LalitaZ's Profile

Wabi-sabi? I don't think so. I've lived in Japan for 15 years, and studied the culture intensely, and I can tell you that the only kitchen that comes close to the concept is the one depicted in the first image. And it only comes close, mind you -- it doesn't quite make it.

W-S is NOT about nostalgia or shabby chic (which is what your examples seem to embody), but about the essence of nature, about the "perfectness" of what many would consider imperfect, and a bit too complicated to go into at length here. If you want to get a true sense of w-s, check out Leonard Koren's "Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers." It's available on Amazon for less then $13.00 and worth every penny!

Seems the term has just become the latest yuppie bastardization!