Designing Using Antique Japanese Furniture for a Restful Retreat

When redecorating your home it’s important to think about what your home means to you.  This varies depending on personality type and that is why there are so many different styles for so many different needs.  Perhaps your home is your castle and a European theme would work best for you.  For many people their home is their place to display their accomplishments, and they decorate accordingly.

But for a large majority it seems the home is a place to go to be restful.  For this personality type home is a place to relax from the many stresses and troubles of this world.  Its almost as if their home is an island in a dark and stormy sea.  What this means for decorating is that their success can be measured by how easy it is for them to unwind when they come home.  Many people with this goal are discovering Japanese antique furniture.

Japanese antique furniture uses simple yet powerful concepts to achieve a relaxing atmosphere.  One of those concepts is a clutter free environment.  By doing nothing other than taking every non-essential piece out of your room you will experience much less stress.  The reason is that lots of unused items get in the way, not just restricting your movement but making you feel crowded and claustrophobic.

Another concept is that of using nature inspired themes.  The Japanese did this by creating waterscapes and nature inspired carvings and paintings.  The use of bonsai is another excellent way to do this.  The reason this reduces stress is surprisingly simple.  In our modern society, people want to get back to nature.  One prescribed cure for sleeplessness is to listen to the sound of running water from a recording.  Encouraging the illusion that you are getting back to nature helps you unconsciously relax.  The better the illusion, the more likely you will start feeling physically better.

The concept of harmony is pervasive in the Japanese decorating style.  When you are purchasing antique Japanese furniture, it is essential to get it all in the same stain.  Hundreds of years before the concept of the living room or bedroom set came along, the Japanese started matching their furniture both stylistically and using quality wood stains.  This has the same value that getting rid of clutter does because it makes things easier for your brain to handle.  If you enter a room and see many different wood stains and styles at war with each other, it can cause undue unconscious stress.

Finally, it is the essential simplicity and functionality of Japanese antique furniture designs that really set them apart.  Japanese furniture is often multifunctional, meaning it does much more than one function.  A living room table can double as a business table, a center for meeting, a place to eat dinner, pay bills and even a place to sleep.  This means that when picking out your Japanese antique furniture you need to focus on getting a few high quality pieces instead of many lower quality ones.