Japanese Interior Design

Traditional Japanese interior design is widely popular and much admired. This uncluttered and minimalist style emphasizes tranquil and airy spaces filled with light. Japanese design tends to be understated and calm, which lends it a serene elegance. Rooms are simply but carefully decorated. Proportion and harmony guide the placement and number of design elements.

Subtlety—a Hallmark of Japanese Design

Japanese interiors are rarely showy, but they do prize quality materials and fine craftsmanship. Designs tend to be practical; form follows function, and sustainable, eco-friendly materials are popular. Translucent shoji paper screens and sliding fusuma doors have regular, simple geometry that provides a backdrop that’s restful to the eye. Fusuma sometimes incorporate painted details as well to add interest.

Materials and textures in a traditional Japanese home tend to be natural and simple, but beautifully finished. Spaces are often used for multiple activities, so screens with wooden frames slide open, allowing spaces to expand or close for privacy. Walls tend not to hold much art or bright color. However, shrines or altars may bring warmth and sparkle into the home.

Soothing color & thoughtful contrasts

Although light colors usually predominate, Japanese interiors usually incorporate a few dark elements to add contrast and ground the space. These might include occasional dark wood or lacquered furnishings, such as chests or tables.

Patterned fabrics created with traditional indigo dyes (aizome) add beautiful pops of dark blue, adding visual interest and variety to often neutral interiors. The indigo tie-dyeing technique called shibori creates exciting geometric patterns that look fantastic in modern minimalist homes.

Care & beauty in everyday things

Slow and deliberate care, elegant simplicity, and contrasts in tone and texture are hallmarks of Japanese culture and style. The preparation and pouring of tea, the plating of food, the angle at which chopsticks are rested on a table or plate—even the simplest motions can show intentionality and respect for ourselves and others.

Clean lines & unfussy furnishings

Rugs and carpets are uncommon in traditional Japanese interior design. Instead, honey-colored tatami floor mats give rooms a light, calm, and open feeling, and are comfortable under the feet. If you want to use floor coverings other than tatami mats in your Japanese-inspired space, several options can work with a Japanese esthetic. Consider low-pile rugs like sisal or berber in neutral tones that won’t draw too much attention.

An emphasis on the horizontal

Japanese people have traditionally spent much time sitting, dining, or sleeping close to the floor. Their furnishings tend to be low, which adds to the sense of horizontality. This keeps Japanese homes on a human scale, which is in keeping with the cultural appreciation for modesty.

Low chabudai tables usually require sitting on legless zaisu floor chairs or floor cushions. While esthetically beautiful, this may be uncomfortable for Westerners not used to sitting so close to the ground. Compromising by using wooden dining tables and chairs with unadorned, simple geometric lines can be a helpful option.

In bedrooms, rectangular flat or slatted wooden headboards or simple platform beds can work well with other Japanese-style furnishings.

In Japan, pillows and floor cushions take the place of the large sofas and armchairs so popular with North Americans. Futons that convert from low sofas to sleeping platforms are not as popular in the U.S. as they were in the 1980s. However, Westerners who want to embrace Japanese style but don’t want to give up familiar comforts should consider low, wood-framed, midcentury modern sofas and chairs. These can coordinate well with other Japanese-inspired furnishings. To learn more about midcentury modern design (which can pair nicely with Japanese style), see my article Midcentury Modern Interior Design.

Diagonals & Curves Add Movement

Stepped tansu chests create practical and beautiful wooden storage. Although not all tansus are stepped, those shaped like half a ziggurat add an element of upward diagonal movement. Upward lines in spaces that tend to emphasize the horizontal can add energy to an otherwise static space. However, while one diagonal focus can bring life to a room, additional diagonals may conflict with the still, relaxed quality Japanese interior design aims to provide.

The swirls and liveliness of Japanese shodō calligraphy art can add energy to angular spaces. Hanging calligraphic works can add a softening element to a room, encouraging the eye to wander. Round paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, or tall cylindrical lamps placed on the floor, also add curves and soft lighting. These elements can make a minimally decorated room feel softer and more comfortable.

Wabi-Sabi—Embracing Beauty in Imperfection

Japanese design emphasizes harmony, order, and balance. However, it also leaves room for the appreciation of natural imperfections, like slubs in handwoven cotton, cracks in wood, or unevenly glazed pottery. The concept of wabi-sabi accepts and even celebrates the flaws that remind us of the individual nature of handmade furnishings.

Unexpected elements and mistakes provide authenticity and interest. Imperfections remind us of the transitory and unfinished nature of life. This memento mori aspect of Japanese arts and culture may seem slightly melancholic. However, reminders of beauty’s impermanence are meant to keep us aware of (and grateful for) the fleeting loveliness of the present moment.

A beautiful example of the embrace and elevation of flaws is the practice of kintsugi, which is the mending of broken pottery by rejoining broken shards with obvious repairs highlighted in gold, silver, or platinum. Kintsugi makes an object’s history evident, and emphasizes rather than hides the item’s fragility and damage.

Gardens & Indoor Plants

Indoor plants in Japanese homes tend to be small to medium-sized, and not overly lush. Contained plants, such as carefully pruned bonsai trees or asymmetrical ikebana floral arrangements, follow tradition.

Home gardens tend toward simplicity and away from clutter and ornamentation. In addition to flowering trees and draping wisteria blossoms, one might find undulating mounds of mosses and delicate maples. Japanese gardens also celebrate inorganic decorative objects from nature. Beautifully shaped stones or rocks may stand alone, or be surrounded by carefully raked sand or gravel. Among plantings, one may find stone lanterns, or a carved stone representation of the Buddha.

A traditional Japanese garden includes such stone elements to provide structure. It also includes water, which gives the garden life, and plants to provide color that varies with the seasons. Larger gardens may include ponds, waterfalls, and tea houses, providing more places for contemplation.

Adding too many objects in the garden may impede the sense of quiet harmony with nature. To add interest to a Japanese garden, consider adding more water elements, plants, or rocks rather than more garden statuary or additional hardscaping. The goal is to help the eye to move gently across the garden, not be distracted by too many individual items that vie for attention.

Straight lines or repeating, evenly spaced plantings are uncommon in a Japanese garden. Elegant asymmetry and gentle undulating curves provide graceful lines that draw the eye along and encourage contemplation. Koi ponds with arching bridges invite visitors to wander through the garden and observe nature in action.

When Japanese Art Goes Bold

Although traditional Japanese interior design emphasizes subtlety, quiet, and contemplation, Japanese popular culture often embraces bold color, energy, and action. You might enjoy both the traditional low-key esthetic as well as modern Japanese zing. A room that focuses on simple elements and colors can really shine when one or two bold elements are added.

Inspiration from pop culture

Perhaps you find anime, manga, and the art of modern Japanese masters of color like Takashi Murakami energizing. You might add a single bold photo, print, or painting inspired by these styles on one wall, a dramatically colorful sculptural element to a table, or some bold pillows in highly saturated colors. Why not take a close-up photo of a figurine of your favorite character, and enlarge the photo enough to make it the star of a feature wall?

Traditional items treated in unexpected ways

You can also use traditional elements in a modern way. A collection of black Japanese lacquerware with gold accents would look fabulous arranged in a large white rectangular or clear acrylic tray and placed on a low wooden or black lacquered coffee table. (Just arrange them in odd numbers of objects—traditionally, Japanese consider even numbers to be bad luck.) Or drape an obi (the long rectangular sash used to tie a kimono, often made of silk brocade fabric) across and over the sides of a wide table, or hang it on a tall, slender wall to pull the eye upward.

Japandi: A Japanese & Scandinavian hybrid

Japanese and Scandinavian (Scandi) designs have a lot in common. The popular Japandi interior design style takes Nordic and Japanese interior design elements and creates a harmonious hybrid that feels minimalist but cozy. As with Japanese style, Japandi style focuses on creating rooms that are functional, purposeful, and yet still aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. To learn more about Japandi style, take a look at my article, Japandi Interior Design.

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This traditional Japanese tea room features a harmonious variety of medium brown, cream, and black elements. It includes many textures and geometric patterns in the tatami mats and shoji screen. This lovely interior space opens onto a welcoming garden with a glorious Japanese maple | S. Tsuchiya for Unsplash