We all live busy and hectic lives. Rarely do we find any time for peaceful relaxation and mental rest. We are always on the go. The unhealthy state of living our current lifestyles have to offer are going to hamper us greatly in the near future? We desperately need a solution to this increasing grievance. The answer lies in designing your home interiors in Zen Style.
The word ‘Zen’ has Japanese roots. It means ‘meditation’. The Zen style of designing is a proponent of stability, concord and respite. There are no written rules for such a style of designing, though there are a few well-known and widely adopted principles.
The base of the Zen Style lies in minimalism and transparency. The Zen style, more than materials and positions, is about home layouts and ambience. Such a style of designing homes would lead to a unperturbed lifestyle free from hassle and damaging environs.
The Japanese Touch!
Yes, of course, the Zen style is all about Japanese style of recreating comfy and positive environs in your house. Elements from Japanese interiors can be adopted. Floor cushions for low seating, soaking tubs in bathrooms, Japanese style sliding doors or screens, usage of wood and bamboo or other organic materials and incorporation of open spaces are all such Japanese elements of amazing design.
Zen Style Lighting
Lighting – whether natural or artificial – is an important ingredient to a positive Zen design. Refrain from using harsh, too vibrant lights for your home. Light should be calming and soothing to the senses. Either you should go for designs that cleverly incorporate the softness of daylight or go for unruffled lamps and candles for your rooms.
Keep away from strong lights that shine severely from the ceiling downwards. The intensity of the light matters a lot in creating a soothing ambience for you and your family. You could choose to go for floor lighting, wall installations, lamps and indirect lighting systems.
Zen Style Furniture
Furniture in the Zen Style of decor features effortless lines and geometry. Zen style focuses on high quality organic material without ornate elements or embellishment. The furniture, apart from its usual functions, also means to provide warmth and respite to users. Furniture might be customised to suit the rest of the furnishings.
Upholstery and leather are recommended for components they go well with. As decorations are kept to a minimum, you could play with subtle colours and size, for example in the laying of cushions. Armchairs and other such vintage pieces are a great inclusion to Zen Style.
The Zen Color Palette
The colour palette of a Zen Style Interior should be one that is all about softness and warmth. The colour scheme should involve whites and beiges, greys and pinks, and soothing tones of peach and orange. It is very important to avoid stark contrasts or the use of too much vibrancy.
There should be a special chromatic concord between all the colours you use for the interiors; all the elements – walls, floor, furniture and furnishings – should be in perfect synchronization. In case you really want to introduce some variation, do that by using different shades and tones of the same colour, or by coalescing two or more similar colours.
Go for Light Fabrics
Just like the furniture, organic, light and cosy fabrics are a must for Zen style homes. Curtains are a very important ingredient to this style – with the dual benefits of their free flowing beauty and functionality of noise reduction and preventing penetration of hot currents. Curtains also tend to endow the user with a feel of comfortable seclusion within, and are an ultimate choice of playing up with the decor.
Natural fabric is the go to option, to be matched with the rest of the decor in terms of appearance and feel. You could also choose to have blinds for the fenestrations. These lend an all-new look and come in a wide variety of options like vertical, roman, roller, Venetian and so on.
Indoor Landscaping - Zen Style
Plants are an all-important constituent of the Zen house. Plants recreate your home ambience into a greener healthier one, while at the same time emanating aromas and enriching the aesthetics. A popular element of Japanese landscape is the Bonsai, which you could include in your Zen home too.
Besides the Bonsai, what you could go for is to have windows act like frames to capture some really beautiful garden landscape. Japanese windows are about framing beautiful landscape elements to make it all look like framed scenery out of some painting.
– Sakshi Singh
