Wabi-sabi

A catchall term for a 16^th century Japanese discipline that combines the notions of wabi (things that are simple or humble) and sabi (things that gain beauty from age).

Wabi-sabi in the home, according to Lawrence [The Japanese Art of Imperfect Beauty, by Robyn Griggs Lawrence], is “flea markets, not warehouse stores; aged wood, not Pergo; rice paper, not glass.  It celebrates cracks and crevices and all the other marks that time, weather and loving use leave behind.”  Although at first glance it may seem a bit shabby chic, a style that cultivates a worn patina, it differs in philosophy, asking that we “set aside our judgments and our longing for perfection” and concentrate instead on “the beauty of things as they are.”  It celebrates the tiny flaws that make everything—your mismatched kitchen chairs, a worn teapot or the coffee table the kids have battered—unique and individual. But while it embraces imperfection, wabi definitely does not mean sloppy.  Like many other design philosophies, wabi-sabi emphasizes decluttering your environment.  Lawrence recommends that you allow only three items on each surface and that you “just say no to refrigerator magnets.”

Other ways to make your home more wabi-sabi:

• Whenever possible, choose handmade items over manufactured ones. Wabi-sabi encompasses admiration of the rustic and unique.
• Introduce asymmetry to your room. Symmetry or strong, harsh lines are a no-no in wabi-sabi because they represent perfection.  Fluid lines reflect wabi-sabi’s embrace of nature’s unpredictability.
• Add some earthy reds, browns and greens to your decor.  Autumnal colors best express wabi-sabi’s celebration of nature.  Choose naturally pigmented paints over chemically induced colors when possible.
• Welcome the old.  With textiles, age and wear add valuable character.  Faded (but clean and mended) fabrics bring wabi-sabi energy to any space.