Discover the essence of life with Ikigai, the Japanese philosophy that blends lifestyle and design. Minimalism meets elegance in this latest trend that’s taking the world by storm. Explore the meaning of “life value” and find your own Ikigai to create a meaningful and fulfilling space that reflects who you are.
You may be asking how a concept as complex as Ikigai philosophy is relevant to design and architecture!
Ikigai philosophy emphasizes the need for purpose and value in life. Similarly, our living spaces should also have a rationale. One can achieve a balance between aesthetics and functionality by applying the Ikigai principles to design elements such as wall textures and colour palettes.
Let us take you through a list of purpose-driven design ideas that imbibe the philosophy of Ikigai.
4 Elements of Ikigai
| Fundamental Principles of Ikigai | Explanation |
| What you love | Refers to the sense of success and happiness when embracing your interests, and comprehending the meaning of life. |
| Do what you love | Emphasizes not just your interest, but also taking action and understanding what you’re good at. |
| Harmony and sustainability | Stresses achieving the optimum balance between aesthetics and utility, contributing to the planet in a meaningful way. |
| Joy of Little Things | About finding happiness in the minute details of everyday life, and being satisfied and fulfilled with all of our possessions. |
10 Ikigai-inspired Design Ideas for Creating Minimalistic yet Uplifting Interior Spaces
01. Keep it Simple with White
Ikigai is a way of thinking that encourages putting elements of your passion into space. What better approach to support this theory than to use a white background as a blank canvas to complement your aesthetics? This approach promotes simple home design and utilitarian decorations, furnishings, and fixtures, from the overall vision of the design to its construction.
A primarily white colour palette contributes to the home’s effortlessly affluent and sophisticated appeal. It incorporates the best of daily components, such as natural lighting, to create a unified and purpose-driven ambiance.
02. User-friendly Decor and Furnishings
It should come as no surprise that Ikigai places a strong emphasis on utility, given how frequently we emphasize the significance of life. If your profession requires you to work from home, a home office, or another location, it should inspire you to be productive.
What is important is how you arrange your furniture to suit your profession and lifestyle. Focus on simple furniture and functionality. You need to understand that even a basic folding desk or a mobile workstation can meet your requirements.
Pro Tip: Another example of functional design would be a modest yet well-organized kitchen that meets your everyday needs in terms of ergonomics, a child-friendly design template, and upkeep. Ikigai focuses primarily on integrating work and personal life. It is less concerned with avoiding the rigours of everyday life.
03. Power of Natural Light
The Ikigai concept emphasizes the underappreciated aspects of our lives, with natural lighting being the most important of them. In Japanese aesthetics, light is one of the most significant elements. It is a substance that is visible and tactile, which is not capable of prolonged sustenance.
An Ikigai-inspired home is planned and constructed to maximize the flow of natural light and its interaction with the interior materials. Simple tweaks in design like creating a large screened window oriented towards the direction of the sun or introducing subtle louvers for playful lighting patterns can heavily enhance the decor of your home.
04. Art of Mending- Reuse, Reduce and Recycle
Japanese philosophy always focuses on the distinction between what is necessary and what is an additional luxury. So it goes without saying that the 3 Rs i.e Reuse, Reduce and Recycle are the principal elements of an Ikigai-inspired decor.
If there is only a small stain on the upholstery, why get a new couch? Experiment with antiques, and different mending techniques to add a burst of colour, or repaint it in your favourite colour. Use your grandfather’s old coffee table as the focal point of your living room’s vintage décor rather than putting it away.
Pro tip: Embrace the concept of “Wabi-sabi,” which emphasizes the beauty of imperfection and impermanence.
05. A Material Palette that Effectively Responds to the Natural Elements
Ikigai is all about discovering logic and meaning in your daily lives, which includes the items you use and the textures you feel. An excellent method to engage the senses is to create designs that blend with the harmony of nature. A palette of materials that reflect and absorb light is essential for creating meaningful spaces.
Most of these materials are derived from nature itself, like wood, natural fabrics, and earth. Wooden undertones warm up your house and bring you closer to nature. You can also imagine how soft cotton linen curtains filter in just the right amount of sunlight to create a cozy yet dynamic vibe.
06. Textural Possibilities of Different Surfaces
It is hard not to explore the complete range of human senses while creating an environment using various design elements such as lighting, texture, and colour. The visual and experiential potential of various textures in the environment is highly valued in Japanese living philosophies.
Given that Ikigai places such a strong focus on the individual, we should be ready for more unconventional décor—anything to infuse your room with a little of your unique character and heart. Choose a distinctive texture palette that reflects your personality and combine it with household features. Consider bare concrete walls, soft and luxurious carpets, and the fluidity of cotton materials.
07. Blurring the Boundaries
Japanese interior design is recognized for its amazing blend of simplicity, efficiency, and refinement. It adheres to the integration of nature and the significance of home and is founded in spirituality and profound Buddhist philosophy. If you look up traditional Japanese architecture, you’ll see that the landscape is linked inextricably to man-made structures.
The screened sliding panels and sparse furniture enhance the fluidity of the interior design. Subtle level differences and visual barriers in the forms of landscape are the only physical demarcations in most Ikigai-inspired home designs. In contemporary homes, you may use more transparent materials like glass and screens to demonstrate this philosophy.
Pro Tip: In Japanese interior design, nature, and spirituality play a significant role. Traditional Japanese architecture blends landscape with structures. Ikigai-inspired homes use sparse furniture and visual barriers to enhance fluidity.
08. Nature Inspired Colour Palette
Colours are a great way of expressing your individuality and character traits. There is no hard and fast rule about the choice of colours if you are intending to refurbish your home as per the Ikigai ideologies.
The colour palette should reflect the room’s intended usage; for example, blue is good for relaxation, while purple is good for knowledge. Use neutrals such as black, white, and grey to balance off the brightest and darkest tones. Choose a neutral palette with white and pastel walls to accentuate the feature and create a sense of serenity and tranquility.
09. Enliven your Space with Ikigai-inspired Artwork
Japanese society stresses the importance of embracing one’s family and upholding social connections and customs. Ikigai brings in a slice of that while also reassuring you to live up to your passion so that your uniqueness comes through. The detail is in the simplicity; you can bring in a cozy vibe by using unique vintage heirlooms and handmade objects.
Even if the purpose of Ikigai is to express your emotions, be careful with the design. This might result in a congested setting, which can cause discomfort and distractions. Pick the most priceless artifacts to borrow a page from the minimalist trend.
10. Experiment with In-built Furnishings and Storage
Built-in furniture is the epitome of Ikigai philosophy, i.e minimalism, functionality. These pieces of furniture may be stylish and useful while also adding interest to bigger areas or generating more space in compact ones, such as benches that double as window seats and custom-made bookcases and couches. Most traditional households had these storage options, resulting in these in-built furnishings being a part of the house. You can always add a personal touch to these designs in terms of geometry, colour, and textures.
Pro Tip: You can personalize these designs by incorporating unique geometric shapes, colours, and textures that reflect your personal style and tastes.
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Let’s Create Meaningful Spaces Inspired by Ikigai!
The key to adopting Ikigai into your home design is determining your objective and then blending it with aesthetics and practicality. Designers find it efficient to personalize the space for their client’s requirements and sensibilities by following the principles of this global trend. Trends come and go, but this distinct principle centered on ecologically friendly ideals and a utilitarian approach is timeless.
FAQs
01. What can we take away from Ikigai?
The word ‘Ikigai’ is derived from the Japanese words ‘for life’ and worth. It is a Japanese idea that examines the harmony of life and exemplifies the purpose of existence. The term compounds two Japanese words: iki (生き, meaning ‘life; alive’) and kai (甲斐, meaning ‘(an) effect; (a) result; (a) fruit; (a) worth; (a) use; (a) benefit; (no, little) avail’) (sequentially voiced as gai), to arrive at ‘a reason for living [being alive]; a meaning for [to] life; what [something that] makes life worth living; a ‘raison d’être’.
02. What is the Motivation behind Japanese interior design?
Japanese society believes in the idea of accepting imperfections. It comes from Zen philosophy; whose central idea is to come to accept the universe for what it is. Japanese interior design seeks inspiration from these ideas.
03. What exactly is Japanese Design?
Japanese interior design is a type of cultural movement in minimalism that entails refined colour palettes and laconic shapes combined with exceptional design ideas. It has many sub-categories, like Ikigai-inspired design and Wabi Sabi design.
Author Bio
Saili Sawantt – She is an Architect and Interior Designer by profession. Writing is what she treats as her passion. She has worked as an Architectural Writer, Editor, and Journalist for various design as well as digital portals, both national and international. Formerly she has also worked with Godrej Properties Limited (GPL) Design Studio, Mumbai, due to her keen interested in learning about Sustainability and Green buildings. Apart from this, she runs her blog ‘The Reader’s Express’ and is a practicing Architect & Interior Designer.
