Japanese Decor

The essence of Japanese decor is the minimalist approach and clean lines used in design. Japanese decor reflects the Zen philosophy, and is so calm and soothing, you become meditative almost with out trying. Walls are of a solid, pale, neutral color, and are sparsely decorated. Floors are often bamboo wood covered in Tatami mats.

Furniture is elegantly simple and is devoted to clean lines. Platform beds and futon mattresses are common. Kotatsu dining room tables are very low to the floor, as one sits on mats and cushions to dine or drink tea. These are usually made of a dark hardwood.

Japanese design is influenced by the lack of space one struggles with on a densely populated island. Homes are smaller than in places like America and Australia, where people could spread out. One way of dividing a room without making it feel claustrophobic, is to use Shoji screens. These are usually 3 paneled and free standing, and white rice paper or a similarly translucent but not transparent membranes are stretched over wood frames. The Shoji screen may have a design painted on it, such as a branch of a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. The Shoji design is also employed in the design of lamp shades and window covers. This creates a soft, glowing, and diffused light in the room, another pleasant characteristic in Japanese decor.

Iron vessels, like tea pots, and iron bells compliment the many bamboo accessories used in Japanese decor. Raku glazed pottery is traditional and distinctive for display items. Origami is the art of paper folding, and the Japanese have perfected it. Origami cranes hung as a mobile make a very attractive decor accent, especially when made of traditional Japanese printed paper.

Ukiyoe is the traditional Japanese wood block printing art, and is featured in framed pictures hung on the wall. Noren silk screen art is used to cover windows and doors, or as a wall hanging. Noren are usually split down the middle to allow one to pass through doorways, and the design is continuous on both hanging panels.

Japanese fabrics often feature dark back grounds with a lighter design printed on them, and the designs range from geometric to very curvilinear with nature motifs.

Nature is ordered according to spiritual symbology in Japanese decor. Floral arrangements (indoors) and gardens, are designed to represent harmony between different planes of existence, and to help the inhabitants to meditate on their souls' journey. The use of stone and water feature prominently in gardens, and steeply arched bridges over ponds and streams lead to wooden gazebos with tiered roofs. The ordered quality of Japanese decor and garden design compliments rather than conflicts with nature. This is contrasted to the English way of creating order, which removes gardens from nature by shaping bushes into blocks and triangles. Japanese landscaping, and the windows that frame it, simply strive to represent an idealized form of the chaos, rather than beat it into submission.