Design showcase: Top five wabi-sabi projects

by | 15 Jun 2022 | Design

This week’s collaboration with TOPHOTELDESIGN focuses on five hotel projects drawing our attention to wabi-sabi design principles.

Projects from Ibiza to New York and Bacalar embrace this philosophy of appreciating the beauty of imperfection.

The wabi-sabi approach

“We do not dislike everything that shines, but we do prefer a pensive lustre to a shallow brilliance, a murky light that, whether in a stone or an artifact, bespeaks a sheen of antiquity…. we do love things that bear the marks of grime, soot, and weather, and we love the colours and the sheen that call to mind the past that made them.” ― Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows.

In Japanese aesthetics, the term wabi-sabi describes a way of understanding the world where the acceptance of transience and imperfection are valued.

This approach finds and appreciates the beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete in nature, resulting in characteristics like asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and an appreciation for the forces of nature that affect our tangible world.

Wabi-sabi values the impact of time on matter and the resulting unique aura that objects acquire by being worn out, broken and fixed over time. It also sees beauty in the scars left by nature and is interested in the lifespan of matter itself and its poetic decay. In a world where plasticky planned obsolescence is the norm, this is truly a breath of fresh air.

Today we have selected five projects that draw inspiration from this timeless concept. These designs are filled with interesting textures and interactions with light, highlighting the vibrating essence of all objects in the room.

Click on the links below and explore more projects on TOPHOTELDESIGN. 

Oku Ibiza

Sant Antoni de Portmany, Spain
by Oku Hotels

Imagery © Georg Roske

 

The Greenwich Hotel

New York, United States of America
by Axel Vervoordt

 

La Granja

Ibiza, Spain
by Dreimeta

 

Sunyata Hotel Meili

Diqing, China
by Zhaoyang Architects

 

Casa Hormiga

Bacalar, Mexico
by TallerMid51

Related Articles

Virgin Hotels previews second UK site

Virgin Hotels previews second UK site

Imagery courtesy of Virgin Hotels. Virgin Hotels has given a sneak peek at its upcoming Glasgow development ahead of its opening in December this year. Virgin Hotels Glasgow is the second site for the brand in the UK and will feature 240 Chambers spanning across 15...

Six Senses to open highly anticipated Swiss resort this December

Six Senses to open highly anticipated Swiss resort this December

Imagery © Six Senses. Six Senses Crans-Montana is on track for making its debut, just in time for the 2022-23 winter season, at the end of the year. The year-round slope-side property promises to combine vitality, serenity and adventure in a space featuring luxury...

Design concept: Shiroiya Hotel

Design concept: Shiroiya Hotel

Imagery © Katsumasa Tanaka. This week’s TOPHOTELDESIGN exclusive places the focus on industrial-chic Shiroiya Hotel featuring a man-made grassy hill. The 2020-completed hotel in Japan is the result of a collaborative design effort between several architecture and...

Boutique brand rebuilds historic houses for Japanese luxury resort

Boutique brand rebuilds historic houses for Japanese luxury resort

Imagery courtesy of The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts. The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts is relocating 19th century traditional kominka Japanese houses for a new luxury resort in Hokkaido. The Pavilions Niseko Resort will launch in Q4 2024, and the build includes...

Design showcase: Top 5 corridor designs

Design showcase: Top 5 corridor designs

This week’s collaboration with TOPHOTELDESIGN highlights the hotel hallways which make moving from one area to the next a fascinating exploration. We have chosen five properties which focus on the journey as well as the destination. These corridors not only lead to...

Roost moves further into the American south

Roost moves further into the American south

Imagery courtesy of Morris Adjmi Architects. Hot on the heels of an opening in Tampa, Florida, the Roost aparthotel brand is heading to neighbouring US state South Carolina with a development scheduled to launch in early 2024. Roost Charleston is intended to be a...