The Zen decoration is designed to transmit tranquility and calmness to the inhabitants of a house. Relaxation, harmony, order, peace should be conveyed in a house decorated according to the principles of Zen style. This type of Oriental decor sets its efforts to create stress-free environment to improve the mood of the household. For a Zen home one needs not spend too much, just properly dispose the simplest decorative elements.
Simple furniture
The Zen furnishing is simple, short, with straight and orderly lines and, most importantly, it retains the color of the natural wood. It is important to avoid furniture with curves and details, baroque wood and dark colors. Still, you can use dark colors in one piece if the rest of the decorative elements are clear.
Nude colors
The colors used in the Zen decoration are mainly white and in the range of neutral colors, such as ochres, grays and beiges, because they give breadth and warmth. If you want to introduce some detail of another color, you can do it by adding small decorative objects that reflect tones present in nature.
The most important room
The lounge is the heart of the house, and so it has to stand out. It is better to create a comprehensive and simple space, so do not hesitate to use other small rooms. The best color to paint the living room walls is beige because it provides the feeling of wider space and security.
Natural materials
The materials mostly used in the Zen decor are those in the natural state or less industrialized, for example natural wood or stone. If you have hardwood floors, it is better to choose light colors like beech and discard darker colors like wenge. In bathroom and kitchen, stone is more suitable than pottery.
Enough light
Make the most of natural light, but always indirectly. A good solution is to decorate the windows with curtains made of delicate linen or cotton that filter the light but do not prevent its passage. Japanese panels are also a good option.
Indoor garden
Those without garden can too build their small Zen oasis using a flat inner surface with edges (the top of a box is perfect), filling it with sand and raking it with a small rake around several stones.
The center
Any Zen space needs to have a focus. If you decide to decorate your home in this style, think about where you will put that center and what will be the first point to attract attention when you enter a room.
Use the yard
If you have a yard at home, you can also benefit from the peace of mind that a Zen garden provides, specially designed for deep meditation. Choose a small space oriented to the east to build your garden. You only need two or three rocks and a shallow base for dry sand (composed sand, gravel and rocks). The sand must be raked around rocks, as if it were an ocean.
Relaxing bedroom
White is the color of Zen bedroom because it conveys tranquility and purity. Discard headboards and if you want something more suited to this style, look for furniture pieces made of beech wood with some darker streaks. The bed cover and sheets should be white and the lighting a bit dimmed to give a sense of greater harmony.
Add the warmth
The comfort is essential in any Zen atmosphere. In order to make the space in the rooms more welcoming and friendly, use floor rugs, pillows and quilts in soft colors and natural textures such as cotton, silk, velvet or leather.
Calming bathroom
The bathroom should also be a place designed for relaxation. It is best to use baths, furniture and accessories with pure lines and of natural materials, which also applies to the floor and walls. The best materials are wood, slate and stone.
Scented benefits
To complete a perfect Zen atmosphere it is recommended to use some oriental flavor that also serves as a relaxant. Take advantage of aromatherapy with scented wood, incense and jasmine.
One of the characteristics of Zen decoration is the absence of elements that overload the environment. Therefore it is a good idea to have furniture that can store everything which would normally lie around – from television cables to writing materials or magazines.
Tracey Clayton is a full time mom of three girls. She loves cooking, baking, sewing, spending quality time with her daughters and she’s passionate for writing. She is contributor on High Style Life and her motto is: “Live the life you love, love the life you live.” Find her on Facebook.
