The concept of wabi-sabi has characterised Japanese culture for centuries. Applied to modern wall design, wabi-sabi creates interiors that fit perfectly with the idea of slow living and the trend towards greater mindfulness.
The Wabi Sabi Principle
Wabi-sabi celebrates the beauty of simplicity and finds elegance even in the imperfect. Interior design inspired by wabi-sabi principles thus reinterprets the idea of luxury in interior design: the focus does not lie on perfectly coordinated elements. Rather, it is all about being in harmony with the lives of the people who live there.
Indigo Garden wallpaper by Boråstapeter
Scandinavian Wabi-Sabi
Scandinavian manufacturers also follow the ideas of wabi-sabi in many of their designs. The result are wallpapers with a clear, unobtrusive aesthetic that bring peace to body and mind. The walls decorated with them provide a balance to hectic everyday life.
This becomes particularly clear when Scandinavian restraint is combined with Far Eastern motifs: For example, the Indigo Garden wallpaper from Boråstapeter features Japanese landscape painting in subtle colours.
In the Pine pattern from Sandberg, the lighter colours in the room are deliberately subdued. Sandberg´s Wabi Sabi mural draws on the refined simplicity of a Japanese haiku poem: the calm motif consists of a simple circle representing the full moon and a few branches, nothing more.
Wabi-Sabi Colour Shades
Typical for walls designed according to the wabi-sabi principle are calm earthy colours, fine shades of grey, off-white and muted shades of green and blue. They all bring warmth to your interior and create the impression of a larger room.
When we are asked for recommendations for wabi-sabi colour concepts, we like to rely on the well thought-out palettes of our British paint brands such as Little Greene, Farrow & Ball or Designers Guild.
Reduced to the Essence
Another important design principle of wabi-sabi is to reduce the elements used in a room to the most essential. This allows the wallpaper to become the main design idea. The wallpaper can be complemented by the deliberate use of natural materials such as wood, ceramics and linen fabrics. However, wabi-sabi is not about cool minimalism - accessories and furniture may and should have a soul that makes the room radiate a sense of cosiness.
Timeless appeal
The decision for a wall design with high-quality wallpapers in wabi-sabi style is a commitment to sustainability. This is because the timeless look of the design makes sure that the aesthetics of your room will remain valid for many years to come.
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Picture sources: Sandberg, Boråstapeter