Japanese interior style is a reflection of brevity, austerity, strict adherence to the rules. Here the clear contours are organically mixed with rounded shapes. Improvisation, mixing with other styles is not allowed.
When creating this design, it is necessary to follow the canonicity of the elements. This is its accessibility – knowing the rules and features of the Japanese style, you can easily create a harmonious interior. At the same time, the characteristic decor brings to the created atmosphere of elegance, lightness and refinement of taste.
The main purpose of the design of the interior in the Japanese style is to create such an environment that would promote the harmony of body and spirit of man, reminiscent of the union with nature.
The arrangement of Japanese interiors always follows the rule of maximum space. The Japanese believe that the accumulation of things, furniture, decorations pollutes the energy of the house. Therefore they choose for their home only the most necessary, preferably multifunctional.
Here prevails the furniture-transformer. It can be deployed and used for different purposes. For example, a coffee table can easily turn into a dining table or a chair-chair. The sofa can become two poufs, between which there is space for a table or nightstand. Shelves for dresses in the closet are slid, lights are folded, instead of massive portieres use blinds. Swinging door designs are replaced by sliding ones.
Features of the Japanese style in the interior
The king of space is rightly recognized it is the Japanese design of the room. Here everything is elegant, beautiful, spacious, but also functional, practical. When creating such interiors follow 10 basic principles:
- A tendency towards minimalism.
- Natural soft lighting.
- Functionality and practicality.
- Laconic interior decoration.
- As much space as possible.
- Naturalness and naturalness.
- Simplicity of shapes and lines. A sense of geometry.
- Low furniture. Arrangement of seating on the floor.
- The prevalence of sliding systems of doors, cabinets, windows.
- Availability of constant ventilation.
For reference! One unusual preference in Japanese philosophy is the use of low furniture and floor seating to be closer to the ground.
The floral character of the Japanese style, pastel soft and warm shades are the only thing that distinguishes it from minimalism. Vegetal designs can be placed on doors, like a panorama or a panel on the wall. The room should have only what will really use the owner or hostess. The excesses are inappropriate here. But the filling of the room with geometric shapes is welcome.
The choice of finishing materials, furniture, decorations and textiles should be approached thoughtfully. Here it is necessary to use only products made of natural materials. All items must be simple in form. Straight lines of contours, absence of curls, monograms, loops and other decorations – this is what is inherent in the Japanese style. Chairs can be without legs at all or they can be replaced with seat cushions.
Here are the most appropriate materials that distinguish the interior direction:
- wood – often used to fill corridors, kitchens;
- stone – great for hallways, kitchen aprons, bathtubs;
- woven tatami mats made of cane (igus) and rice straw – for living rooms, bedrooms and other rooms.
Please note! It is acceptable to resort to the introduction of imitation natural material into the space. But then it must be of high quality and truly reflect the idea.
Of natural wood materials, the following types of wood are suitable:
- beech;
- light birch;
- black ash;
- bamboo;
- cherry;
- dark walnut;
- mahogany.
All Japanese style furniture and all elements of interior furnishings are necessarily used so that they can be easily moved from place to place. Frequent rearrangements for the Japanese are their long-standing habit, developed with the forced saving of space, living in small-sized rooms. This means that one room will serve different purposes.
The form of the furniture has strict lines, the correct geometry. Cubism prevails. Therefore here will be excellent beds-frutons, sofas, poufs, tables of cubic shape. The backs of beds or chairs are ascetic, straight, with no carvings, curves, additional elements. Upholstered furniture upholstery fabric does not contain any excesses. Fabric prints should be simple or repeat images of oriental landscape paintings.
The walls must have small niches. They are made with the help of plasterboard constructions. In the niches do shelves, on which the decor is placed.
Important! Niches rooms in the Japanese style is appropriate to do in those rooms where the area allows you to install a design of plasterboard, not greatly hiding the space.
To the niches of such space can also include cabinets. They should be arranged recessed in the wall or behind a separate partition. Therefore, in rooms made in Japanese design, all cabinets are built in.
In addition to sliding partitions, the best solution is to install a large screen. Its design is also simple – the smooth surface of the frames and a modest plant pattern in the filling. This can be bamboo, a sakura branch, a branch of any other tree, on which sits a lonely bird and other options.
Choosing the color of decoration
Preferred colors in Japanese style interiors:
- beige;
- sandy;
- cream;
- calm yellow;
- white (not dazzling);
- milky;
- muted red;
- burgundy;
- black (especially for lettering, hieroglyphics);
- brown (from dark to light);
- pink is embodied in the colors of sakura;
- natural green – in bamboo.
Pay attention! Japanese style in the interior dictates the main rule – to use no more than 3 basic colors characteristic of the Japanese style direction.
Blue, blue, orange, steel, lilac or purple shades are almost absent in Japanese interiors. If you introduce bright colors, the interior will already be perceived in a classic oriental style. Chinese, Indian and other cultures are mingled with this style.
When decorating the ceiling according to the Japanese style, it is important to keep it simple, austere and concise. For example, when using a stretch ceiling, choose a stretch fabric of soft shades of matte texture.
Please note! Glossy surfaces are excluded here at once. The same applies to mirrors. Maximum that is allowed – the use of opaque glass plates for the ceiling, where is mounted scattering rays of light.
Sources of artificial light are characterized by soft, warm shades of light flow. Blue and bright white color burning lamps are not welcome. Therefore, lamps for space in the Japanese style should be chosen with a glow of the following characteristics:
- flux color – yellow and neutral;
- brightness level – not bright.
The intensity of the light flux shade is measured in Kelvin (K), brightness – in lumens (L, lm, lm). The higher these values, the more intense their physical properties – the shade of light flux and brightness.
Color criteria are easy to select, taking into account the indicators of the device. They are specified in its marking. So, lamps with the usual yellow glow (like incandescent bulbs) will have 2500 Kelvin. LED lamps with a warm white (neutral) glow – 2700-3500 K.
Important: The yellowish hue of the luminous flux of lamps from the point of view of the Japanese is important because it is closer to the sunlight spectrum. You should choose lights with lamps that have a spectrum of 2500 to 2800 Kelvin. If it makes sense to stop at the familiar to the eye LED version, then it is better to choose a lamp with a spectrum of 2700 to 3500 Kelvin.
The brightness of artificial light is also important for a room, arranged in Japanese style. Select for such interiors not bright, but also not dim versions of lamps. It should be something neutral, close to a 100W incandescent lamp. Focus on a brightness of 1200 to 1800 lumens. This is an average brightness. For some interiors, lighting with 75W lamps (900 lumens) is suitable. The luminous flux will be a little dim, but for a floor lamp or bedroom night light is suitable.
Please note! The brightness of the lamp does not affect its power. Today there are such models, which have low power consumption, and brightness is high. To properly equip the Japanese interior, the brightest lamps can be only with medium values. But even if one chooses LED bright lights, the light of which is muted by frosted glass, you can not fear that their power will be costly.
It is better to make the ceiling light if the room is low, dark if the ceiling height is not less than 3 m. The finish can not be monotonous and empty. Beams, crossbars are necessarily present. They are mounted in compliance with the rules of strict geometry. The ceiling must have at least minimal framing. The color of the frames (beams) is always contrasting – dark or light.
If the frames are not suitable to create an idea of lightness and airiness of the interior, then a stretch ceiling of light color is made. It is decorated with a branch of blooming cherry trees.
When finishing the walls Japanese style does not require the use of bright colors, large-scale contrast or abstract photo wallpaper. The walls are made according to the principle of maintaining a harmonious contrast. Most of the area should be given to pastel colors. The surface should be matte. Dark-colored furniture, frames, decor on the background of light walls create the perfect balance for the design of the house in the classic Japanese style.
In addition to color, it is important to pay attention to the texture of the surface of the walls. It can be:
- rattan, wicker cornet;
- pebbles (especially good for bathrooms);
- natural or artificial stone;
- bamboo;
- fine wicker of grass;
- modest monochrome wallpaper with a natural texture, relief pattern.
The color of the niches in the walls exactly matches the color of the walls. But the decor and shelves can be contrasting. For example, the walls are light and the niches in them are the same shade, but the shelves are dark wood and the decor is red, dazzling white or gray.
The choice of decor elements
The use of decor in the Japanese interior style is minimal. It is for this reason that it will always catch the eye. This means that it should be selected carefully.
Important! The main rule of wall decoration is to use only one item of some kind for one wall.
If you look closely at traditional Japanese interiors, you can find frames made of wood filled with monochrome rice paper on the walls. They can be the size of the entire wall, often serving as room dividers. Or they can also form an element of decoration.
Decorating also follows the rule of philosophical design ideas. When covering the floor with mats, you must ensure that their corners do not touch. According to Japanese beliefs, if the corners are put together, it brings bad luck to the house. Rugs are laid in staggered order or in rows. Any way that expresses order will create a perfect Japanese setting.
Textile decoration involves the use of fabrics made of natural threads. Therefore, the Japanese style in the interior is characterized by cotton, linen, suede, leather coverings or textiles. Particularly often used is a burlap or canvas single-colored fabric.
Types of decor:
- floor seat cushions;
- bamboo camboo rugs laid out on the floor;
- wall panels;
- rectangular lattice lanterns;
- netsuke figures;
- large-scale application of hieroglyphics;
- floor lamps made of rice paper;
- clay tea set;
- bonsai tree in a pot;
- sakura in a floor pot;
- exquisite vases;
- engravings;
- fans;
- samurai paraphernalia (daggers, armor, belts);
- caskets;
- ikebana;
- origami products.
Panels can be woven, handmade. The fact that the fabric is handmade, clearly visible in its characteristic texture. It gives the interior naturalness and originality. This is where the ornate contours and elements depicted on the panel are allowed.
Curtains on the windows are also used in the Japanese style of interiors. Only they are not draped in the manner of drapes, and modestly hung in a single strip. Such curtains are also called panel curtains – they create an imitation of a perfectly flat surface, a panel.
Also suitable are roller blinds, blinds with an elegant vegetal or fairy-tale pattern. These products should also be made of natural materials – bamboo, wood, dense rice paper, and burlap. It is not necessary for the shade of curtains to merge with the color of the finish of the walls, ceiling or floor. You can choose darker shades, but in the same or a contrasting color scheme.
Examples of Japanese style interiors
Not all rooms are suitable for the design of the Japanese style. The most successful solution will be to arrange this direction in large rooms, where the free planning is assumed. Studios and large rooms are the most successful option. But there are also examples where the room is small, but its design was beaten in the spirit of Japanese culture.
A side note! Do not forget that the minimum presence of furniture and decor will not create a natural soundproofing. Partitions and screens are excellent at transmitting sounds.
With the help of screen curtains, screens, sliding interior partitions, it is easier to zone the room. For other styles can be characterized by zoning with the help of furniture and lighting. But in Japanese interiors, partitions, screens and blinds cope well with this.
The bedroom
The bedroom is considered a room where laconic filling with furniture or decorations is allowed. Therefore, the design of the room in Japanese style is suitable here. At the appearance of fragile partitions, screens, modest curtains, a minimum of nightstands and chairs, a small low dressing table – these are its main elements.
Pay attention! Often you can find in the space, arranged in the Japanese way, a two-level (or 3-level) horizontal surface. It is present in the construction of a stretch ceiling or arrangement of a sleeping place in a spacious bedroom. The bed in this case on an elevated position.
Kitchen
The practicality of the Japanese style in the interior allows you to arrange a functional and stylish kitchen. Here perfectly suits squat furniture, natural textiles, rolls on the windows, mats on the floors. The dishes should be stored in cabinets. The main thing is not to forget that the Japanese style requires a small number of cabinets, tables, classic chairs. Minimalism will help to save free space.
Pay attention! The facades of kitchen sets are simple, without milling, moldings and other decorations. From a distance hinged cabinets look like drawers, chests or boxes.
Children’s room
A well-appointed Japanese-style children’s room well combines practicality, functionality, cuteness and romanticism. Light colors are comfortable for a child. They can be played with different themes close to Japanese comics, fantasy or cartoons. Especially beautiful look photo wallpaper on children’s Japanese themes. Here follow all the same rules: low furniture, a minimum of decoration, functional furniture and keeping the minimalist Japanese style.
Living Room
For dining rooms or living rooms you can already choose different shades – from light to dark options. The rule of contrast techniques must be taken into account. Even if the interior is planned in dark tones, it is easy to diversify it with red decorative elements. Freedom of space is the main thing in the Japanese style living room. Therefore, we choose only low furniture, cubic and simple shape. Do not overload the room with unnecessary – leaving only the most necessary.
Bathroom
Designing the bathroom design, you can use stone, ceramics and bamboo. The main thing is to carefully select the patterns and harmonics of the color palette. Here are suitable details such as: simple candleholders with candles, floor lanterns, a washbasin made of stone, a pair of miniature vases. A well-designed Japanese style in the interior should create a Buddhist tranquility.
Hallway
The room should be functional. The lighting is dim. No matter what the size of the room, let the doors better be sliding. Hallways convincingly look in the Japanese style, if the ceiling will be framed bars, thin beams of dark color. The canvas between them is light. Floor or wall paper lanterns, engravings on the walls and a huge fan are a must. A closet or hanger here should also be arranged with a sliding panel that closes.
Conclusion
The peculiarity of the Japanese style is to emphasize fragility, elegance, orderliness, the correct forms of geometry. Therefore, this choice is suitable for those people who like everything in the spirit of Japanese philosophy. Couches, sofas, coffee tables, sofas, beds, chairs – all need to be low. Who have small children, rooms in Japanese design will seem impractical. But fans of pastel colors, light and free space, the idea to make repairs in the Japanese way will seem ideal.