Japanese style in the interior in a modern interpretation. Japanese style in the interior
Japan is a truly unique country, in all aspects. A stable opinion has long been formed about it, as a fabulous and incredibly beautiful place, thanks to a special lifestyle, a centuries-old historical path, the unique beauty of landscapes and philosophy. The latest technologies, rapid economic development, a combination of conservatism and modernity deserve respect and become an example to follow.
Europeans, in their development, borrowed only a small part from Japanese culture, for example, some martial arts, anime, minimalist traditions, etc. In this article, we will focus on the minimalist traditions of Japan in interior design. So, then the site site experts will tell you how to create a Japanese-style interior with your own hands.
Features of the Japanese style in the interior
It is clear that there are no accidental phenomena and everything is natural and logical, especially among such practical and rational Japanese. The formation of a system of values, life, occurs under the influence of external factors.One of the factors characteristic of Japan was the landscape and climatic conditions. The increased seismicity of the zone necessitated the creation of high-quality buildings that will be able to survive the earthquake. Hence the minimalism in the interior, and the Japanese themselves are not too accepting when the interior is too cluttered, since the main thing for them is the spiritual component: peace, tranquility and meditation. The Japanese have a special worldview, as well as, along with this, a sense of beauty.
The next factor was the lack of space and high population density. This created a need to find the optimal organization of living space. The Japanese are not demanding on the size of the room, but on the contrary, they are content in small apartments.
How to create a Japanese-style interior with your own hands?
What is the beauty and essence of the interior, which is decorated in the original Japanese style? The three fundamental principles of the Japanese attitude are: naturalness, practicality and comfort. Japanese-style interior design involves the actual and visual expansion of the available space. This effect can be achieved using several techniques, which we will discuss below.
Tips for creating a Japanese style in the interior
- If the apartment or house has a simple layout of the correct geometric shape, you can paint the walls of the rooms in warm colors, such as beige, cream, milky, etc. If you are so lucky that a beautiful view opens from the window, then you can make part of the wall in the shape of a window. This will create a visual effect of a smooth transition from the internal environment to the external environment.
- In the Japanese interior, the usual division into rooms for Europeans is not welcome. This style was replaced by the principle of dividing the total area into functional components - zones. The role of walls can be portable or sliding structures, covered with cloths made of fabric or paper. It can also be screens painted with exotic patterns. Sliding doors, as well as the placement of functional areas at different levels, will become a more acceptable and modern option.
- The colors used in the interior are also important: white, black and red. They can also be slightly diluted with pastel colors. Colors, and especially sakura patterns, are ideal for creating this style in any room of the apartment.
- The overriding principle is in no case to overload the space with furniture. Of the furniture, only everything you need is installed. This is a closet, up to the ceiling, which will allow you to hide all everyday utensils from prying eyes; low, small sofa; low cabinets and tables. Furniture should be extremely simple, without unnecessary details with clear geometric lines, light shades. Lacquered wood is not welcome.
- Home accessories, such as bedspreads, blankets, should be light, also in pastel colors, always made from natural materials.
- For window curtains, use thin, airy fabrics.
- Another important aspect characteristic of the Japanese style is that it is necessary to avoid obvious vertical lines, pointed corners, objects directed upwards.
- The correct setting of lighting is extremely important at the design stage. The light should be diffused and soft. In no case should bright spotlights, fluorescent lamps, etc. be installed. The shape of the lamps can be completely different.
A mandatory attribute is a tree - bonsai and sakura. As a tribute to Japanese traditions, a collection of small porcelain figurines can be placed on the shelves.
Plots and ornaments are traditional, which are usually placed on fabrics and surfaces of wardrobes. As a rule, these are all kinds of hieroglyphs, butterflies and birds, cherry blossom branches, bamboo shoots, chrysanthemums, irises, etc.
Of course, the presence of hieroglyphs, Japanese symbols and sakura - essentially stylizes the interior of the room in the Japanese style, but the main thing is that there are no frills.
It must always be remembered that when we try to design a particular interior, we create a new world that has a significant impact on us. In a harmonious space, in which everything is filled with lightness and wisdom, the way of thinking also changes.We wish you good luck in your design endeavors.
In the modern world, Japanese style is quite often used in the interior. In this style, not only apartments and houses are decorated, but also cafes, restaurants, hotels and other various premises. This style is quite restrained, it is based on minimalism and harmony. It will perfectly fit into the interior of people who appreciate order, simplicity and love nature. In a house made in this style, there should be an atmosphere of peace and relaxation. The interior should not have frills, as well as personal preferences. The Japanese style in the interior of the apartment should be cozy, conducive to meditation, as well as rest from external fuss.
In order to create an interior in this style, you must be guided by the following principles:
Japanese interior design
Floor
Walls
Wall decoration can be of various materials. It can be light-colored wallpaper or painting. And also the room can have wooden paneling.
ceilings
The ceiling should be a clear geometric shape. Its color can match the color of the walls. Finishing materials different ones can be used:
- wallpaper;
- matte paint;
- hanging panels;
- stretch fabric ceilings.
Japanese style accessories
The Japanese do not like chaos and excesses. However, despite the Japanese minimalism in the interior, the decor should still be present. It is necessary in order to emphasize and make more expressive the interior of a Japanese house. Many accessories can be made by hand.
To decorate the room they use bonsai (small decorative trees), floor vases, Japanese-style paintings depicting hieroglyphs, figurines of gods. Japanese-style vases usually feature cranes or cherry blossoms. Walls can be decorated with samurai swords and large fans. A screen is considered a spectacular element of decor.
Lighting
The interior is characterized by diffused, subdued light. It should pacify, relax and set the owner of the home in a good mood.
For lighting, all kinds of lampshades, lamps, lamps, as well as sconces can be used. They may have a Japanese-style drawing on them.
Textiles in the Japanese interior
Natural fabrics (silk, cotton, linen) are used in interior design. They should be calm, light colors with drawings (hieroglyphs, samurai, sakura, various animals).
Partitions in the interior
In Japan, free space is valued. It is usually used to separate shoji partitions. They are made from rice paper or bamboo. They, unlike walls, are able to withstand various cataclysms, such as an earthquake or tsunami. The Japanese have adapted to making prefabricated structures, which, in case of deformation, can be easily restored or replaced with new ones.
If the apartment has a balcony, it should also be made in the Japanese style.
Furniture in Japanese interior design
A Japanese-style room, whether it is a house or an apartment, should not contain many pieces of furniture. They should be squat, furniture should not have high legs.
Rest zone is an integral part of the living room. For tea drinking there should be a low table surrounded by low chairs or soft pillows. You can also use a low sofa without armrests.
Instead of a bed, use tatami mats, or simply lay the mattress on the floor.
In the kitchen there should be cabinets with closed shelves.
In bathroom a bowl-shaped washbasin is installed, as well as an ofuro bath, which has water heating. They should be separated by screens and curtains.
It is the Japanese style in the interior that is most popular in the territory of the former Soviet Union, when compared with other styles of the Eastern countries. And its peculiarity is in the harmonious combination of all things. Japanese philosophy is palpable, and how close a person is to nature.
For the European population, Japanese beauty is something unusual. It does not, like ours, have numerous family photos, on the shelves of souvenirs from other countries, paintings painted by famous artists. The style is quite ascetic, a lot of space and certain furniture are welcome here, which may seem unusual and even uncomfortable for many Europeans.
Japanese style in interior design. Who is it for?
First of all, it suits those who are fond of Japanese philosophy. After all, if you are imbued with all the morals and clergy of Japanese traditions and customs, you can fall in love with this style, despite its shortcomings.
Also, the style will appeal to those who love nature, naturalness. For those who prefer minimalism, this style will appeal to you.
Japanese style house interior
According to philosophy, there are many different details in it that are completely useless, and even ugly. This is what explains the full rights of minimalism.
How close you are to nature will be expressed in the selected materials for home decoration. Here it is quite appropriate to use light versions of wood, rattan, bamboo, matting.
Japan Style Colors
But the interior of the Japanese-style apartment was created in order to meditate in it, relax and just relax. Do not use bright colors. Matte light shades, beige are most appropriate here. Using dark shades (black, dark cherry, languid brown), you can accentuate interior elements, emphasize lines. An additional color can also be pure white.
Japanese-style interior layout and photo
Here, in principle, walls are completely unacceptable, so the layout should be free. In such interiors, walls are replaced by screens and curtains. The advantage of this method is that, if desired or necessary, you can make this or that room larger or smaller, spending a couple of hours on it.
The only drawback of this layout is the low level of sound isolation.
Choosing furniture
There shouldn't be anything extra here. The space is free to the maximum. So that the interior is not overloaded, you should not choose too much furniture. The most necessary items are a sofa and a bed, chairs, tables. Here, chests of drawers, bedside tables and dressing tables, cabinets will definitely not fit into the decor. Indeed, in this style it is necessary to store in cabinets that are equipped in niches. In addition, keep in mind the fact that when decorating the Japanese style in the interior, you should follow the rules not only in the interior, but also in everyday life! Accordingly, why do you need a large closet if you don’t have too many clothes?! By the way, some people store things right in the chest, which is used as a seat.
As a rule, low furniture is used here, due to which they achieve weightlessness and lightness, filling the room with light and space. As furniture upholstery, it is necessary to choose eco-friendly, natural types of fabrics. Naturally, furniture is also made from natural materials. From the outside, furniture can be decorated by painting it with hieroglyphs.
Light and decor
For peace and relaxation, subdued lighting should be arranged, for which the lampshades of lighting devices are made of rice paper and silk. Such materials help not only to relax the light, but also to make it softer.
Accessories for decorating the interior should not be at all or at the very least. For example, for this you can use various fans, vases, caskets in the style of Japan, netsuke and more.
For a relationship with nature, you can use Japanese ikebana, dwarf bonsai trees.
35 photos of the interior in the Japanese style
Japanese style is not just a beautiful decor and a fashionable design direction, it is a continuation of the philosophical worldview of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. A Japanese-style room represents unity with nature, deep self-knowledge and orderliness in thoughts. If the room is decorated in a restrained Japanese style, there will be no unnecessary things, clutter, or excessive decoration in it.
The interior of the Japanese style is dominated by tranquility, purity and harmony.
The Japanese style fits perfectly into domestic small-sized apartments, because the citizens of the empire are not spoiled by open spaces and are accustomed to harmoniously equipping their lives on modest residential meters.
The Japanese-style interior has a number of distinctive features, thanks to which it is easily recognizable:
- minimalism - the room lacks variegation and a variety of colors, finishing materials, not to mention decorative accessories;
- traditionally, the Japanese are located on the floor - they drink tea, talk, sleep on low futon mattresses, so there can be no high cabinets, tables or huge sofas in the room, there is only the necessary minimum of furniture in the room;
- hidden niches or transforming furniture are provided for storing things;
- the geometry of the room changes due to light partitions or folding screens;
- finishing materials are exclusively natural, no plastic.
Important! Do not confuse and mix Chinese and Japanese interiors with each other - despite the apparent similarity for a European, these design trends are very different.
How to choose the right colors
It does not matter which room is decorated in the Japanese style, in any case, the colors must be chosen correctly. The palette is dominated by neutral light shades:
- cream;
- lactic;
- beige;
- pearl;
- pale yellow;
- grey.
As contrasting tones are used:
- black;
- pink;
- dark brown;
- cherry;
- sometimes red and green.
This color scheme creates a feeling of calmness, serenity, makes the room space more voluminous and lighter.
Finishing materials for walls, ceiling and floor
The design of a Japanese-style room does not require complex, time-consuming and expensive surface finishing work, as well as the purchase of expensive finishing materials. To create a peaceful mood, as a wall covering are used:
- painting on a plastered surface;
- wallpaper made of bamboo or paper;
- combined option - painted walls are partially covered with rectangular wooden panels, large-mesh grating or symmetrically arranged slats;
- pasting with rice panels;
Combined wall decoration looks good in modern Japanese-style rooms
- delimiting the space, one wall of the room or part of it can be lined with stone mosaics or natural stone tiles;
- one wall can be highlighted with a painting that repeats traditional Japanese motifs - hieroglyphs, chrysanthemums, Fujiyama, plot drawings;
- an emphasis on one wall can be made using photo wallpapers with natural or plant images (thickets of bamboo, snow-covered mountains).
One of the walls can be decorated with a themed pattern.
A Japanese-style room (you can see a photo of the most beautiful rooms in the article) always seems more spacious than it actually is. The reason is that the walls and wooden inserts are made light, which visually increases the area.
An important element of the Japanese interior is partitions and screens, for many centuries in the Land of the Rising Sun they learned how to make them in different ways:
- A design called “fusuma” is thin wooden slats that are covered with rice paper or thin cloth, and a pattern is applied to them for decoration. Such a screen folds easily, saving space.
- "Shoji" is the name of the sliding partition. The frame is wooden or bamboo planks covered with paper.
Modern partitions are made of chipboard, MDF, wood, even plastic imitating wood, decorating with frosted or transparent tinted glass inserts. With the help of screens and partitions, the room is divided into recreation and work areas, reduced or enlarged, combined with a kitchen or hallway.
The ceiling in a Japanese-style room is never pretentious or structurally complex. Designers advise using one of the following options for finishing the ceiling:
- a simple stretch ceiling that repeats the tone of the wall covering;
- built from drywall without complex elements in the form of square panels;
- ceiling modules.
A great design method that allows you to simultaneously install the necessary lighting is to make a false ceiling by embedding wooden square frames with backlighting.
For flooring, only natural materials are used, most often wooden or bamboo boards or laminate. The color of the floor can be either dark, contrasting with the color of the walls, or light, matching the wall covering. In any room, mats or rugs made of materials such as:
- sisal;
- bamboo;
- jute;
- agave.
However, tatami mats are the most popular. They are made from golden straw, the edges are sheathed with ribbons, the life of such a rug is 6-12 months, after which replacement is required. Traditionally, tatami mats are laid on the floor so that they do not fit into each other, without overlapping.
Japanese-style room for a teenage girl
Children's rooms are often decorated in the Japanese style, as it provides a safe living space for the child, creates an environment conducive to the development of creativity and looks original.
In the decoration of the room, only natural materials are used, the basic colors are cream, beige, which in the girl's room can be diluted with pink, cherry or blue. Appropriate on the floor in the children's tatami or sisal rugs.
A wall painting will be a good decoration for a child's room, a drawing can depict cherry blossoms or a landscape in a graphic manner.
When choosing furniture for a children's room, you should focus on durable wooden products:
- closet - low, elongated horizontally, or replace it with a dressing room, separating it from the room with screens;
- Desktop;
- instead of a low bed, you can put a special soft futon mattress on the floor, which easily turns into a chair, a place to play, or rolls up and stows away.
You can decorate a Japanese-style room with your own hands, the photos in our article will help in this exciting business. Such work will not require significant material costs and even a teenager can do it, although the help of adults will not hurt:
- a black and white painting in the style of anime or manga, popular Japanese comics is done on a wall that is neutral in color;
- put drawings in the style of anime graffiti on the wall;
- hang interchangeable posters;
- display a collection of characters from your favorite series in a conspicuous place.
Various details will support style unity:
- light low table;
- open bookcase for books and toys;
- a lacquered cabinet or a small chest of drawers for small items under a mirror in a simple frame.
In the room of a teenage girl who is fond of Japanese style, there will be a variety of technical innovations located in a conspicuous place (home theater, music center, game consoles, etc.).
Bedroom in Japanese
The bedroom looks somewhat ascetic, but in this conciseness there is peace and tranquility.
A closet for things should not be too large and bulky, it is better to adapt a part of the room for storing things, turning it into a niche, or build a closet so that it looks like part of the wall.
On a note! A Japanese-style bed is chosen low, on a wooden frame, without intricate decorations, or it is successfully replaced by a mattress placed on a wooden podium, under which you can equip a retractable storage system.
Bedside tables, dressing table should have clear shapes:
- rectangular;
- elongated horizontally;
- without decorative elements;
- from dark or light polished wood.
The head of the bed looks beautiful, decorated with photo wallpapers, black and white pattern or wallpaper that imitates the texture of rice paper, sisal or straw. Windows must be closed with thick sliding cotton curtains. Photos of the interior of the room in the Japanese style will help you choose the design option for the bedroom.
Living room in Japanese style
If you create a Japanese room for real, then you should completely abandon the furniture, replacing sofas with tatami, and slides and chests of drawers with open niches. However, the modern adaptation of the Japanese style looks interesting and allows you to combine interior details, combining the comfortable conditions of Europe and Asia.
In the Japanese-style living room, it is worth abandoning huge sofas and deep armchairs, replacing them with clearly defined low sofas with low legs. The color of the furniture necessarily contrasts with the decoration of the walls, so furniture items can be dark, cherry, black or gray, always plain. Floor soft pillows look authentic and comfortable to use - instead of the usual chairs.
It is necessary to put a low rectangular table on which it is convenient to serve tea. If the living room area allows, then a bonsai or a compact rock garden in a wooden box is placed on a small table, standing separately.
Nuance! One of the features of the Japanese interior is niches.
The main niche - tokonoma - is designed to store the most expensive things, it can be a vase, a calligraphic inscription on a scroll or an ikebana for the season. In other niches, located along the walls, instead of shelves and racks, they keep books, figurines, vases, as well as household appliances.
Miniature bookcases, lacquered chests of drawers and caskets will help to place the necessary things and decorate the interior. However, do not overload the space with an excessive number of accessories, keeping in mind the conciseness of Japanese life. They will help to correctly select furniture items and arrange their various photos. The design of the Japanese-style room is emphasized by sliding curtains made of silk or cotton, lamps with lampshades made of frosted glass or rice paper, carpets made of sisal, straw, jute.
For a person who grew up in traditional European interiors, the Japanese style can initially surprise, even shock - the ultimate minimalism, almost complete absence of furniture, simplicity on the verge of asceticism and a minimum of decor, conciseness and naturalness. The Japanese interior style is impersonal, you will not find many photos of relatives, friends and acquaintances, some trinkets, needlework or souvenirs in it - nothing personal or individual in the interior. Initially, a Japanese-style apartment may seem impersonal, emasculated, but this is only at first glance. Because behind all this, a restrained, strict, ascetic beauty is visible, and the Japanese style itself is filled with philosophical meaning, it is simple and at the same time harmonious, like nature itself. This is a style for those who are alien to vanity, who appreciate reflection and contemplation.
Japanese-style interior features
The Japanese-style interior is a special philosophy, a way to get to know yourself, get closer to nature and dissolve in it. That is why Japanese-style design denies the pretentiousness of the situation, avoids excesses and artificial (non-natural) materials. There are several features that form the Japanese style:
- minimalism is the main and main rule that is observed in everything related to the interior. No unnecessary things, frills - only the necessary things that come in handy in everyday life. Most things are hidden in built-in wardrobes or closed shelves, painted to match the walls - so they are almost indistinguishable. That's why space seems empty, uncluttered
- the power of emptiness - by European standards, the Japanese interior is empty space, with a minimum of furniture. In fact, there is a lot of air here, energy circulates freely, which, according to Japanese tradition, is vital
- color spectrum- no bright, flashy colors. The Japanese style is a cloudless sky, sea foam and withered autumn foliage, cherry blossoms, a full moon and coastal stones. The predominant shades are natural, pastel: beige, milky, pearl, dark brown, sand, cream. Often there are interiors designed in contrasting black and white. Red and green colors are used extremely rarely, and then only in dark or very light shades, not bright, muted
- unity with nature- in a traditional Japanese country house, the landscape is a direct continuation and addition to the interior, which is why the walls facing the terrace are made sliding. When decorating an apartment, the Japanese give exclusive preference to natural, natural materials, using wood instead of stone. Instead of massive walls - light partitions or screens bamboo or rice paper. Flooring- wooden, the same reliable and durable bamboo, on the walls - wooden panels, curtains - exclusively natural, made of linen or silk.
Advice! Indoor plants in the Japanese bedroom - expressive and concise, strict bonsai, graceful orchids, and no huge ficuses or lush palm trees.
- furniture - in the Japanese house there is no special furniture for sleeping or sitting, all these functions are performed by a special mattress- futon. Since all Japanese-style design is designed specifically for a seated person, the simplest idea of Japanese furniture is tables, chairs, sofas and beds, which simply sawed off the legs. All Japanese furniture is low, squat, yet comfortable enough. The Japanese cabinet mimics the walls, the facades are smooth, without decorations, expressive carvings, and the fittings are inconspicuous. All books are put in special chests - tansu, a kind of chest of drawers on wheels. A modern Japanese bed is no longer just a mattress or tatami, in fact, it is familiar to a European bed with headboard, only very low, without legs
- accessories - in the Japanese interior in the background, but they are required, without them the design will be imperfect. There should not be many of them - the Japanese place only one niche on one wall (where they put a vase, box, netsuke, ceramic dishes, fine porcelain) or one picture which is the main focus. According to the Japanese, hanging several paintings on one wall at once is equivalent to listening to several songs at the same time. Mats, bamboo rugs, drawings on silk, decorated with hieroglyphs, can act as decor. bedspreads, Buddha figurines, fans, scrolls with wise sayings, interior dolls
- lighting - not bright, not cutting the eyes. Reminiscent of the moonlight, it is soft, with a rich play of light and shadow, semitones relieve nervousness and stress, immerse you in a trance, and have a relaxing effect. Most often used as lighting fixtures sconce and floor lamps, on the plafonds of which are applied traditional drawings for Japan. Lampshades for lamps (chandeliers) are made of wood, parchment, natural silk, much less often porcelain or glass.
Japanese interior decorating techniques
The interior, designed in Japanese style, is a real design ode to the perfection of simplicity and functionality. In our conditions, it is problematic to recreate an authentic Japanese interior, but some elements can reproduce the main design concepts:
- traditional Japanese style materials and textures: rice paper, cedar, bamboo, maple, wicker vine, painted silk
- traditional attributes - mats, tatami
- a classic Japanese house has no rooms and walls; with the help of curtains, screens and a difference in floor level, it is zoned into functional parts
- glass cabinet doors, countertops and shelves of racks, as if dissolving in the air, do not clutter up the space, leaving it open
Glossy surfaces, minimalism, straight lines and light colors are ideally combined with dark wood furniture fronts.
Related Articles
