Wabi-Sabi: 5 Ideas for Your Home

Wabi-sabi is a wonderful new-to-me Japanese concept that embraces simplicity and beauty that comes with age (you can read more about it here). I've found this concept to be very inspiring and have been letting the ideas trickle through me this past week ever since I read about it.  
One of the things I've been pondering is what wabi-sabi means for our homes. I thought it would be interesting to find some examples of rooms that exemplified the principles of wabi-sabi. When I looked at these beautiful rooms, I was struck by five take-away ideas:
1.  Use real art.  Real art in our homes will reflect who we are and what our interests and tastes are better than a piece of art that was bought at a chain store (I actually worried when I was selecting the photos below that someone would recognize one of the rooms from a Potter Barn ad or something so I looked hard for something that seemed original).

Canadian House and Home

Mix and Chic

2.  Use handmade items.  Since handmade items are all unique, they help our homes be original and personal. The handmade items might be anything from a quilt, or some pottery, to a hand-forged stove venthood.  They might be something you have made yourself, or a family treasure, or something you purchased at a craft sale.

Country Living

Ironcraft

3.  Use natural elements.  This has got to be one of my favourite ways to decorate.  Not only do natural items have the right price tag - free - but I love the organic feel they give a room.  I'm always collecting pine cones or rocks or twigs to decorate with.  Natural elements also mean decorating with natural wood furniture or floors or wood beams or even using live plants in your home.

Poetic Home

Homes

Style by Emily Henderson

4.  Use vintage items.  The signs of age and patina that often accompany vintage items add to the charm and sense of history. These items may be family heirlooms, or be treasures from thrift or antique stores, or they may even be worn parts of your home like exposed brick or beams.

Country Living

House Tweaking

Laboheme

5. Clear the clutter.  A room that is carefully edited helps you appreciate what you have. Space and light then become the most important elements in the room rather than the furniture and objects of daily living. Clearing the clutter creates a calm atmosphere and helps you focus on the people in the room rather than the objects in the room.

Jessica Helgerson Interior design

Country Living

Aren't they beautiful rooms?  Did you notice any other trends?  How did these ideas resonate with you?  

I am pretty faithful at #3 and #4, but need to work on #5 (in a big way!)  How about you?