Redefining the Meaning of Wealth

Japanese Dining Area

I had the good fortune to visit Japan this past fall. Not only are the Japanese a gracious and modest people but these admirable qualities are evident in their décor a well. Especially impressive is the functionality of their architecture and furnishings. Everything serves a purpose while at the same time being pleasing to the eye.

The wide open spaces and natural light streaming in through the windows creates a light and airy feeling that immediately makes you feel peaceful and serene. Whether I was visiting hotels, restaurants, Buddhist temples or retail stores, a feeling of calmness was always present because nothing was too ostentatious or overwhelming.

Creating a simple yet elegant home can be achieved by all of us no matter what our financial situations. Less is definitely more and Japanese décor is proof that we don’t have to overdraw our checking accounts to have a beautiful living environment.  No matter what our decorating styles, there is much that can be learned from the Japanese so that our homes are as lovely and functional as possible.

Wide open empty spaces are beautiful. There’s no reason to fill every square foot of space with furniture or other decorative items. Think of empty space as part of your décor – it’s calming and soothing to have room to move around in physically and mentally. Ever since I have started looking at empty space in the same way as I would a beautiful piece of furniture or painting, I feel less cramped and I enjoy the lovely things I already own even more.

Let the sun shine in. Open up those curtains and let in the natural light. Natural light lifts our mood and contributes to a positive environment. Sitting around in dim rooms with artificial lighting can make us depressed and even stifle our creativity. The first thing I do every morning is open up those blinds and welcome the daylight into my home. Even if it’s raining or the sun is nowhere to be found, it still beats feeling like I live in a cave.

Keep your surfaces as clear as possible. Keeping our counters, tables, and dressers as clear as possible cuts down on clutter and our favorite decorative pieces stand out even more.  It’s easier to showcase a nice vase or other art object when there’s less to compete with.  Several years ago I drastically downsized the items I displayed throughout my home. Not only does it make cleaning easier but I’m more organized and I rarely lose items like my keys or important papers.

How much furniture do we really need? Advertising has led us to believe we need all kinds of furniture such as end tables, night stands, display racks, and various chairs and stools. Although each of our needs is different and there are no steadfast rules as to what we should and should not have, it’s probably safe to say most of us have furniture we don’t use. In many cases we don’t even like what we have or know why we purchased it in the first place. Five years ago my husband and I purchased end tables to go on each side of our couch. I had a feeling we would never use these and now we are finally planning to get rid of them as they are taking up extra space not to mention how tired we are of dusting them.

Lack of creativity not lack of space is often the problem. I often hear people complain that they don’t have enough room and that they need more space. The sad truth is that when most of us do acquire more space we just fill it up with more stuff and the vicious cycle continues. One of the things I love about traditional Japanese bedrooms is that their beds (called futons) are stored in closets during the day so that the room is available for other activities during the day hours. Folding up our beds may not be a possibility for most of us but we can adapt this concept to fit our own particular needs. My place is fairly small and I would love my very own yoga room. Instead of moving to a larger space, I have rid our living room of as many unnecessary items as possible and there’s now plenty of room for me to lay out my yoga mat and do the “down dog”.  Rooms like furniture can have multi-functional purposes as well.

Keep it simple yet elegant. Japanese décor is beautiful while at the same time modest and unpretentious.  Resist the need to show off or buy something because you’ve been conditioned to think your home should look a certain way. It’s one thing if you wholeheartedly love something but much of what we buy and display in our homes is because we want to appear successful to friends and family. Simple and modest décor keeps us out of debt and we have money for other interests and experiences. We also don’t have to spend our precious time cleaning or paying someone else to clean for us. A simple environment is satisfying to our souls because it teaches us the concept of enough and we don’t waste precious energy by constantly yearning for more.