Creating the Zen Experience In Your Home

Creating the Zen Experience in Your Own Home

Have you ever wished you had a place to escape for quiet time, a room away from it all where you can be alone with your thoughts? More people are creating such a space and calling it a Zen room. A Zen room is any place where you can sit and think without being distracted by the internet. It could be a closet, a corner of a room, or a whole room, but is created to provide calm, peace, and tranquility.

Typically, Zen rooms are decorated with natural or neutral colors, black and white photographs, or artworks that depict the wonders of nature. You can find Zen rooms in homes worldwide, although they may have different names. It’s a room where you can escape for a while without leaving your home. A Zen room is conducive to meditation. It is not specifically a meditation room, although you may choose to use it for meditation.

What Do People Do in Zen Rooms?

A Zen room can be a place for meditation, yoga, and other spiritual activities. It can also be a place to simply relax and feel at peace with yourself and with the world. In your Zen room, you might listen to music or sit quietly for a time. Whatever you decide to do in your Zen room, you will undoubtedly enjoy going there and having that space to do what you love.

What if you want to create a Zen room in your own home? Here are some characteristics a Zen room should have.

Emphasize Light

There’s something therapeutic about natural light. It helps set your internal circadian rhythm for better mental and physical health, and it has a calming effect. Choose a room in your home that gets lots of light. Light

from the sun is the best because it is free, offers the full spectrum of colors, and changes throughout the day. A sunny window or a skylight are ideal. If this isn’t possible, try to use a lamp with full-spectrum lights, which will provide day-like light without glare.

Some people prefer to have a dimmer switch attached to the light fixture so they can adjust the level of light for their individual needs. This can also make it easier to fall asleep afterward in a darkened room. Don’t use fluorescent lighting or any other type of lighting that can strain your eyes after a short time.

Keep It Simple

Keep it simple, and sparsely decorated. When you’re trying to relax or meditate, too many objects disrupt the calm state you’re trying to achieve. The last thing you want is lots of clutter to clutter your mind. Focus on what you can remove from your Zen room to make it more restful for your mind. Clutter is the enemy of calm. At most, have a single comfortable chair in your Zen room in a natural material like wicker or rattan. Some people don’t even have furniture; they just have a mat to sit on.

If possible, choose a room with white walls, or lightcolored walls in shades of pale blue or green. Blues and greens are colors that relax the mind. You can also include inexpensive rugs and cushions that feel good against your feet and body.

Add Touches of Nature

Nature has a calming effect on the mind and body. Display plants near the windows where light comes in. You might even consider an inexpensive desktop fountain to enjoy the sound of flowing water when you spend time in your Zen room. A few simple photos of nature scenes, such as the ocean, will further enhance the calm you feel.

Hide the Clutter

If you live in a small house and can’t remove all the clutter, invest in a room divider to hide the clutter. Simply position the room divider in front of items you can’t remove, so they’re not visible. But remove as many distractions from your Zen room as possible to create a sense of calm. The main feature that makes a place Zen is the lack of distractions. There should be no television, no computer, no internet access, and no books to distract you. A Zen room is a place you use to escape from those things.

Consider the Aroma of Your Zen Room

Certain aromas are relaxing and add to the feeling of Zen. For example, when you feel tense or stressed, add a few drops of lavender or orange oil to a diffuser and let the aroma fill your Zen room. These two scents are proven stress relievers. Just take several deep breaths and let your mind and body relax as you inhale these calming scents.

The Bottom Line

To have a Zen room is a privilege; not everyone has one. It’s not about buying an expensive couch or having ornaments on your table, but rather about having an open mind and heart, as well as a quiet space to relax your mind and body. It can be anything you want it to be, as long as it helps you find your Zen.

A Picture-Perfect Pivot

By Heather Hurst

It’s a story we’re all too familiar with, by now. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives across the country and the world, but its daily impact was most keenly felt at home. Our homes became our offices, schools and sanctuaries—leading so many people to take on renovations or home improvement projects that it rocked the design and construction sector and shifted the industry in substantial, even surprising ways.

When daily life ground to a halt in 2020, interior designer Emily Richter’s practice EKR Interior Design Inc. was primarily focused on serving clients in the commercial and hospitality sectors. Practically overnight, restaurants replaced themselves with residences. Clients needed answers to storage, functionality and space issues, but beyond the practicality, Richter realized there was a common thread in what her clients sought: a sense of peace.

For many people, coming through the long, shut-in winter of early 2021 into the light and freedom of summer felt like a release from captivity. Staying at home, everyone had received a crash course in how design can support and sustain not just productivity and organization, but one’s own mental and emotional wellbeing. Light, nature and space were no longer taken for granted, but rejoiced in. Everyone was getting back to basics.

So it was with Richter and the color gray. Gray has unequivocally been the stand-out neutral of choice thus far in the 21st century, but like anything that becomes fashionable, too much of a good thing becomes a challenge to reinterpret. When Richter’s client in Asheville told her they loved the color gray, she knew she was up to the task. What she didn’t expect, when she first took on the job, was how it would reignite not only her passion for the residential side of her work, but also for the versatility and elegance of the color gray.

Entrusting Richter and her team with the project while quarantined offsite, the client did not get to preview the remodel until the project was completed. Emily found the modern mountain style of their house charming and knew its character would play well to a streamlined aesthetic.

“There are so many possibilities with remodeling and that’s something I really enjoy,” says Richter. “I love to envision the potential of what’s already there. Simplifying things is usually the best solution, only making changes where necessary.”

In reimagining the client’s well-cared-for but outdated master bathroom, Richter looked first to the outdoors. By replacing the small window and creating a centerpiece glass wall, the space now maximizes light, while taking full advantage of its stunning privacy and views. A simple, modern retractable shade was installed to complement the clean lines, while affording the option for additional privacy.

The floating vanity and cabinets are a custom design made by a local cabinetmaker, featuring a matte finish quartz composite countertop. The backdrop of artisan glass tile adds more interest to the space than did the previous wall to wall mirror.

While overdesigning the room might have competed with its indisputable star—the view—Richter has carefully combined and selected sophisticated materials that elevate the space and truly rise to the occasion. The most prominent feature is the tile, a large format onyx porcelain is the main finish, accented with a glass mosaic. The subtle interplay of patterns creates interest, while the soft, muted gray palette allows the eye to rest and draws one’s view to the mountains beyond. Even the delicate, modern light fixture belies her expertise: instead of choosing a statement light that interferes with the view, she has skillfully incorporated an arrestingly simple and elegant wall fixture that radiates a sense of intimate, cozy luxury.

It is, at once, an ideal setting for forgetting about the world, and also for preparing to face it once again. For Richter, it has reaffirmed her love of transforming a space and making it extraordinary.

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