Japanese style in interior design is a type of ethnic style in minimalism, which features impeccable color combinations and laconic forms combined with non-standard solutions in design. This can be easily found in abundance natural materials and flower arrangements (ikebans). This should appeal to those who like simple, well-structured spaces with minimal furniture.
You can start designing an apartment by selecting a color scheme. Inspired by nature, the Japanese prefer mostly restrained light shades (milky, light beige and cream). These shades predominate when choosing the color of walls, furniture and fabrics. Please note that all surfaces in the apartment must be smooth. In general, this direction does not require special effort. It is enough just to follow the correct color scheme and adhere to minimalism when choosing furniture. Room design in Japanese style assumes:
Lighting in this direction is of particular importance. It can create a peaceful, relaxed atmosphere in the room in the spirit of Zen philosophy. Pay attention to modern ceiling lamps under "Shoji". They are covered with paper, which is a mixture of cellulose and polyester, so they last longer. To create diffuse lighting, you can select desk lamp from bamboo or tatami lamp.
An excellent choice would also be pendant lamps. They are perfect for any space. Initially they were made of copper and consisted of 4-6 sides. Today, such Japanese-style chandeliers and lamps are made from paper, glue and bamboo. They are usually placed in well-lit corridors.
The houses are usually small and located close to each other. The core features of a traditional living space provide privacy, natural light, protection from the elements, and close contact with nature, regardless of the size of the home or its location. Most city dwellers cannot afford houses for every family. The interesting thing is that their apartments contain traditional elements such as a Jacuzzi and a staircase entrance. The interior of the house often involves one room with tatami. Elements of traditional interior design, which have long inspired Western architects, can be found throughout the world.
The right way to design a bedroom is to start with the floors and work your way up. Mat-tatami mats are ideal for covering the floor. Traditional tatami mats are made from rice straw and are very comfortable to walk on without shoes. If there is no tatami to cover the entire floor, simply lay a small tatami mat in front of the bed.
Furniture that is used in oriental culture, has low legs. Therefore, a Japanese-style bed for a themed room should be as low as possible to the floor. Complete the bed with bamboo details and place a basic lacquered chest of drawers next to it. Instead of a bed, you can place the mattress directly on the floor.
When choosing furniture, you should remember that all pieces of furniture in the bedroom should satisfy exclusively functional needs. Therefore, do not clutter the space, leave only the essentials. Japanese-style bedroom interior design does not tolerate excess.
Help to decorate the room decorative elements made from natural materials such as bamboo, rice paper or wood. Emphasize the elegance of the bed and chairs with silk pillows. You can also hang silk curtains in the bedroom. Rice paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling will also add authenticity to the room. Choose one or two paintings of nature or cherry blossoms.
Japanese-style kitchen interior design cannot be attributed to a specific mood. A kitchen can be warm and cozy, as well as discreet and spacious. You need to create an attractive and comfortable place to spend time with friends and family.
As for the decor, beautiful little things will make the kitchen interior perfect. Please note the following:
It is worth choosing contrasting furniture, for example, from black lacquered wood. The Japanese prefer elegantly designed furniture with low legs. It might be low Coffee table, and as a place to sit, you can use low ottomans and pillows placed directly on the floor.
<Минимализм в деталях декора и простота форм – визитная карточка этого этнического направления. Поэтому из интерьера гостиной стоит исключить лишние детали, такие как фотографии, картины, статуэтки и современные металлические и стеклянные предметы декора. В гостиной стены обязательно должны быть светлые. Можно приобрести белые или кремовые обои для стен в японском стиле на тканевой или растительной основе.
You can soften the severity and add more coziness with the help of traditional plants (bonsai), inscriptions from hieroglyphs, images of sakura branches, as well as authentic accessories (katana sword). Details such as screens, curtains and curtains for a Japanese-style window with contrasting images will be useful.
The interior of the living room includes flooring using bamboo boards or laminate. This floor will last a long time, it is practical to use, easy to clean and is not afraid of hot objects.
The traditional bathtub for this trend is a deep bowl (ofuro) completely hidden in the floor. It is made from natural wood. Before taking a dip in the bath, you should take a shower, which is located separately. There is also a changing area in the bathroom, separated by a screen or partition. For creating eastern interior in a small bathroom you can apply styling using ceramic tiles and panels. Choose light, calm tones. The main wall can be treated to look like wood or straw. A great addition to a relaxed atmosphere would be diffused spot lighting.
We invite you to take a virtual tour of a beautiful modern house made in Japanese style:
See also some of the cozy interiors on our website:
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Even those who have never been to Japan in their life strive to at least somehow touch its culture, history and customs. Some people are planting a rock garden on their property, and some are even implementing a Japanese-style house project on their property. Although this is quite difficult, because the main features of such structures are minimalism and originality.
This structure is mainly a combination of functions that are expressed in minimalist decor. In this case, the external appearance and interior of the buildings have a fairly clear and at the same time calm, measured and restrained structure. Such a house looks expressive in a specially selected or created environment.
If we talk about how it works japanese house, then a separate feature is noted here.
It consists of using perfect color combinations and at the same time in a concise form:
Rich merchants and moneylenders aged 16-17 showed loyalty to minimalism in the regeneration of the national spirit and the desire to decorate the interior. Largely thanks to this, that same ethnic Japanese style is formed.
As already mentioned, Japanese style does not tolerate excesses. Thanks to the use of a minimum set of interior elements, the equipment of the premises allows you to install only the most necessary furniture.
Features and Specifications:
The fact that it is difficult to find a wooden house in Japan is due to 2 reasons.
But at the same time, this reason also influences another trend. In the most dangerous areas, where tsunamis and earthquakes occur much more often, on the contrary, exclusively wooden houses are built. They provide mobility, which means that after an earthquake, destroyed buildings can be easily restored or a house that has not yet been destroyed can be moved to a new location.
Even in the gardens you can find small Japanese houses called pagodas. These are unique monasteries that are present in every courtyard and on the territory of almost every private plot.
They can be: symbolic, small or huge. It is the pagoda, and not the house, in the Japanese style that is the central element of the architectural ensemble. The Japanese house itself has the name “minka”, which is translated from Japanese as “house of people”.
Such a structure is characterized by the absence of reliable, strong walls. The surrounding landscape is thus a continuation of the interior space of the premises. Those who see traditional Japanese minki houses for the first time get the impression that the walls were created solely to support the roofs of Japanese houses.
And this is really so, because there are no walls as such here. These are ordinary sliding panels in the house , which can not only be moved and moved apart, but also removed completely. Thus, it becomes possible to adjust the dimensions of the rooms and combine them.
The roofs of Japanese houses are covered with thatch or shingles and have a slight slope. Thanks to all the available features, this design does an excellent job of ventilating the interior space.
In connection with all of the above, the instructions on how to draw a Japanese house include some simple tips. The main thing is to have a ruler and pencil and determine the outer boundaries of the structure.
So:
Thanks to the use of appropriate cabinets that hide everything unnecessary behind their doors, it becomes possible not to disturb the atmosphere of style:
Light has always been and remains one of the main components of a Japanese-style interior. Rice paper lampshades provide a soft diffusion of light, and the space seems visually more spacious. The dimness of the light allows you to make the room more mysterious and at the same time more comfortable. Watch the video on how to make an interior in Japanese style.
The fashion for a house or home decorated in an unusual style has always existed. But the case of houses built with claims to the Japanese style is slightly different from the options for imitating Italian, French or Dutch architecture. Western houses have always been the epitome of practicality and adaptation to the local climate.
The traditional Japanese house was the calling card of the family living in it, and in most cases was created not with the goal of achieving maximum living comfort, but as a continuation of the traditions and complex worldviews of a centuries-old culture.
Even an ordinary person, far from the originality of the Japanese style, once looking at a Japanese temple, pagoda or ancient samurai house, will confirm that it is unusual and beautiful. To create a Japanese-style home, you need a little:
Important! When building a house in the Japanese tradition, it is very important to copy not the elements of the building, but their design style. It is extremely difficult to build a real Japanese house due to the huge number of details and nuances. Moreover, for a Western person such a home is not always convenient and understandable. It is much easier to create Japanese style house designs.
A real traditional Japanese house is a little different from the designs we know from films and photos. Those examples of Japanese architecture and style that we know belong to the family estates and castles of wealthy people, high-ranking dignitaries, military leaders and clergy in ancient Japan.
They became the basis for the creation of modern Japanese-style houses. Classic Japanese houses in different parts of Japan differed in some details, but all were built according to the same laws:
For your information! The most recognizable element of a Japanese house is the specific curved shape of the roof. It is this element that has become decisive for any house built in the Japanese style.
The first thing that makes a house in a characteristic Japanese style so recognizable and original is the roof of the building. The roof design is in many ways reminiscent of elaborate Chinese roofs, but simpler and more practical.
Of the European roofing structures, the closest to the Japanese style are Danish and Dutch hip roofs, which are also designed for high rainfall and strong winds from the sea.
Therefore, in a house built in the Japanese style, the roof is always built with a negative curvature of the slopes, as in the photo. Traditionally, in the roof of a Japanese-style house, the roof slopes had several tiers, two or three.
With this roof design, snow and moisture did not linger on the roof for a long time, which significantly reduced the load on the very heavy and massive rafter system. The long overhangs of the rafter legs were used as suspension points for lighthouse lanterns, which could be used to navigate the estate at night in conditions of pitch darkness.
The oriental style is characterized by very large and long roof overhangs, especially at the corners and above the entrance to the house. In this way, they tried to divert rain and melt water as far as possible from the foundation and walls of the house.
The second, most recognizable element of the house, characteristic of the Japanese style, was the open terraces and a large number of vertical posts and supports that hold the roof and give rigidity to the walls of the house.
In the past, this technique made it possible to strengthen the walls of a house with a large number of huge window openings, decorative screens that cover the interior space from prying eyes. Now this is only a decorative element inherent in the traditional style of building design, photo.
A house in a classic style was always complemented by a huge canopy over the entrance or side of the building. Traditionally, a place under a canopy or on a large terrace was the main location during daylight hours.
In a modern building, this is a beautiful attribute of a Japanese-style house, photo. Terraces surrounded the perimeter of the house, in some cases at least ¾ of the entire space. This was convenient in the old days, and in the same way they emphasize style in modern buildings.
Traditionally, in the Japanese value system, the home was both a temple and a place for ordinary human activities. Therefore, as in many other Eastern styles, there may be a chapel, figures and religious objects in the courtyard of the house next to ordinary everyday things and objects.
Such a house was always built from wood, stone, paper, and fabrics. Therefore in modern interiors and design solutions in the Japanese style, even plastic and synthetic materials are most often designed and decorated to resemble wood and stone. But, given the great interest in environmentally friendly projects and decorative materials, interior and appearance buildings in a traditional style only benefit from this.
The third specific attribute of a house in a traditional design style is the ability to decorate and create a very beautiful landscape in the local area. This could be a series of unusually shaped shrubs or trees, as in the photo, a fancifully laid out garden made of stone and ornamental plants, a small pond with a miniature waterfall. Traditionally, Japanese pine was used - bonsai, which was planted at the entrance to the house and along the paths.
The decorative lawn or rock garden in the house was always complemented by a large platform, on which, in fact, all the main events in the estate took place. Visually, such an addition increased the size of the estate and was a sign of the high position of the owner. In a modern style, the site is traditionally used as a parking place.
Today, the territory of the estate in the classic version is necessarily equipped with gates and a high fence, which is used as thin steel tubular fences covered with dense bushes. But in budget options, the house is simply surrounded by a high stone wall.
The traditional option for arranging the interior space of a house can be called quite minimalistic and strict. Following traditions, the house should have a minimum amount of furniture and objects. Internal walls It is customary to decorate houses with engravings and drawings in the style of graphics and ink painting on silk.
Japanese style in the interior requires a lot of light and free space, so you can rarely see tall trees or overgrown bushes in front of the windows of the house. At night, due to the large number of lights, the building seems to consist entirely of windows.
The ceiling design was quite unusual. In a classic house, floor and roof beams often served as a frame and pantry, a place to store a large amount of food and various items. Today, only symbolic elements of the frame remain from the old tradition.
The most important element of the interior was the floor and flooring. The floor was always made from the strongest and hardest type of wood, and after assembly it was polished with wax to a shine. In a modern interpretation, natural oak and cedar are used, less often laminate or carpeting that imitates traditional bamboo mats. Light paper and fabric screens were used for partitions and interior walls in the house, which are now being successfully replaced by decorative panels with the texture of silk and bamboo frames.
The beauty of a house built in the Japanese style is very specific and interesting; it is very difficult for European standards to adapt to modern interpretations of the cultural traditions of Japan, so often, even in Europe or Asia, such houses have only a superficial resemblance to the basic architectural solutions of a Japanese estate. The interior design of a home is most often adjusted to the needs, habits and preferences of the owners, which does not prevent them from considering their home to correspond to the classical canons.
It should be understood that the Japanese house of today and yesterday are in many ways different things. In our world, old traditions, materials, and technologies are being replaced everywhere by new ones; the Homeland of the Samurai is no exception. Architecture keeps up with the times and changes; in megacities this is more noticeable, in rural areas it is not so obvious.
🈚In urban housing you can find much more similarities with traditional design in the internal arrangement, which cannot be said about the appearance.
🈵Attention! Despite the fact that the Japanese style of house building was formed largely under the influence of Chinese architecture, it has a number of important features - simplicity, good lighting and an asymmetrical layout!
🈯Minimalism is the main component of Japanese life and interior.
The classic housing of Japanese commoners is called Minka. In such buildings lived artisans, fishermen, merchants, in other words, all those segments of the population that did not belong to the samurai and nobility.
Minka can be divided into several types:
🈚Matiya roofing - tiles or tiles. The roof of Nok is straw or shingles.
🈯Although Minka, in the classical sense of the word, implies medieval buildings, these days this term is applied to any residential building in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Element Minka | Material | Peculiarities |
| Basic materials | wood, bamboo, clay, grass, straw | Easily accessible and inexpensive materials. |
| Roof | straw, tiles | It rests on wooden beams and can be straight, pointed at the corners or raised. |
| Walls | clay, wood | Interior walls are usually omitted, and Fusuma or Shoji (movable screens) are used instead - Washi paper attached to a wooden frame. For this reason, Minka can safely be called open-plan housing. |
| Foundation | stone | This is the only purpose. |
| Floor | earthen or wooden, raised on stilts (50-70 cm) | Covered with tatami or musiro mats. Tatami is a more durable and beautiful option, made from special igusa bamboo and rice straw. |
| Furniture | tree | There is little furniture. Built-in wardrobes. You can highlight Kotatsu. This is a kind of small Japanese table. Consists of three elements: a support, a tabletop and a spacer between them in the form of a heavy blanket or futon mattress. Often under this table in the floor there was a heat source in the form of a fireplace. The most important things are stored in special Japanese chests on Tansu wheels; in case of fire, they can be easily saved by rolling them outside. |
| Windows and doors | wood and washi paper | All windows and doors, with the exception of the main entrance, are not stationary; their role is played by Fusuma or Shoji. |
| Decor | calligraphy, paintings, ikebana | Everything is very meager compared to European houses. Basically, one small niche (tokonama) is allocated to the decorative elements. |
🈯There are practically no chimneys. This is explained by the floor raised by stilts and the high roof.
Increasingly, traditional Japanese houses are built from several floors, although previously only one level was used.
In general, the history of architecture developed according to the characteristics of climate, relief and other features. For example, high temperature and humidity influenced the fact that Japanese homes were made as open, ventilated and light as possible.
And the danger of earthquakes and tsunamis prompted the use of piles in design. They softened the shocks. They also tried to lighten the roof as much as possible so that if the house was destroyed, it could not cause critical physical damage to the owners.
Japanese style presupposes a reverent attitude towards purity and harmony. After all, the room was originally a project for a person living on the floor. And for such a philosophy, the absence of dirt and chaos is extremely important. It is not for nothing that such things as special slippers in front of the restroom and bathroom or exclusively white socks have become customary.
🈚To be fair, we note that maintaining cleanliness in Japanese square meters is easier than in our apartments. This is due to the minimal presence of furniture - the main place where dust accumulates.
Picture: Garden
Harmony with the surrounding world and nature is deeply rooted in the philosophy of this eastern people. And this could not but affect their daily life, including the design of their home.
The Japanese surrounded their houses with wonderful and characteristic gardens. Travelers were amazed by the beautiful and harmonious combination of natural components and man-made products: bridges, ponds, lanterns wrapped in transparent paper, figurines and much more.
But, perhaps, Sakura is the most common element in a Japanese garden. This is not just a plant, it is a real symbol of all eras, dynasties and empires.
🈚By removing everything Fusuma or Shoji, the Japanese turns the house into a kind of “gazebo” in his own garden, thereby satisfying the innate need to think about the meaning of life. This partly explains the absence of windows and doors that are classical in our understanding.
🈯By the way, many European and American landscape garden design specialists take the Japanese style of home area design as the basis for their projects
So, to summarize, the layout of a traditional Japanese home will consist of the following places:
🈯The central part of the house may consist of several washitsu. If a large gathering of guests is planned, then all partitions are removed, creating one large hall!
🈵Important! The Japanese often measure rooms not by square meters, but by the number of tatami mats. A standard mat is 90 cm wide and twice as long.
In general, tatami is an important element of Japanese culture. Their number and arrangement can determine the character of the washitsu. For example, this could be a bedroom. In this case, a Japanese Futon mattress is placed on the mats and the result is a standard sleeping place for a resident of the area where Sumo wrestling originated.
Important and wealthy families had a tea house on their property. The first such structures appeared in the 15th century AD. From the name it follows that these places were intended for the tea ceremony and, in general, had the main properties and signs of culture - minimalism, asceticism, space and illumination.
🈯A pond or lake around is a classic of the genre!
At the same time, a number of features are observed:
🈚Japanese tea houses promote meditation and tranquility, or vice versa – they encourage philosophical conversations.
Picture: Tea house in Japan
These hotels can also be classified as traditional Japanese houses. For tourists and travelers, this is a kind of temple of traditional Japanese culture. Everything in the rooms is furnished in a manner consistent with the Mink hut.
Here you can plunge headlong into Japanese identity. Sleep on mattresses laid on tatami. Spend time in o-furo. See the traditional kimono attire that the staff wears. Using Japanese hashi chopsticks, taste the national cuisine, rich in seafood and vegetables.
As mentioned at the beginning, modern Japanese housing has changed greatly, especially on the outside, but the interior design of almost any person from the Land of the Rising Sun contains a touch of national traditions.
In the current realities, when the cost per square meter and interior elements is rising, the Japanese style with its minimalist approach to arrangement is becoming the most practical. And the free layout of their home provides people with the opportunity to realize their design fantasies and ideas.
Buildings in the city and rural areas should be considered separately.
City. The appearance of ancient and modern Japanese cities has changed dramatically. The wooden Matiyas were replaced by buildings erected using materials such as brick, concrete, iron, and bitumen.
In the central parts of the cities, business skyscrapers rise, where the foundation of a strong and stable economy is forged. World famous corporations are located here.
The majority of citizens live in apartments located in multi-storey buildings. As a rule, these are five to seven storey buildings. One-room apartments predominate. The area of the rooms does not exceed 10 square meters.
The layout of such housing is simply surprising with its rationalism when using such a limited area. Upon entering you will see this view:
Space saving is evident in everything. This includes a kitchen built into a closet, placing plants on the walls, and a miniature bathroom. Well, the tradition of sitting on the floor, and, consequently, the lack of chairs and armchairs.
Entrance to the apartment
Kitchen in the closet
But some Western influence can also be identified, for example, the presence of a European bed or console under the TV.
More affluent people buy so-called family apartments (60-90 m2) or private houses on the outskirts.
🈵In Japanese houses, central heating is practically not practiced; instead, gas, electric, infrared and even kerosene heaters are used.
Countryside. Homes outside the city are less susceptible to modern trends. Although many of them today are built on the model of Western society using know-how materials, it is still possible to draw an analogy with the traditional Minko.
Everyone decides for themselves to what extent their housing should correspond to classical Japanese culture and style.
Let us highlight several of the most common common features that are inherent in houses in the outback today:
🈯The more prosperous the peasant, the more he uses the achievements of modern science. Poor people in the village still make a roof out of thatch, sleep on a futon, and warm themselves at a kotatsu.
No matter what global trends in architecture occur, the Japanese build only frame houses. This technology is simply necessary for them to survive in an earthquake zone.
A frame house is incredibly resistant to earthquakes; it seems to absorb and dampen them. There are known frame buildings that have survived a large number of earthquakes over a thousand years and were practically undamaged.
This technology has some advantages! They are relatively easy to restore when destroyed. These structures are lightweight, and if they collapse, they are unlikely to cause severe fatal damage.
There are three types of frame houses:
Unusual frame structure
They have an unusual design in the shape of a hemisphere. It looks like alien earth settlements of the future.
The most unique thing is the material. Essentially, it's a home made of reinforced polystyrene foam! It endows these buildings with properties that are useful and necessary for the Japanese climate, such as strength and high thermal insulation. You can also avoid spending on the frame and foundation, which significantly reduces its cost.
In Europe, they are actively beginning to introduce this technology in the production of seasonal suburban housing.
At the end of the video on the topic:
