Region 10 of 10
Japan & Korea
Two lines across ten references: Japanese wabi-sabi and modern, and the warm-wood Korean apartment.
Style Lines in This Market
What Defines It
The Japanese line uses shikkui lime plaster, hand-applied in visible subtle gradations rather than flat emulsion paint. Partitions combine shoji paper screens with kumiko timber lattice, which transmit light without giving a view through.
Flooring is tatami in the primary bedroom with pale oak elsewhere, and tile is not used across large areas. Furniture is low: platform beds and low-backed sofas, with drum-shaped side tables on a single column base.
Lighting is deliberately without a central fixture, using concealed coving around the ceiling perimeter and local paper lanterns, at a low contrast and low level overall. The genkan entry uses a sunken stone floor with a raised timber step to make the level change explicit.
The tsuboniwa courtyard garden combines raked gravel, standing stones, moss and a bamboo water basin.
The Korean line runs warmer and brighter: warm wood with cream white, full-height handleless cabinet walls, softly rounded low-backed sofas, and concealed linear lighting around the ceiling perimeter. Shallow oak veneer, cream plaster, bouclé and oatmeal linen are paired with brass light fittings. Compared with the Japanese line it sits higher, warmer and holds considerably more storage.
References
Click any image to enlarge
Specifying for this market?
Tell us the market and the project type, and we will work from the dimensions, materials and finishes that suit it.
Start your project