Wabi sabi – isn’t it what we’re longing for these days?

A Japanese term that leaves no easy translation, wabi sabi is a way of living that appreciates nature’s impermanence and imperfections. Being minimalist and simple in its approach, wabi sabi is the antithesis to all that is soulless, shiny and mass-produced.

Wabi sabi style calls forth a rustic elegance and voluntary simplicity in which material goods are pared down to only the most essential and those remaining are handmade and considered more beautiful because of their subtle imperfections. Because the amount of possessions is less, and perhaps imbued with a story of some kind, each one become all the more precious.

Embracing a wabi sabi lifestyle is clearly one answer to hyper-consumerism and the ennui and melancholy of modern culture. With too much stimulation, nothing has meaning anymore. By getting back to basics, an appreciation for the little things becomes the ultimate satisfaction and life can be imbued with poetry once again.

Image: Môsieur J.