Wabi-WHAT??

By Nancy May 28th, 2010

In my last entry, I wrote a quick line that included the Japanese term “wabi-sabi”. Today I’m going to explain what it means! It has nothing to do with wasabi (another of my favorite things), nor does it have anything to do with Kemo Sabe, or any other wabi or sabi words that may come to mind.

Let’s start by breaking down the words: wabi connotes rustic simplicity, freshness or quietness, and can be applied to both natural and human-made objects, or understated elegance. It can also refer to quirks and anomalies arising from the process of construction, which add uniqueness and elegance to the object. Sabi is beauty or serenity that comes with age, when the life of the object and its impermanence are evidenced in its patina and wear, or in any visible repairs. Since I just had a birthday, I’m all in favor of beauty and serenity that comes with age!

Where I think of wabi-sabi the most is when I see that a client has a family heirloom piece and we’re able to use it in our design. For example, a gently worn and somewhat tarnished silver bowl that belonged to great-grandma and is now displayed in a place of prominence instead of stuck in a closet because it has a dent. So what about the dent! It was great-grandmas bowl and it’s beautiful. It’s wabi-sabi.

If an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.