Pure zen
It’s easy to create a striking and soulful Japanese ambience in your home. Start by storing away clutter, whitewashing the walls and dimming the lights, says Jane Drew
1. Mood
Simplicity, harmony and balance are the key concepts when designing a Japanese-style interior. If you already have white walls, the canvas is laid to maximise light and layer on plenty of all-natural colour and texture. For an out-and-out minimalist, there is no safer route to understated 21st Century urban chic.
2. Layout
Traditionally, Japanese homes were built without walls, so the look works as well in one-room studios as it does in large apartments. Use screens and sliding panels as room dividers, and keep furniture to the bare minimum. Tidiness is essential in this type of scheme, so fit streamlined wall-to-wall storage and cut out any hint of clutter.
3. Accessories
Minimal accessorising will bring the scheme to life, remembering less is more. Focus on a series of visually balanced “still life” arrangements that create a sense of calm. Group black and white pebbles with a simple candle, or place a Japanese clay tea set on a side table where it will draw the eye.
4. Flooring
Like everything about the look, Japanese-style flooring is clean and simple. Wood or tile floors are laid bare, with perhaps a tatami runner or square in place to soften the effect. In a bathroom, plain-grey slate tiles underfoot and on the walls will help create the calming zen-like ambience of your favourite spa.
5. Colour
Japanese interiors are big on beige, as they tend to be wood-based with natural and neutral soft furnishings. Purists stick to non-colours – white and black – to create a little contrast, but a splash or two of bright, luscious colour fits the bill providing it is kept to a minimum.
6. Fabric
Though understated, a Japanese interior should be sublimely touchy feely. Upholster furniture in deliciously textured fabrics, layering in multiple neutral hues. The fabrics need to coordinate colour wise but they also need to vary in texture. If this type of effect seems too bland, consider using a couple of jewel-like Japanese-print cushions to inject a little pattern into a room.
7. Lighting
The Japanese-style room comes into its own at night when plain white tee-lights, dotted across every available surface, give off just the right amount of light. Burn aromatherapy candles and joss sticks to make it a truly sensory experience, and make sure every light fixture is fitted on a dimmer.
8. Windows
Anything lavish or billowy won’t work in this type of scheme, so you can make an important dollar saving and cut out the curtains. Roman or roller blinds in hessian or cotton are typical of Japanese interiors, as they conform to the clean-lined, fuss-free aesthetic.
9. Furniture
Low-rise furniture is characteristic of the style for beds, tables and chairs – think of yourself sitting cross-legged on cushions as you eat, and sleeping inches from the floor on a futon bed. Don’t start hacking off the furniture legs, but if you can, buy one low-slung piece and use it to make a statement.
10. Artwork
You can use artwork to spice things up. Vibrant Japanese watercolours stand out beautifully against plain, whitewashed walls or, for something a little different, you can frame up a brilliantly hued kimono and hang it above the sofa. In an exclusively neutral scheme, stick to conventional black-and-white calligraphy scrolls
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