Heard of Wabi-Sabi? Here's How To Try It In Your Home
Don’t be fooled into thinking Wabi-Sabi interiors are just another fleeting trend categorised by specific design details and accents to invest in or shed. Rather it is—as principal designer and co-founder of renovation firm Allprace homes Shanty Wijaya asserts—“not purely aesthetic” but “a way of life [that] is about recognising, accepting, embracing the imperfectness” of it all. It opts, says Wijaya, “for simplicity and authenticity as a conscious choice”.
Echoing Wijaya’s sentiments, Heju Studio founders Hélène Pinaud and Julien Schwartzmann, whose take on Japanese minimalism has devotees all over Paris, explain that in their view “Wabi-Sabi is more a way of life and a philosophy rather than a style or a trend”.
“It is a state of mind where nature is the main source of inspiration,” the pair continue. “As architects, we therefore choose natural and raw materials (wood, stone, concrete, etc.) over imitations. Consequently, our clients have to accept that these materials carry imperfections, are not all identical and that they will live over time—this patina will only make them more beautiful.”