Kanso, how to create a simple Japanese home style

Are you thinking about a new style for your home, but one inspired by Asian style? Japanese philosophy is as popular as ever, so try the latest trend: kanso. If you want to make your home more distinctive, refresh it or make it more beautiful, kanso is the best option. The concept is very close to minimalism, so you need to get rid of clutter and keep only the things you really need.

Key features

Japanese interior styles are very popular and well loved. You have surely heard of wabi-sabi, ikigai and others that inspire many people. Kanso is most popular in Vietnam, Korea, China and Japan. In Chinese, Zen is called Chan, and in Japanese kanso, which means simplicity. But what is actually the main idea behind the kanso style?

The main aim is to relax the mind, the body and your surroundings.

Above all, make sure your home has a minimum of furniture, decorations and unnecessary things. Also avoid loud colours and sharp edges. Focus on natural materials and colours in warm tones. Simplify everything around you. What matters is cleanliness, calm, order and simplicity. Do not forget to look at your garden too, as it can also be in Asian style.

Principles of the style

To feel relaxed and content, let us focus on our surroundings. Kanso, as we have already mentioned, is a minimalist Zen Japanese style of living. Essentially, it focuses on the correct flow of energy in a space, but it is also necessary to follow certain principles:

• Asymmetry
• A fresh perspective
• Silence
• Austerity
• A sense of beauty
• Pure naturalness and simplicity

And how can you best create this style in our Western world?

Avoid excess furniture

Think it through. All Eastern, and above all Asian, style is based on simplicity. So glass display cabinets full of your grandmother’s porcelain or bulky armchairs that would suit a Victorian style better unfortunately do not belong here. Anything you do not really need in your life, simply sell it or throw it away.

Home accessories

Not everyone likes knick-knacks. Keep only decorations that are functional. Get rid of purely ornamental ones completely. Do you have an object in your home that is linked to negative memories? Remove that too. Believe us, you will then find life easier. Instead, buy bonsai trees and various ferns, which you can arrange in a glass vase.

Pastel colours

The kanso style favours pastel, warm to neutral colours. Definitely forget about bright red; believe us, it is often the very reason you get headaches.

Natural materials

Buy home textiles and accessories made from natural materials. Get cotton cushions, and linen blankets and throws. You will see that you even fall asleep more easily. For rugs, choose neutral colours without patterns.

What will you gain from all this decluttering?

According to traditional Asian philosophy, a lot of furniture, decorations or accessories causes energy to flow incorrectly. Remember, that is why kanso offers you a gentle, airy world in which you will feel truly good. It will show you a direction from which to take the lesson that many material and fleeting things have no real value. This is because they wear out over time and lose their importance.