Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

195 Wabi-Sabi

An aesthetic style that emphasizes naturalness, simplicity, and subtle imperfection.

Wabi-sabi is at once a worldview, philosophy of life, type of aesthetic, and, by extension, principle of design. The term brings together two distinct Japanese concepts: wabi, which refers to a kind of transcendental beauty achieved through subtle imperfection, such as pottery that reflects its handmade craftsmanship; and sabi, which refers to beauty that comes with time, such as the patina found on aged copper. In the latter part of sixteenth-century Japan, the student Sen no Rikyu was tasked to tend the garden by his master. He cleared the garden of debris and scrupulously raked the grounds. Once the garden was perfectly groomed, he proceeded ...