Iki: The Japanese Aesthetic of Refinement
The iki aesthetic is one of the most worldly of the Japanese aesthetic ideals — less a quality of nature than a quality of…
Category: Japanese Design
Joinery · minimalism · ma 間
Shibui: Understated Japanese Beauty Explained
Shibui describes a particular kind of beauty in Japanese aesthetics: quiet, understated, refined and unforced. A shibui object or space does not announce itself.…
Wabi-Sabi: The Japanese Aesthetic Explained
Wabi sabi is the Japanese aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection, impermanence and the quiet character that age and use leave behind. It values…
Ma: Negative Space in Japanese Design Explained
In ma japanese design, the empty space is not a leftover; it is the thing being designed. Ma (間) is the Japanese sense of…
The Japanese Futon Explained: Bedding That Folds Away
The japanese futon is the traditional bedding of the Japanese home: a set of padded mats and quilts laid directly on the tatami floor…
Kotatsu: The Heated Japanese Table Explained
The kotatsu is the low table with a heat source beneath it and a quilt tucked between the tabletop and the frame, under which…
Irori: The Japanese Sunken Hearth Explained
The irori is the sunken open hearth set into the floor at the centre of the traditional Japanese farmhouse. A square pit lined with…
Sudare: Japanese Bamboo Blinds Explained
The sudare is the hanging screen of fine bamboo or reed slats, bound together with thread, that shades a Japanese veranda or window through…
Noren: Japanese Fabric Dividers Explained
The noren is the short fabric curtain that hangs in a doorway and parts down the middle as you pass through. You see it…
Byobu: Japanese Folding Screens Explained
Byobu are the freestanding folding screens that have shaped Japanese interiors for centuries, dividing space, blocking draughts, and carrying some of the country’s greatest…
Ranma: Japanese Transom Panels Explained
Ranma are the decorative transom panels set in the space above sliding doors and partitions in a Japanese room, between the top of the…
Shoin-zukuri Architecture Explained Clearly
Shoin zukuri is the residential building style that shaped the formal Japanese room as we know it today. Emerging among the warrior class and…