Let’s Go … Japanese

Wherever you live, whether in Australia, the United States, Europe, or indeed in Japan, if you like the distinctive style of Japanese décor, this is how you may want to decorate your home. These days, decorating Japanese does not need to be confined to Japan.

To get the idea, let’s first explore what a Japanese living room looks like (if decorated in the traditional way).

What is Japanese Decor?

Japanese décor tends to be simple, functional, and extremely elegant – rather than loud or gaudy in any way.

In a traditional Japanese living room, you are more likely to sit on cushions on the floor or on very low chairs. In some Japanese homes, chairs and tables are not used at all, as people sit on tatami mats.

If there is a table at all, it is very low, with short legs. Rather than curtains, rooms are divided by silk screens.

Japanese Decor Is Traditional Elegance

So, in a non-Japanese country, how do you make your own Japanese living room?

First of all, a lot of things may be ordered on line. This includes silk screens, which do not only serve to provide privacy, but can also add to the beauty of any room. The more sophisticated screens can replace the door to the room as they serve as sliding doors in their own right.

You might not find traditional tatami mats so easily, so you may consider a bamboo rug or buy seagrass area rugs, which look very similar and give a certain touch to the look of the room.

As westerners, you may not find sitting on a bamboo rug so easy at first, so you may want to add a few pretty, silk cushions to lean on and soften your seat somewhat. If you want to maintain the Japanese tradition in this area, try to make sure that these are the square cushions known as “zabuton”, which are very soft and contain cotton.

Japanese Furniture Considerations

Rather than using a conventional table for meals, you may purchase a kotatsu. This is a heated table that the Japanese use during the winter months when sitting on tatami in the living room. Of course, you may use it all year round. Unlike its earlier forms, which were heated with coal, the modern kotatsu is heated with an electric element. It is low enough to be reached from sitting on the floor, and is a pleasant way to eat together as a family.

Other furniture in the room may include a small wooden cabinet for storing various items such as the plates and bowls that Japanese traditionally use.

In fact, if the Japanese lifestyle really appeals to you, you could institute the ancient practice of the tea ceremony, in which case you will keep the appropriate apparatus in the cabinet.

Finishing Touches

To finish off with, you may want to put some traditional Japanese decorations in the room, such as a beautiful, handwritten scroll decorated with calligraphy and artistic designs that is hung on the wall.

If you like Japanese flowers, such as ikebana or sakura (cherry blossom), they are both extremely beautiful.  Consider adding these flowers in vases to complete the look and fragrance of the room.

This way, you can bring the beauty of Japan into your home without having to move an inch …