How to contemplate the
Wabi Sabi style in the Mediterranean
The Wabi sabi aesthetic is based on simplicity, modesty, symmetry and roughness. It is more intuitive than intellectual and is described by natural processes and the intimate environment.
Como sabemos esta corriente filosófica viene de Japón, pero no es necesario que tenga una estética japonesa para que sea Wabi sabi. Podemos encontrar Wabi sabi en cualquier elemento de decoración de estilo mediterráneo. Es un sentimiento que inunda cualquier parte, cualquier objeto.
Mediterranean decoration is nourished by traditional and local materials
Although it can be adapted to more or less modern guidelines, the truth is that it follows tradition in some way. The colours used are the warm colours of nature, white, beige, cream, ochre or stone, and are normally used as a backdrop.
As we have already seen, these are also one of the outstanding features of the Wabi sabi style.
Mediterranean craftsmanship in decoration styles
Mediterranean craftsmanship and design is something that endures over time and that is becoming more and more valuable. We can find wabi sabi in products made by local artisans, such as in ceramics and terracotta floors, in lamps and wicker baskets made with vegetable fibres and in carved stone benches placed at the entrance of houses in Valldemossa, Mallorca.
In these cases, you can find the marks of time and see the imprint that life has left on your path. You can see that they are simple objects, modest and with organic forms.
But the most important thing of all is, that they are manufactured under a manual work, where the process is full of sensitivity.
The beauty of the simple in the Mediterranean style
Wabi sabi products are those that have a soul, an essence, a simplicity of their own and a history behind them. We can find Mediterranean Wabi Sabi in the wooden doors of houses in Binissalem, Alaró or Lloseta, for example; in the stones of the entrance to the church of Santa Eugenia; in the wooden beams of the monastery of Lluc; in jute carpets; in plow elements of the countryside; in hydraulic tiles; in ancient earthenware pots; in woollen fabrics…
All these are just a few examples to understand that we are surrounded by simple elements, full of soul and great beauty. We are surrounded by Mediterranean Wabi Sabi. The important thing is to know how to take the time and tranquillity necessary to admire it and, above all, to understand it. Everyone, under their own vision, can make an interpretation of the Wabi sabi philosophy in any Mediterranean decorative object. You only have to contemplate that beauty.
In the decoration of Mediterranean houses, you can find objects that have passed from generation to generation. When we are young we don’t give them the value they have, but as we become adults, we realize the jewels and artistic pieces we have. These pieces are also sold in flea markets and local flea markets. You have to have an aesthetic taste based on the values of craftsmanship to appreciate these wonders, such as, for example, in pots and bowls made of clay or clay or in objects made of solid iron and forge.
Talking about decoration projects Wabi sabi is not exclusive to clay or stone objects. We can find authentic pieces made by local blacksmiths, such as the handrails on stairs or the minimalist irons used by our grandmothers to smooth clothes. Their clear imperfections by the passage of time, and the clear signs of the scarce means of manufacture that they used to have, are signs of authenticity.
Therefore, all these objects have that soul, essence and simplicity that so characterizes this philosophy, obviously without ceasing to be Mediterranean.
In short, both the Wabi sabi style and the Mediterranean have a clear connection with nature and all the materials extracted from it. In both, each piece or each element we see, conveys a feeling of recognizing its beauty. They have an admirable essence and a remarkable depth.