If there is one room in your apartment that should feel and look like the stillness of Zen, it is definitely your bedroom. Because every city dweller’s lifestyle can get very stressful, it is important to have that sense of serene simplicity into your personal space so you go home to a relaxing atmosphere and wake up well-rested every single day. To embrace that clean and uncluttered vibe in your bedroom, Japanese interior design is the best option.
Tips for Japanese Style Interior Design: Bedroom
To really experience the tranquility of Japanese design, every design decision should be based on the values of balance, order, minimalism, and love for nature and natural beauty. This being said, in a Japanese-inspired bedroom, you should expect to have only necessary furniture made with natural wood, vintage materials, bamboo sliding doors, a mix of wooden, glass and metal elements, and of course the bedroom ceiling is either square or rectangular-shaped.
Before buying all sorts of Zen pieces, know that the right way to design your bedroom is to start from the floor and then gradually move up. To cover the floor, the ideal material to use is Matatami or Tatami Mats. These kinds of mats are made of rice straw. They are comfortable to walk on even without any shoes on. If, in case, you would not want to cover the entire bedroom floor with tatami, then just lay a small tatami mat right in front of your bed.
The next thing to do is to choose functional furniture that has low legs. A Japanese-themed bedroom should be designed as low as possible. The bed ought to have bamboo details. You can even go as far as choosing a high-quality mattress right on the floor and place a simple lacquered chest of drawers next to it. All pieces of furniture should be there because it meets your functional needs to avoid cluttering the space. Excess is intolerable when it comes to Japanese style design.
When it comes to lighting, the Japanese are all about open spaces and lots of natural light. So, it is best to have large windows or glass walls. This makes your bedroom feel airy and spacious, too. As to decorations for your room, choose pieces that are made of bamboo, rice paper, and wood. You can add silk pillows on the bed and chairs. Silk curtains can be used for your bedroom windows. For authenticity, use rice paper lanterns that hang from the ceiling. Hang some nice pictures of cherry blossoms if you would like some pops of color.
If you stay true to tradition, a Japanese Style bedroom features neutral earthy tones. This means your color palette should be made up of cream, brown, black, and beige. These colors are great for your bedroom walls. If you want to brighten things up with some accent colors, choose orange, blue, green, or red. You can incorporate these colors through decorative pieces, paintings, linens, and pillows.
Other Essential Tips for a Japanese-Inspired Bedroom
Now that you have covered the basics you can go a little bit more Japanese with these inspiring ideas.
1. Use Shoji screens as doors, windows or as a room divider. These screens are made of translucent paper over a wooden frame that is held together with a lattice of bamboo or wood. These screens are used to separate areas in the house. They are also placed in front of windows for privacy or to have lesser light.
2. Choose a word that is meaningful to you and have this written by hand in Japanese on a piece of silk or a piece of paper, and then have it installed in a black frame. Choose the perfect spot and hang it on the wall. This is not only impressive, but it is a reminder of what that word means to you.
3. Incorporate grey-tones of stone on your floors and furniture as a tribute to the Japanese culture’s love for natural elements. You can even use wooden shelving, flooring and wall panels. Aside from that, do not forget to add touches of green. Add as many houseplants as you want in your bedroom.
4. In your bedroom, look for a small space that you can use for Zen meditation. Here, you can read your book, meditate, have tea or do your yoga exercises. Once you have decided on that Zen meditation space, lay a floor cushion on it and add a water feature. As you hear and see water trickling down during your quiet moments, you will instantly feel more relaxed. Play some spa music, light up your scented candles or oil diffusers and voila! You are as serene as a sunset.
Trivia
Did you know that there is a Japanese technique for stress reduction? Yes, there is, it is called “Reiki”. To know more about reiki, visit LIFEARTS in Missouri, TX. They offer Reiki Session, aromatherapy, yoga and tai chi.