As irregularities and daily stress make it hard to find peace in these modern times, there’s one thing that promises to offer the needed calmness- a serene abode. But how can you create a haven that not only alleviates stress but also brings a balance to your life?
Thankfully, the Zen principles are proving to be of much relief to homeowners and interior designers. In Japanese, it refers to Mahayana Buddhism, a form of meditative divinity, that focuses more on finding the holy within, rather than praying to the idols and reciting scriptures.
Conceding The Zen Culture Of Japan
Zen Buddhism originated in China and eventually made its way to Japan and Korea. A mixture of Indian Mahayana and Taoism, it gained popularity in the West around the late 20th century. And thereon, it has been improving the lives of many who practice this form of meditation to bring back the balance. Notably, it does not involve any ornaments or additional prayers and rather encourages maintaining simplicity in everything around and within.
The architects and interior designers are to be thanked for incorporating these principles into their designs. This has not only helped create a soothing home but also improved the quality of life for the occupants.
If you’re wondering how to mix the zen principles into your home, but don’t wish to spend a fortune, you need not worry. The following design ideas can simply solve your problem.
So, without any further ado, let’s share with you some of the most commonly employed budget-friendly design ideas that mavens recommend using.
Change The Color Pallete
One of the most inducing senses of Zen principles is creating an ambience that can soothe your mind. Colours come in handy when you think of changing the mood. You can keep the earthy tones, in natural colours that create a sense of being close to nature at all times. For instance, you can choose white, grey, beige, pink, or if you prefer, play with different shades of these colours.
At the same time, you may also need to maintain the chromatic harmony within the room that you are planning to revamp. For instance, when you’re changing the colour of the walls, you should also plan to change the textiles and other furniture in the room, to match the tone of your wall. The colours need not match each other, but they should complement each other. For example, you can paint the walls to light beige or pink beige, and put up furniture in shades of brown or grey.
Put Your Feet On Soft Floors
Soft floorings made out of grass and rice straws can be easily found in traditional Japanese homes and other structures. It not only looks great but also has many health benefits. The reason these soft floorings, known as Tatami Mats, are great is that they aid in maintaining room temperature and humidity. For instance, the floor mats feel cool during summers and insulate the floor against cold during winters. During humid seasons, they are great for absorbing moisture and do not dry out quickly, therefore keeping the atmospheric moisture to a minimum.
You need not place these mats, necessarily. Instead of using Tatami mats, you can install softwood floors or even place other carpeting forms, made out of textile material. Thus, keeping the floor under your feet soft. Along with, helping maintain a pleasant atmosphere in your home.
Natural & Light Fabrics For Purity
Likewise, the fabrics and other textile items in your home should also reflect the natural and simplistic lifestyle that you wish to live. Keep them to neutral colours such as white and blue or beige and pink. At the same time, you need to make sure that there are minimal piques or design elements in the textile.
For instance, curtains, the most significant piece of textile in any home could be made out of cotton, or straw wood, and you can add your choice of embroidery designs to it. You can include birds and flowers, or simple life events such as a playing boy or a girl. Natural curtains not only help keep the noise and drought air out of your house but also help soothe the ambient light. Additionally, if you opt for natural curtains, you can expect them to maintain the room temperature as well.
Low-Profile Furniture Reflects Naiveté
Another feature of zen designs is the type of furniture, which does not involve any ornamentations and is best kept low-profile. Clear lines and natural materials are characteristic of zen-style furniture. Adding the same colour tone to these furniture items can further escalate the mood in your place.
Apart from this, you need to make sure that the furniture you bring in is placed appropriately. For instance, a zen-style low-profile bed is best placed in the centre of your bedroom. Moreover, Vastu and Zen designs lay more focus on balancing the energies. So you can surely feel the difference in your home atmosphere, by positioning your furniture correctly. Picking up the aforementioned example, placing the bed in the centre of the room balances the energy in the room, and also creates a positive vibe all around, especially when you are asleep.
Aromas & Natural Scents To Cheer The Mood
Despite including the pieces that can steer the mood by inducing visible sense, there’s still the atmospheric odour that can disturb your mood. But thankfully, by including incense sticks and aromatic oils in your home, you can cheer up the mood.
Apart from cheering up the mood, natural scents can help soothe your vigorous mood and enjoy a sound sleep. Additionally, you can also expect to wake up more fresh than before. Besides, when you include natural aromas, you choose to get rid of the harmful effects of artificial fragrances. Choose from Lavender oils, tea tree oils and many more options that you deem best for your taste.
Combine Greenery For Freshness
One of the best ways to integrate nature into your place is to bring in the greenery. Simply put, you can install a few indoor plants such as coffee plants, fiddle leaf figs, sweetheart plants and so on. Plant them on the side of your bed or in the living room. Or you can also place them in your bathroom to get the fresh breezes.
Including plants in your interior decor not only improves the health of your space but also adds more natural colour to it. And the sole purpose of Zen principles has been to combine the soul with nature. Green plants can supply your home with fresh oxygen and also absorb harmful indoor pollutants such as oil fumes from cooking. Thereby improving the overall air quality of your home.
Keep Adornments To Minimum
In traditional Japanese homes, there’s no space for any additional ornamentation, and it is done intentionally. Remove all the clutter from your home, minimize the electronic disturbances, and if you need you can include small decoratives such as windchimes and overhead lights.
Keeping the adornments to the minimum means you are avoiding any distractions. For instance, electronic gadgets emit harmful vibrations and radiations that are well known to disrupt mental peace.
To sum it up, the Zen lifestyle accepts the simplistic approach to life and promotes minimizing abstract values. Doing so is the sole purpose of connecting with the divinity. And even if you’re not that spiritual in your thoughts, these design ideas can still benefit you by decluttering the stressful elements of your life. Thus, helping you sustain a happier and fulfilling life.
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