The ultimate Wabi-Sabi guide and how to embrace it in your garden.

Featured Inspiration

Published: 18th May 2018

Written by: Bryony Hayburn

So, first off, you might be wondering, what on earth is Wabi-Sabi? Well, although it might be new to you and ourselves, this philosophy has been practised in Japanese culture for years.

Wabi-Sabi is the ancient Japanese art of imperfect beauty; it’s accepting the natural life cycle of the things around you, and allowing yourself to appreciate them.

Don’t worry, this isn’t a new fad we’re trying to push on you, rather it’s a new way of looking at your home and your life. There really is no wrong way to go about adding a little Wabi-Sabi into your life, and you won’t have to break the bank to embrace its principles either. All you need to do is shift your perspective from perfecting everything around you, to appreciating it. Sounds pretty good to us.

There’s no direct translation for Wabi-Sabi, but it is essentially the art of finding beauty in the imperfect, so we think you can create your own definition to make it fit your life.

Wabi-Sabi is the perfect philosophy to apply to your garden, not only is it on trend but it’s minimal effort too! Let your garden grow where it likes, allow everything to take up the space it wants and needs to. Clean lines are a thing of the past too, allow your garden décor to hang and wrap anywhere that feels right.

Let your lights hang, don’t overthink when placing your lights; this un-regimented style is the perfect way to add that effortless Wabi-Sabi feel to already overgrown foliage.

Make use of any existing structures in your garden and allow your plants to naturally grow around them. Fences, pergolas and archways are perfect for this, adding lights is a stunning way of creating zones in your garden.

As Wabi-Sabi is rooted in Buddhism, and arose from tea ceremonies, this solar Buddha head is the perfect way to add a calming presence to your garden.

Wrapping lights around branches and foliage is the perfect way to highlight your garden’s natural beauty and celebrate its perfect imperfections.