La Carmina is an award-winning journalist who specializes in alternative travel, subcultures, Japan and design. In the words of Dōgen, 13th century founder of the Sōtō school, Zen is a dynamic practice that lets us engage with life in a way that “expects nothing, seeks nothing, and grasps nothing.” Adding elements of this insight to our homes can help us be more mindful of the present, and make peace with change as it arises. He suggests adding a small indoor sand garden as both a decorative element and a contemplative ritual. Yuen sources raw natural materials like bamboo and stone, which age gracefully with the passing of time. Zen tea masters prized cracked and uneven bowls, as they are a reminder that everything changes-so we should cherish what is in front of us at the moment.

Yuen also incorporates wabi-sabi, or the appreciation of imperfection and transience. Rather than seeming bare, a void can create the feeling of tranquility, and may even be considered the focus of a room. “I pay attention to how both positive and negative spaces flow through each other,” he says. Yuen emphasizes yohaku-no-bi, the artistic concept that finds beauty in empty space, such as the white paper in a sumi-e ink painting. The placement of a single bonsai tree, for example, can change the entire balance of a room,” he explains. “In my works, I explore the connection between spaces and the objects within them. Yuen says cultivating a Zen-like living space is about more than stripping away color and ornamentation. Love knowing the best design trends? We’ve got you covered. Ando’s architecture evokes the Buddha’s words in the Heart Sutra: “Form is no other than emptiness emptiness no other than form.” Shigeru Ban’s bare-bones experiments-he has built a home out of paper, and another without walls-are what Yuen calls “a process of dismantling and rebuilding.” Kengo Kuma described his 2014 “Sensing Spaces” exhibition like a koan, or Zen riddle: “The nothing is not really nothing I wanted to show the richness of nothing through the pavilion.” Tadao Ando uses colossal concrete planes to play with light and space, while harmonizing with the natural surroundings. Today, three of Japan’s most revered architects carry on the Zen legacy through their futuristic visions. Tadao Ando’s Chichu Museum in Naoshima, Japan is a study in concrete forms and emptiness. Contemporary architects like Britain’s John Pawson-who once aspired to be a Zen monk in Japan before turning to design-communicate this “experience of oneness” through well-lit open spaces and stark lines. Pioneer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe summed up the philosophy in his famous 1947 dictum: “Less is more.” While these modern structures typically lacked the elements of a traditional Japanese home, they captured the same sense of austere emptiness with materials such as concrete, steel, and glass. Zen aesthetics strongly influenced the minimalist architecture movement that emerged in the mid 20 th century. The effect is deceptively simple, yet invokes a deep meditation in the viewer.

This Zen garden sets 15 stones in groups over coarse white sand, in a purely abstract composition. Karesansui, or rock and sand gardens, reached their zenith in the late 15 thcentury with Ryoan-ji. The capital, Kyoto, became the center of impressive temples such as Kinkaku-ji, a three-story pavilion partly covered in gold leaf that glistens under the sun. In the Muromachi era (1336–1573), the Ashikaga shoguns spearheaded an artistic resurgence that supported the Zen priesthood. The Zen rock garden was created by notable landscape architect Mirei Shigemori (1896-1975). Guests can stay with the monks and enjoy hot spring baths. Koyasan Onsen Fukuchiin, a historic Japanese temple that now doubles as a ryokan (inn).

Japanese minimalist house