It’s been likened to a quiet storm. The type that doesn’t rage but whispers, making its way across the ocean in waves. Far too ancient to be considered trendy, Japanese influences are certainly current, at once a portal for beautiful aesthetics and a more serene way of living. How one culture came to embody such ideals is explored by Joy Hendry in her seminal essay, Wrapping Culture: “In Japan, there is a certain power attached to the condition of being enclosed. Ascetics who shut themselves away were said to gain spiritual power, a concept known as utsubo”. While utsubo initially applied to only a handful of Zen philosophers, it soon trickled into the wider culture, leading to a more thoughtful approach to the way we design interiors.

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Wardrobes, Porro, price on request.

Today, many Japanese homes are distinguished by a sense of lightness. Dining room furniture is characterised by open lines that encourage conversation while ethereal paper lanterns provide a halo of luminosity overhead. In these soft and soulful spaces, sharp edges are few and far between, replaced by rounded silhouettes that seem to have been worn down by the passing of water or time.

Such soothing overtures can be plainly felt in our own pantheon of design. In 2020, Moroso brought forth the Gogan sofa: a smooth behemoth that in name and nature recalled the protective pebbles placed along Japanese riverbanks. And just this year, Patricia Urquiola has brought forth new additions to the Sengu range — lounging and dining furniture that draws on the sacred materials found in Shinto temples.

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Kyoto coffee table, Poltrona Frau, £7,080.

In their unusual shapes and silhouettes, they remind us that, while homes will rarely achieve an objective notion of perfection, they can aspire to a certain degree of soulfulness, achieved through the use of a rich material palette and the emotions they evoke.

It’s an idea that even extends towards some of the more traditionally bulky items of furniture. In the hands of designers like Isamu Noguchi and Naoto Fukasawa, beds, lounge chairs and coffee tables seem to float above the ground, working to maximise the impression of comfort and space.

Journalist Marilena Sobacchi has described this new lexis of lightness as a concentration of expressivity in minimal form. And yet perhaps a more colloquial way of thinking of it is the ability to say a lot with a little. In the subsequent absence of ornamentation, there is room to think — an idea Marie Kondo has repopularised in her bestselling series The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. As Kondo puts it: “When your room is clean and uncluttered, you have no choice but to examine your inner state.”

Nor is the search for lightness restricted to interiors. Downloads of meditation apps like Calm and Headspace have rocketed during the pandemic. So too, has the demand for a new type of influencer, who advocates buying once and buying well over an endless cycle of materialism. Transcending the zeitgeist in 2022 will naturally look different for everyone. But there’s something rather endearing about the idea that calm, stillness and serenity can become the house you live in. It’s in this arena that Japanese inspired-interiors excel. Championing intentionality over excess and stillness instead of clutter.

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AJ floor lamp, Louis Poulsen, £900. Akari floor lamp, £589, Vitra from Chaplins.

As we tiptoe into another year, finding peace in the rhythms of everyday life feels more important than ever.

Anna Howell is Chaplins interiors editor. To explore any of the soothing designs in this article, head to www.chaplins.co.uk or visit Chaplins in-store, where a carefully-curated world of international design awaits.

Chaplins Furniture, 020 8421 1779
477-507 Uxbridge Road, HA5 4JS