An article about the Japanese philosophy of wabi sabi and its relation to Scandinavian design. I have also created a page for it on my articles page here.

«Wabi sabi» is an aesethic world view with roots in Japanese zen philosophy which is based on an intuitive appreciation of fleeting beauty which reflects the irreversible flow of life. It takes as a point of departure two aesthetic senses: wabi and sabi. Naturally it is difficult to translate these ideas perfectly. Wabi is understood normally as natural simplicity and finding a higher beauty in ordinary things which seem at first sight to lack apparent beauty. Sabi is a celebration of the ancient, honourable patina that follows from aging, weathering and frequent use. Taken together wabi sabi attempts to discover a peaceful joy in the full cycle of life, from birth to death and from moments of great honour to others of complete collapse.

Prevailing trends and styles have long praised expressions of perfection, permanence, accuracy and predictability. In contemporary construction many materials are smooth, processed, treated, slim and usually of synthetic origin, and the forms that are made with them are usually precise and regular. In stark contrast to this modernist aesthetic, wabi sabi searches for a reserved and melancholic beauty in the rustic, the imperfect and the decayed, in the impermanence and the imperfection of all things: asymmetry, irregularity, roughness and transience. Nature becomes the basis for the discovery and expression of beauty that arises in the organic: patterns in jade and stone, untreated wood, forms in the branches of trees, waves in water. When things are accepted as they are and we do not attempt all the time to improve or perfect them, there is more time left simply to enjoy their inherent qualities. Imperfection is not something that must be unwillingly tolerated according to this world view, but is rather an unavoidable part of life which should rather be celebrated and become the source of unique expressions.

Design principles inspired by wabi sabi

Wabi sabi has received a masterful expression in Japanese architecture, both interior and exterior. Zen monks, garden artists and masters of the tea ceremony have long been aware of the affect that a well formed room or garden can have on one’s mental state, and they use their sens for wabi sabi to invoke these positive affects in everyday life in a stunning way in tea rooms and the accompanying tea gardens. It should be emphasised that wabi sabi does not have to do with a specific style, but rather a productive aesthetic philosophy which can motivate and inspire the design of rooms, interiors, a house or a garden in its entirety, in addition to all of the elements and objects which we put into these. Some of the most important general design principles in wabi sabi are as follows:

  • Organic materials: A sense of wabi sabi is invoked especially with the use of organic materials with a natural origin: untreated wood, natural stone, clay, straw, paper and cork. Materials which weather and age beautifully with time are also highly valued, such as Corten-steel and wood. All of these materials have in common a certain roughness, simplicity and uniqueness which make them beautiful, despite their irregular and imperfect form and texture.
  • Free forms: Wabi sabi appreciates built forms which invoke the organic forms that can be found everywhere in natural surroundings, especially where there is not forced symmetry or regularity. Forms should be asymmetrical and irregular, at the same time that they seem balanced and elegant.
  • Natural textures and colours: In contrast to modernism’s obsession with pure and uniform materials, an expression for wabi sabi is created most apparently with materials which have their own organic nature. Irregularities and rough surfaces are permitted and emphasised. Colours should be dampened, and preferably come from the materials themselves.
  • Simplicity: Rooms and furniture should only consist of the essential, and not be decorated in any ostentatious way with unnecessary decoration or ornament. Wabi sabi is an expression of the raw and the unrefined.
  • Spatial qualities: Especially in architecture and garden design, wabi sabi can be invoked with the use of space alone. Areas with uniform colours and the lack of unnecessary decoration focuses attention on the experience of the space itself and everything that surrounds it. Accent objects in a space should be chosen intentionally, be few and be given a rich amount of space around themselves.
  • Balance: An expression for wabi sabi attempts to imitate the physical balances that can be observed in nature. There are no regular or uniform forms, and a successful design is balanced in a way which seems natural and effortless.
  • Reservedness: Everything in life is fleeting and impermanent, and to celebrate this fact of existence and direct attention to it wabi sabi invokes the inherent qualities of nature. It is especially important that a designer approaches a space with a personal sense of humility and sincerity. 

Wabi sabi and Scandinavian design - Two distant friends

Nordic architecture and design has at the point of departure much in common with Japanese wabi sabi aesthetics, including an affinity for materials of natural origin (especially extensive use of wood both internally and externally), minimalistic details and an honest, simple expression. The predilection for reserved colours and textures in wabi sabi also fits well with the ideals of Nordic modernism.

Wabi sabi can inspire rooms, houses and gardens with strong roots in Scandinavian traditions and which at the same time introduce qualities that have been less common in Scandinavia, especially free forms and the use of other natural materials than wood in interior environments. The result can be unique spacial qualities and new combinations of materials and forms which give all that live there zen-inspired experiences of inner peace and psychological well being. In recent years there has been increased interest for straw and clay in Scandinavia, especially as a consequence of increased awareness of ecological qualities and the desire to create a healthy interior climate. It can also be noted that simple constructions and materials tend to entail low economic costs, in addition to offering an opportunity to do much of the handiwork oneself to create a personal connection with one’s home.

Wabi sabi praises neither only natural patterns nor only human-created spaces. This philosophy does not entail a pure adoration for the natural. Even though a sense of wabi sabi can arise from standing and regarding natural phenomena, there is usually the need for the artist’s conscious action to give form to the expression and raise awareness for this sense in others. This is to say that humans are an indelible element of an environment that invokes a feeling of wabi sabi.

Everything in the world is in constant change, and nothing lasts forever. Spaces inspired by wabi sabi can raise awareness of this existential state which defines us all the time, but which is easy to forget. In this way inhabits are given an opportunity to become aware of the small positive moments in a hectic modern everyday life. 

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