Zen style interior design

Making your home a peaceful haven and comfortable is an important element that can make life less stressful. In keeping with this mantra, Zen interior design is becoming popular and a major trend in the world today. Basically, Zen means meditation in Japanese and in interior design it reflects harmony, balance and relaxation. Though Zen is not a defined style of design with strict set rules, where you aim for simplicity and minimalism it will help you arrange your home in a way that eliminates stress you encounter daily. Here is how to make your home entirely Zen.

Pick Natural Colors

Interior design inspired by Zen is mostly about natural colors such as beige, white, grey or pink beige that come in soft tones. Such colors induce a sense of calmness and relaxation in a room. Creating harmony and balance between the different elements like visual continuity between walls, floors and furniture is also essential. In some instances you can combine a dominant color with matching objects. To create diversity, you can use matching colors or a mix of your two favorite colors.
Go For Soft Floor Colors

Wooden flooring painted in shades of grey, white or a light colored parquets can be a safe choice. Provided the parquet floor matches the theme of the rest of the room, it is a good pick. To enhance comfort and make the room more modern, resin flooring can also help you bring out the Zen look. Wools carpets are also recommended but they are very expensive to maintain. But if you decide to go for a carpet, combine carpets made of pure cotton and wool to refine your Zen decor. The colors should also match.

Choose Natural And Light Fabrics

By sticking to the Zen rule, fabrics should also be light, natural and comfortable. Curtains should not only control air circulation but should also reduce noise and create a sense of intimacy in a room. Natural textiles such as bunting wool, linen or pure wool will work best as long as you match them with the rest of the room. To moderate light you can combine them with blinds to create a calm ambiance. Use matching rods to make the set up complete.

Use Soft And Natural Light

To make the room truly relaxing and natural use candle lights instead of harsh florescent lights. You can also control light intensity by placing sources of light in different areas. Create a mix of lamp set, indirect light and floor lamp and above all avoid projecting strong light directly from the ceiling. Around the bed, you can have a wall mounted reading lights which unlike bedside lamps are very flexible. But if you want diffused light, go for scented candles.

Keep Furniture Simple And Natural

Since Zen interior design is characterized by simplicity and avoiding excesses, choose high quality furniture made of natural materials. This will help bring warmth in the room and make the space relaxing. Paint storage pieces like chest drawers, cupboards and closets in colors that match the rest of the interior.

Remember to keep bed and wall decorations to a minimum. Avoid collections of photos or paintings that fill up the wall and keep only those that are dear to you. For a calming effect, enhance the room with natural scents and green plants. Eliminate electronic disturbances too because Zen interior design is all about calmness. Most importantly, eliminate clutter and only keep things that add value to the room.