The Independent highlights how minimalism can promote the flow of energy within a space, giving those who dwell within the space a sense of peace and tranquility. While often overlooked in minimalist home design, the bathroom can provide a great statement if properly configured and decorated.
While you can certainly apply minimalist design principles in almost any area of your home, the bathroom is a great place to start as it’s often the first stop each morning and the first stop after a long and grueling day at work. Read on for some interesting minimalist bathroom design trends you can apply to your home to promote Zen.
Minding the Details
Minimalist design can’t be attributed to one specific thing. To truly be minimalist, every minute within a space has to contribute towards channeling a sense of Zen and peace. This also means that the design pieces that you implement should serve a function in making you feel relaxed and foster tranquility within the space. This can range from utilizing natural sources of light to the material used in the bathroom itself.
Considering how often the toilet gets used, it is surprising that many homeowners don’t consider upgrading it to increase the users comfort level. If you can’t budget for a minimalist Japanese high-tech toilet there is another simple adjustment you can do to make sitting on the toilet more comfortable – upgrade the seat. There are a variety of styles and shapes you can choose from which can improve the comfort immensely. They can come in round-ended, D-shaped and pointed oval shapes, and can be made of different materials. One subtle change you can make that’ll make a world of a difference is switching up your plastic toilet seat with a wooden one. Wood retains heat far better than plastic, saving you from that sudden jolt that comes with sitting on a cold toilet. Indeed, small changes like these go a long way in promoting a Japanese Minimalist Aesthetic and Zen atmosphere in your bathroom space.
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De-cluttering Your Bathroom
You can’t have a space that’s minimalist if there’s clutter everywhere. As we’ve already talked about in our article on Feng Shui basics, clearing the clutter makes way for good energy and will do wonders for both your physical and psychological well-being. Unsurprisingly, this principle also applies when it comes to promoting Zen and minimalism in your bathroom.
However, it’s a given that there are quite a number of things that you’ll need to keep in your bathroom, such as beauty and skincare products. One way you can address this issue is by making use of efficient storage spaces such as wall-mounted cabinets for items that you need at arm’s length and adding extra shelves that you can use to display ornaments and candles. Making use of these things will ensure that energy flows freely within the open spaces of your bathroom, as clearing physical obstructions contributes to clearing spiritual ones.
Incorporate Nature to Create Bathroom Zen
The BBC’s guide on Zen highlights that it stems from Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism, which are beliefs deeply rooted in nature. It’s about stripping away the excess and returning to the bareness of the natural world to achieve peace and tranquility. One way to channel this in your bathroom is by incorporating elements of nature into its overall design and interiors.
You can do this by adding plants in your bathroom, giving it that lush and fresh atmosphere in your home. Be sure to check if the plants you include are suitable for the indoors and how much watering they’ll need to survive. Another thing you can do is incorporate more wooden pieces such as wooden countertops or wooden flooring in your bathroom. However, one thing you have to be wary of when using wood in bathrooms is water damage. To help get around this issue, you can treat these wood pieces using tung oil to protect them from moisture.
While these tips can help you live a more Zen lifestyle, there’s more to it than how you design your home. To really achieve peace and tranquility, you’ll have to adapt its mindset and beliefs that go beyond the superficial.
Written by Reese Jones
For the exclusive use of minimalism.co
