Wabi-Sabi Architecture

Recently I had the opportunity to photograph one of the homes designed by late architect Eddy Francois in one of his favorite styles: Wabi-Sabi.

I can honestly say that this property has one of the most special designs that I had the opportunity of photographing. The interior and exterior flow perfectly into one another, which is largely due to the choice of materials. The woods, the terracotta floor, the brick as well as the pigmented concrete copy the colour of the trees, and are in balance with the white walls and floors, which enhance the play of light and shadow in the wooded area.

The beautiful woodwork seems to make the building blend into the trees, and the floor-to-ceiling windows make the outside trees look like part of the interior. The interior design blends into the architecture, and the architecture blends into the surroundings. This vision of architecture reflects the way-of-living where man is close to nature: nature teaches us the beauty of the weathered, appreciate the imperfect and asymmetric.

This is a Japanese way of living / world-view, more commonly know as “The Art of Imperfection” or Wabi-Sabi.

On UTNE reader they describe it quite well:

Broadly, wabi-sabi is everything that today’s sleek, mass-produced, technology-saturated culture isn’t. It’s flea markets, not shopping malls; aged wood, not swank floor coverings; one single morning glory, not a dozen red roses. Wabi-sabi understands the tender, raw beauty of a grey December landscape and the aching elegance of an abandoned building or shed.