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Photo Credit: Amazon.com Simple Home: Calm Spaces for Comfortable Living by Mark Bailey |
In some Zen home decor examples, the closets and bedroom doors are so seamless that you won’t find a doorknob. Seamlessness does create a sense of unified interior design. However, this may not work if you are a renter like me. As a homeowner, you can cut into the drywall and create niches to display a Japanese vase.
As a renter, you can still apply home decorating Asian influences without using a saw. Find home decorating pics here from ModLoft. Disclosure: I have not been paid to promote any blog, product, brand or philosophy.
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Photo Credit: Amazon.com Zen Interiors by Vinny Lee |
How can you make this happen if your apartment’s architectural details include white Victorian moulding and vintage tulip-shaped sconces? Vinny Lee’s Zen Interiors was the first book I read on Zen home decor.
Three easy ways to harmonize your home decorating with Japanese style:
1. Add living plants.
2. Display natural materials.
3. Play up symmetry.
If you have Victorian decor that is fixed, this may not be incompatible with Japanese home decor.
Victorians mixed Turkish decor and French furniture with Chinese art. Select home decor accessories featuring a single bird. Restraint makes Zen home decor simple and beautiful. To read more about simplicity in Zen home decor, take a look at Remodelista’s recommendations.
You can do low-key Chinoiserie to acknowledge the floral motifs that are already built-into your home. For instance, you can lean towards subtle home accessories without clashing with the exuberant Victorian details. You can use rich embroidered panels as wall art from Vietnamese or Thai fabrics. You aren’t limited to borrowing only from Japanese or Chinese culture. See HGTV for a before and after Zen Bedroom Makeover.
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Photo Credit: SmartyGirlHome Bonsai |
If you use natural materials such as rattan, jute, or rivergrass for storage you can minimize “visual clutter”. Adding a bonsai in your small bedroom is a good way to incorporate Asian design.
If you have cafe latte painted walls like me, select home accessories that have a warm tone such as caramel or sand rather than cool colors such as silver or gray. The Victorian floral references can work in harmony with zen home decor because the style brings nature indoors. Chinoiserie Chic chooses a winner of a red and white couch that demonstrates this look for Spring.
To create a restful sleeping area, avoid adding more patterns. Consider discreet, unobtrusive furnishings in neutral colors. Place personal items into uniform decorative storage boxes with lids. This way your small bedroom can be transformed quickly into a guest bedroom without having to sweep knick knacks into a drawer.
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Photo Credit: SmartyGirlHome Indonesian Fiber Storage Boxes |
A room without visual clutter will also help you rest better during the work week. To illustrate, all professional development books will be placed inside these lidded boxes so you will not be tempted to read when you are supposed to be sleeping.
If you want to add another layer of Zen tranquility, plug in a white noise machine in your bedroom. As an alternative, you can switch on a table top fountain or play a bubbling brook recording while you doze.
Treat Yourself to a Tranquil Bedroom This Spring!
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