood surrounding a single large slab of quarry-stone. Wicker furnishings topped off with silky smooth cushions. Strive for simplicity. Nothing complex.

A heavily textured, natural fiber mat centered and stretched taunt and inlayed into as opposed to onto a smoothly finished, similar tone wall is transformed into a finishing material. This is not simply a hung accent as we might traditionally consider such an item but, rather an integral part of the search for balancing contrasts.

There Cannot Be Peacefulness Where Clutter Is Present

The underlying design feature of a room or series of rooms is dictated by the Japanese fixation on simplicity and approach to japanese design flowing interior. Furniture placement and display follows prescribed rules of fluidity.Our tendency to decorating a room japanese, is to arrange on it’s perimeter, creating traffic patterns chris crossing-crossing the center. In contrast, Japanese design establishes a focal point toward the center with little obstructing free visual flow and physical movement about the perimeter.

The central theme can be furniture grouping unmistakably arranged for facilitating conversation, a simple pebble dry garden, an open fireplace, or perhaps a shrine. Always, keep in mind that serenity cannot be achieved where their is clutter. Keep the lines and appointments of these focal points cleanly defined.

Rather than something to stick things up on, or rest things against, or push furnishings close to, your walls have now become an element in the overall scheme. Allow them to be clear for movement and transitory traffic but consider an alcove to display an important collectable piece in a key location, or a place for a single, impact art work.

Asian Interior Decorating, Less is more

Japanese furnishing overload is definitely out of the question. Don’t be afraid to allow for lots of open space if the area you are decorating in the Japanese style happens to be large. Should your space be confined, rejoice in the fact a huge investment in furnishings isn’t mandatory. Many items are and should be multi-functional. A futon is a good example. Rolled up and set on end the futon is a decorative piece which might be flipped down on edge for seating or a foot-rest, then find itself rolled out as an exercise mat. Should you be inclined that same futon can be a great place when an afternoon nap is in order.

Quality is key to all your selections. Concentrate your search on the appeal and evidence of fine workmanship, like in the Imari Japenese Porcelain. If budget is limited, enforce that limit on quantities not quality and your project will pull together nicely.

Come to understand minimalism and learn your personal lesson how less really can mean more. Read more about Asian interior design ideas here… and how some japanese hotels use this for their interrior design.

Centuries in the making; a lengthy future awaits

There is nothing new about a Japan interior room design features. It has been slowly and tastefully evolving over the centuries. There have been improvements in the materials and processes but the basics have been graciously preserved.

As our world becomes increasingly chaotic, the place of peace and order which Japanese decoration creates inside the home will do nothing but grow in importance. Long term investment does have application here.