5 Small Japanese Design Lessons That Make All the Difference

A living room with a textured accent armchair, a floating display of vinyl, a record player, a white table lamp, a leaning painting, and ceramics — (Image credit: Felix Speller. Design: Studio Hagen Hall. Styling: Emily Farbrother)

If you have ever thought of a Japanese home as simplistic in not just aesthetics but also its efforts of curation, then I have to burst your deeply misinformed bubble. Each design decision, no matter how effortlessly executed has been painstakingly chosen to evoke an illusion of calming simplicity. But the good news is that there are some digestible design lessons that can quietly shift the way your home feels.

"The changes that make a home feel calmer are rarely the expensive ones," says interior designer Yoko Kloeden. "Most of what I have learned from Japanese design is small, undramatic, and works on how a room feels rather than how it looks."

Here are five tips of guidance that Yoko frequently returns to and how to translate them for your own home.

1. Design for the Nose and Ears, Not Only the Eye

A living room with a paper pendant lamp, a blue chair with metal accents, a travertine coffee table, a patterned fabric wall hanging, a vase of flowers, a mini lamp, and a candle — A home that appeals to all of the senses is one that will continue to appeal to you.

"A Japanese home is experienced through more than sight. Timber is a good example. It smells, it sounds different underfoot, and dropping something on it is far gentler than on tile or stone," says interior designer Yoko Kloeden.

"Choose one material you can actually smell, and one sound you want to hear — water moving, a door sliding softly, air through a window. Rooms designed only for the eye feel oddly flat once you are living in them."

Designing sensory products into your home is a quick and effective way to make your home feel interestingly unique. Think a dreamy indoor pond, a noren dancing in the wind, or komorebi interiors.

Earl of East

Onsen Japanese Incense Sticks

An easy way to capture the essence of sensory storytelling immediately is through Japanese scents, like these warming incense sticks.

Yoko Kloeden

Yoko Kloeden Design is a London-based architecture and interior design studio, founded by Yoko Kloeden in 2016. Located in West London, the studio specializes in crafting mood-enhancing sanctuaries, seamlessly blending Japanese aesthetics with natural, serene elements. Each project aims to create spaces that feel both harmonious and deeply restorative, reflecting Yoko’s commitment to calm, balanced interiors. The studio provides a full range of architecture and interior design services for private and commercial clients, carefully crafting every space to bring balance, beauty, and well-being to those who inhabit it.

2. Decide What to Hide and What to Display, Then Commit

A small bathroom with a floating sink with a raw stone sink and a wooden drawer, matching sconces, a curved mirror, and a vase of stems — Making strict decisions about what your guests see will create a more disciplined home routine.

"This is not about decluttering. It is about choosing one place where a single thing is properly shown — a shelf, an alcove, a console — and putting everything else away," says Yoko, speaking to Japanese spatial planning.

"A Japanese home gives a single ceramic or branch its own space and leaves the surrounding surfaces empty, because the emptiness is what lets you notice the object at all. Displaying five things well is harder than displaying one, and much less restful."

If you know yourself to favor low-maintenance, then less is always more. And if you have the bandwidth to care for more intricate stylings, then it's important to stay disciplined so your home shows out, even on a busy day.

Gallery Direct

Sofa Stool Cercola With Storage Space

One of my favorite storage ideas is thoughtfully designed furniture that plays a silent role in organizing your home. And this sofa stool is up there with the best.

3. Buy Fewer Things, and Older Ones

A white hallway with a textured silver wall hanging, a rounded brown chair, and a framed painting — Enrich your home with storied objects that transform a flat room to a moving space.

"It is worth thrifting something unique rather than filling a room from the high street. Vintage pieces tend to be better made, carry their own history, and are a more sustainable choice," Yoko advises.

"I find that the result of collecting antiques is a room that reads as gathered over time rather than bought in one afternoon. And this is a large part of why some homes feel settled, and others staged."

At the same time, there are some things that are better bought fresh. So, knowing what to thrift for your living room and other spaces is crucial.

1stDibs

Modernist Japanese White Pyramid Ikebana Vase

This 20^th century vase from 1stDibs is a lovely thrifting find to bring your ikebana stylings to life.

4. Choose Materials That Age

A living room with dappled light, a red wooden accent chair, and a potted tree — Watching furniture mould to your shape and noticing materials patina send a message that your home is more than just for show.

"Most surfaces in a Japanese home improve rather than deteriorate. Timber darkens, clay plaster softens, stone wears smooth where hands and feet pass," Yoko explains.

"Things that bear the traces of the work and care taken to make them help us reconnect to those who came before us, and feel a little more grounded. Choosing a material that will look better in ten years is a quiet way to make a home feel calm."

I'd even go as far as to say materials that stay immaculate can sometimes make a home look cheap and characterless. The romance of a home lies in the wabi-sabi champagne pops and the patinaed pots.

ÉDITÉ

Saori Japandi Acacia Wood Side Table

This side table is made from natural materials that smell great and subtly mature with the wear and tear of life.

5. Lower the Eyeline

A wood bed with a low mini desk with a vase of flowers, a book, and a candle — Directing attention downwards can make a space feel grounded and inviting.

"Traditional Japanese rooms are composed to be seen from a seated position on the floor, which puts everything — table heights, window levels, the point where a wall meets your eye — lower than we are used to," Yoko points out.

"You need not sit on the floor to borrow this. Dropping the height of one piece of furniture, or hanging art lower than feels correct, opens up the wall above it and makes a room feel taller and quieter. It is the cheapest change on this list and often the most noticeable."

Ferm Living

Kona Low Table

It's precisely why low and long furniture like this Kona table from Ferm Living immediately help your relax into a room.

Yoko continues to share her most authentic ideas to respectfully influence your space with these design lessons. And her latest feature on bedroom design rules tells us about the non-negotiables for an enveloping sleep ambiance.

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Amiya is a Home Wellness Writer at Livingetc. She recently graduated with a Masters Degree in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London, and has lent her words to beauty, fashion, and health sections of lifestyle publications including Harper’s Bazaar and Women’s Health. Her experience as a research analyst has equipped her with an eye for emerging trends. When she’s off the clock, she can be found reading, listening to music, or overanalyzing her latest Co-Star update.