Bathroom Workbook: 13 Elements of Asian Style
Most of us can use more relaxation. The hospitality industry knows this, and that’s why it has responded accordingly with luxurious hotel rooms and calming spas. But who wants to wait around for that rare occasion of staying in a nice room or getting a massage?
Homeowners want to bring these relaxing experiences home, so they’re asking their designers and architects for spa-like refuges where they can relax, unwind and feel like they’re somewhere special. What they often end up with is a master bathroom that heavily draws on Asian influences, with a big focus on bathing and natural materials.
“Nature and people are more closely connected in Asian culture than Western, and to me that is the main factor of Asian style,” says Fumiko Faiman, an interior designer in Irvine, California, who was born and raised in Japan. “One of the powerful characteristics of Asian design is that they’re always trying to bring in nature or something that suggests the natural environment.”
Here are a few key elements of the style and how you can bring it home.
“Asian style” is a broad term and can mean different things to different people in different regions. For example, Asian style in Australia is less formal and has more roots in places like Bali, Indonesia and Thailand. In places like California, Asian style is much more influenced by the Japanese culture and aesthetic. What you’ll commonly find across most Asian styles is a respect for tradition, ceremony, peace and relaxation.
Separate water closet. “From spas, people have seen how bathing has been formalized and expanded to luxuriating in a tub that’s separate from where you brush your teeth,” says Josh Blumer, an architect and a designer who’s traveled throughout Asia and added the style to many of his clients’ homes in Southern California, including the one seen here. “The Japanese, for example, have had that as part of their culture for a long time. Bathing and cleaning happen separately.”
Neutral colors. Earth tones are most common, but when color is introduced it has an intense, natural energy to it. Think a fiery orange, like the sun, as seen here in another shot from Blumer’s bathroom design.
Built-by-hand quality. Vanities and bathtubs that look like pieces of furniture are common in this stye. “Almost everything in the space should look like it was built by hand,” Blumer says. “It harkens back to Asian craftsmen and the traditional vernacular construction that incorporated regional materials put together by hand — a lot of stone, wood, leather.”
Wood surfaces. Nothing conveys the built-by-hand look more than wood. General contractor Cassie Couzzo took that idea to the extreme in this Portland, Oregon, bathroom. When a client asked for a “spa, Zen-like bathroom,” she worked with an architect to find natural materials that would convey that. They looked at photos and did some research and came up with the idea of wrapping the entire space in wood salvaged from a river dock. “We weren’t thinking, ‘Oh, we’re going to build a Japanese bath,’” Couzzo says. “But we started working, and that is what we felt should inspire us.”
Minimal, clean lines and a lack of clutter also drove the project, and pushed the design more in line with Asian style. “Even the carriage door was inspired by sliding Japanese-style rice paper doors,” Couzzo says.
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Bathroom Workbook: 13 Elements of Asian Style
