How to Decorate a Watergarden in Traditional Japanese Styles

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The three most classic Japanese water garden styles are Sibiu , Wabi. And Sabi.
The literal translation of the word Shibui means puckery and is associated with the astringent qualities of the green permission. Things that are shibui (also known as shibuimono) are symbolic of elements that are more austere and reserved in nature, rather than sweet or cute! The word is also associated with “good taste” in the Japanese language.

Still water or reflective water is associated with this design element.

Things that are shibui are also considered to be timeless. It describes elements that are simple, yet beautiful. In Japanese Garden design a number of characteristics define it as shibui including:

• A lack of clutter. The Japanese Garden pond is not the place where you will find a cluster of ceramic garden gnomes.

• Smooth planar surfaces. Flowers are not planted or hung from trees or other structures. Gleaming planes of rock are preferable.

• Odd numbers. Plants and other objects gathered together in low odd numbers (such as two or three rocks as opposed to seventy multi-colored rocks). The asymmetry of the number is three is preferable to the symmetry of things grouped in twos.\

• Sublety. Structures and pathways boast little or no decoration, only the most minimal of symbols.

• No corners. The pond is round in shape.

• Minimal Use of Color. The garden makes use of monochromatic colors. The desired colors of the garden pond are greens with the occasional dash of pink from a lotus.

The Wabi style is also very popular.Wabi also refers to arrangements that provoke a sense of melancholia or existentialism in the viewer. An example of a Wabi type aesthetic experience in a pond is the replacing of a rock that has been pounded smooth by the slow dripping of falling water over time. There is no direct way to explain this in English, but one quality of Wabi is its ability to provoke both elation and sadness at the same time. Babbling and trickling sounds are associated with this type of pond as are objects that have been worn by water or weather.
Such a garden pond’s intention is to restore emotional equilibrium to psyches that are out of touch with nature.
The word that best describes the Sabi concept of the aesthetic that is most comparable to the Western ideas is rustic. Objects in a Sabi garden have a patina and well-worn look to them. The entire aesthetic of Sabi is that “with age comes beauty.”
Sabi gardens show an appreciation of wizened objects such as very old Bonsai trees. There is a serenity and privacy to a Sabi garden that often features very old lichens, bamboo and stone draping into the water In this case, irregularities of nature, such as the occasional creeping vine or stray ground cover is allowed as these plants represent the omnipresent passage of time.

How to Decorate With Knob Finishes That Coordinate Well

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When choosing knobs and drawer pulls you not only have to consider their durability and practicality of the material they are made from, you also have to consider how the knobs are going to fit in with your overall decorating scheme.

For instance, ceramic or wood drawer pulls would probably look old fashioned in a big, flashy metallic kitchen in a condo. This type of décor is much better suited to aluminum, nickel or stone knobs and pulls.

The finish, which includes the color and the texture of the piece is your first consideration. First of all you need to note whether or not the color of the pull will match the rest of your décor. A choice of color might be obvious when it comes to choosing plastic or wooden drawer handles but it might not be so obvious when it comes to figuring out what type of metal finish is best.

As a rule of thumb remember that the more textured and two-toned that a finish looks on a drawer pull, the heavier and weightier it is going to look. This is why drawers and cupboards that are made out of wooden slats often look good with a pull that is two toned or heavily textured. If the cabinet or light in color it might look good with a heavily textured fixture.
Drawers and cabinets made of natural wood can also bear the weighty look of a two toned or heavily textured pulls especially if they are a more golden colored wood such as oak or maple. Usually black fixtures with a rough surface look great wooden kitchen or even on the drawers in an all-wooden library.

Perhaps the trickiest color of drawer pull to deal with is bronze. Depending on what color you place it against it can either look stunning or ghastly. For instance, bronze pulls just don’t look that distinctive when placed against veneered wooden surfaces but they look great when affixed to a cabinet painted a glossy pure white or black.

The types of pulls that suit either light or dark woods are ceramic or glass. Go for glass pulls if you are looking for a Victorian or antique look. White ceramic pulls look best on lighter woods and in rooms that are painted in lighter shades such as lemon yellow or a leafy green.Novelty plastic pulls look best when they are placed against a glossy bright primary color or white.

Copper and wooden pulls are not recommended for steamy bathrooms and humid kitchens. Copper oxidizes and wood cracks and retains bacteria. Perhaps the best type of fixture for a bathroom is stone, plastic or metal.

Always remember that the definition of good taste is sometimes “form following functionality” even when it comes to choosing something that seems as a minor as a pull for your cabinet door or drawer.