Design Style: Japanese Inspired Interiors

If you’ve ever been attracted to the clean lines of modern and minimalistic qualities of decor and interiors, most likely that inspiration stemmed from traditional Japanese interiors.  The Zen-like qualities of space, open floor plans, natural materials, and nature inspired neutral color palettes are Eastern civilization qualities of Japanese interiors in which we love our interiors to be infused with these same aesthetics. If you’re trying to bring Japanese inspiration into your home, here are tips to bring details into your home, which reflect this influential decor style.

Open spaced floor plans: In Western civilization, the tendency to place furniture closer together and in abundance is the opposite in Eastern civilization. Open spaced floor plans that keep walls to a minimum and embrace views to the exterior are a quality to bring into your home. Japanese interiors embrace nature and views, and having open floor space between furniture and the built environment around your interiors will naturally make your space feel lighter and less weighted down.

Japanese decor to bring authenticity: Bringing in authentic pieces of decor will help you quickly change your interiors into Japanese infused spaces. Consider laying down tatami straw mats on the floor to cover wide floor areas. They are a beautiful backdrop underfoot and double as attractive ways to bring in flooring texture. Shoji screens or translucent fusuma screens are the traditional rice paper screens that can be used to separate areas of a room, or are used for gorgeous backdrops in your interiors. They serve to screen out harsh light and can also be used for window treatments. Bring these decor ideas into your space to transform the lighting and to bring instant Japanese details into your interiors

Natural materials unite with architecture: Japanese interiors embrace natural materials such as bamboo, timber framed carpentry, and dark metals such as iron, and rock are all significant aspects of Japanese interiors. In your home consider bringing these materials into your spaces, such as the kitchen, bathroom, and main living spaces. Bamboo wood floors, accent walls made from flagstone, or river rock, and simple lines in the architecture of your home, can mimic the Japanese aesthetic for your space. Let your furniture mimic these same materials, and keep them low to the ground. Furniture that is minimalistic, simple, and has strong horizontals aspects are common for Japanese interiors.

Connection to nature: From Japanese gardens in your outdoor home to wide expansive uses of glass that have minimal mullions to interrupt the view, Japanese inspired interiors have a connection with nature. Whether the connection is physical or is only visual, the ability to open up your home with sliding glass doors, wall doors, or butt-glazed glazing to unite one space with another, consider using these details in your home. Also use greenery, rocks, fountains, and other nature amenities in your home to bring the connection into each space. Whether it’s man-made or truly natural, Japanese inspired homes have a connection to make humans feel one with nature.

Less is more, is the motto for Japanese inspired interiors, and minimalism and natural colors and materials fits your home seamlessly. If your personal decorative style is for a connection with nature, low maintenance interiors, and relaxing surfaces, the Japanese design style is for your home. Try using these tips in your home to see which ideas you’d like to adopt to transform your home into an Eastern civilization oasis.

Freshome readers what qualities of Japanese design style have you infused into your home?

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