Wabi-sabi style bathroom interior is the top trend for 2023

Those who are planning a bathroom renovation but are torn between loft, Scandinavian style, minimalism and rustic can breathe a sigh of relief. In the coming year designers offer not to choose, but to collect, combining in the interior elements of all the above trends.

The trend is called «Wabi-sabi», borrowing one of the fundamental terms of Japanese philosophy. It is about the ability to see the beauty of ordinary things, to comprehend the perfection of objects that have no external gloss, but have their own history. A cup covered with a grid of small cracks, a stone overgrown with moss, a wilted autumn leaf trembling on a branch — all this has its own special poetry. There is wabi: unassuming simplicity and sabi: a touch of antiquity.

The concept was influenced by Zen Buddhism, with its contemplation, striving for inner peace and harmony. The principles of wabi-sabi are the basis of the famous rock gardens and tea houses, the ceremony of visiting which grows into a complex ritual full of symbolic meaning.

Bathroom design in wabi-sabi style

Water procedures in such a room is a wonderful relaxation, allowing you to recover both physically and mentally.

To achieve such an effect, we will need:

1. Use natural stone and wood in their natural, untreated form in the finishing.
2. Take care of the game of contrasts, alternating smooth and rough textures, dark and light colors, rounded and rectangular shapes. For example, you can install a snowy-white earthenware sink on a countertop made of raw sawn wood or equip a bowl of unpolished stone with a polished faucet of ultramodern design.
3. Introduce into the interior of the bathroom a few vintage accessories (or their imitation), simple shape, without flashy decor. It is desirable that things have a little damage: cracks, chips, scuffs and created exclusively by hand.
4. Free the bathroom from all unnecessary things, leaving only the most necessary furnishings.
5. Avoid bright colors, glossy surfaces and prints, giving preference to a neutral, natural range.

Photo of beautiful bathrooms in wabi-sabi style:

Finishing materials

Walls can be:

• plastered, imitating a concrete surface, as in the loft;
• paint, using neutral light tones of the minimalist range: beige, coffee, cream, gray or eggshell shade;
• lay tiles «subway», which is often found in the interior of the bathroom Scandinavian style;
• tile large-sized relief tiles with the texture of stone, characteristic of rustic.

Preference is better to give plaster — it makes the atmosphere of the room «alive» and cozy, which corresponds to the philosophy of wabi-sabi. And the walls in the area of the shower and washbasin to protect ceramic tiles.

Fragmentary walls can be covered with glued board or wagon. But it is undesirable to use wood for the entire room. Also avoid surfaces covered with varnish — to protect against moisture it is better to take stain, oil or beeswax.

Ceilings are painted or plastered. If there are wooden supporting structures, they are left open.

Floors can be wooden, poured, stone or tile.

Examples of finishing solutions for the bathroom wabi-sabi further on the photo:

Plumbing

The bathtub of modern design perfectly fits into the interiors of the wabi-sabi style. It is usually a freestanding bathtub made of cast iron, steel or acrylic with a strict, laconic shape. Baths built into the podium — also a good option, although they are much rarer.

From jacuzzi, hydroboxes and other new-fangled sanitary ware will have to give up. And whether it is necessary to get the maximum benefit from bathing, is still a question. Water and… us are enough for healing procedures. With the right attitude, the positive effect of such contact is guaranteed. And to get pleasure, it is enough to add a natural essential oil or aromatized sea salt to the bath.

Shower room is made built-in.

Sinks can be hinged or overhead. You can consider the most interesting options made of ceramic, natural stone or wood — all of them are appropriate in this case.

Photo of bathroom fixtures for the bathroom in the spirit of wabi-sabi:

Wabi-sabi style bathroom furniture

Ideally, there should be none at all. The only piece of furniture suitable for a wabi-sabi style bathroom is a curved bench, sometimes with an additional shelf for towels and bath accessories.

But since such asceticism is incomprehensible to many of us, you can additionally install under the sink open shelves made of natural wood and add to the interior of the towel rail in the form of a ladder-staircase.

Stocks of detergents, cosmetics and bath textiles are better stored in a specially allocated pantry. In a spacious bathroom, you can allocate part of the space for a built-in closet, making its fronts invisible.

All furnishings should have simple geometric shapes and be made of natural wood, minimally processed (see photo below). And furniture made of MDF and even more so plastic, let’s leave it for other style directions.

Zen lives in details

Accessories for the bathroom are selected a little and with special care. Contemplation of each detail in the room for bathing should bring aesthetic pleasure, so that no element does not violate the overall harmony.

If in other styles with a neutral color scheme advised to make accessories bright accents, wabi-sabi does not assume such blatant contrasts. Here you need a game of semitones, which will act on us soothingly.

It is very important, when designing a bathroom, not to blindly imitate oriental samples, but to create your own world, guided by the principles of ergonomics, functionality and simplicity. The spirit of wabi-sabi will definitely be present in such an interior, whatever style we choose for it.