Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated
by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler
Wabi-Sabi
Objects and environments that embody naturalness, simplicity, and subtle imperfection achieve a deeper, more meaningful aesthetic.
Wabi-sabi is at once a world view, 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, a student of the Way of Tea, Sen no Rikyu, was tasked to tend the garden by his master, Takeno Jo-o. Rikyu cleared the garden of debris and scrupulously ...
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