Wabi–Sabi Home: Finding beauty in imperfection

Wabi-Sabi Home is a look that’s rough around the edges and sees the beauty in imperfection but is at the same time creative, modern and brave.

Wabi-sabi is the Japanese ancient philosophy of finding beauty in the imperfect and embracing the humble. It is not a decorating style, but a concept that celebrates the imperfect, the transient and the time-worn.

Wabi-sabi is alive and well in many Japanese homes, where frayed, weathered and worn items are treasured, and modest, everyday objects are given elevated status by being displayed in a measured way. In Wabi-Sabi Home, Mark and Sally Bailey visit homeowners all over the world who understand that battered, scuffed, peeling and handmade objects are not just beautiful but preferable to pristine ones, because they bring a place to life, and make it feel homely and personal.

This book is divided into five chapters that each expand upon an element of the Wabi-sabi home: textiles, textures, colours, handmade pieces and collections. Each chapter considers how to incorporate these features into your own space and focuses on a single home that encapsulates these ideas and reveals the satisfying and authentic beauty in imperfection.