How to Create a Zen Haven in Any Room

After a long, busy day, sometimes it can be difficult to wind down and relax. Our home environment can greatly affect how we feel and it’s been proven to have a profound effect on our mood—so what we need is a tranquil space in our home, where we can relax, and shed the toil and troubles of the day. 

Here are some tips to help you create an elegant and serene Zen-inspired space that will feel like a safe, peaceful haven.

Choose calm colours

To create the perfect Zen interior, select soft and calming colour schemes that will provide a restful ambience in your chosen room. Avoid stark brilliant white or rich colours and instead opt for softer hues, such as ivory, whites with a tint or dusky pastel tones such as soft peach, mint, blue and mauve. These shades can be partnered with subtle dove grey for a chic and elegant finish. You can also complement these tones with a black feature wall. While black may seem like a strange choice for a Zen style interior, a monochrome colour palette gives a simple, streamlined look that creates a calm atmosphere.

Bring the outside in

Nature is a big part of creating a Zen space. Plants not only purify the air but can also add a pop of colour in an otherwise neutral room. Simple green foliage and trees such as bonsai, palms and umbrella plants work well in large bamboo planters. They’ll look wonderful in the corner of the room or placed next to a seating area to bring the relaxing vibe of being outdoors, indoors. Cactus and succulents also look great in a minimal Zen interior and they require minimal care, so there won’t be any stress over-dying plants!

They can be placed in a linear formation along a windowsill, oak dining table, mantelpiece or sideboard for an elegant visual detail. If you wish to add more colour or soften the look of your space, then opt for indoor blossoms or Japanese maples to provide a hint of pastel colour.

Other natural items, such as a dish or vase of attractive pebbles or wood carvings also suit a Zeb interior perfectly.

Create a sense of space

A Zen-inspired room should be light, but not aggressively bright. If the room you’re transforming into your Zen haven is more cramped or dark than you would like, a mirror can help to make space look bigger and help to bring in light. We have a lovely range of natural oak mirrors, including wall mirrors suitable for any room and vanity mirrors and cheval mirrors ideal for your bedroom or dressing room.

Our Rustic Oak Large Mirror, shown below, will make a wonderful addition to your Zen-inspired room, or you may prefer one of our painted mirrors in calm cream, white or dove grey.

Furniture for your Zen haven

Natural wood and painted wood surfaces both work well; both sleek and natural looks are part of the Zen aesthetic. Natural wooden shelving will provide a subtle contrast against pale walls, as will natural oak flooring. You can mix these natural finishes with white or dove grey painted furniture to create a look that’s both fresh, clean and relaxing. Rattan style furniture will look great in a naturally serene Zen interior while bamboo screens, plant pots and woven vases will add subtle detail to your room.

Our ranges of grey painted furniture to complement a Zen interior beautifully. Our Downton Grey collection and our Cotswold Grey range both include a wide variety of furniture items and accessories such as mirrors to suit every room in your house, and both feature some items that include woven storage baskets, offering the ideal Zen combination of serene grey surfaces and natural materials.

Our Cotswold Grey Painted Large Basket Sideboard is a beautiful and practical piece of furniture for any Zen-inspired space, with dove grey painted surfaces, a natural oak stained top, three spacious drawers and six large rattan storage baskets.

Lighting for your Zen inspired room

Keep the lighting as subtle and calming as possible, avoiding stark or bold lighting and light fixtures. Use soft illumination to complement the relaxed environment and zoned areas of illumination to highlight specific areas or features such as an alcove or ornament, or to provide lighting for functional areas such as a dining table or sofa.

Lantern style lighting works well, as the filigree style shades cast elegant shadows around the room. Japanese style paper lanterns are ideal for a Zen-inspired interior as they create a muted style of light. A row or grouping of candles can also add soft, soothing light to a piece of furniture, an area of the room or an empty fireplace.

For more ideas on creating a Zen-inspired home interior, take a look at our Zen Interiors Pinterest Board and explore our full range of grey painted furniture and oak furniture on our website.

Have a query about how to choose furniture for your Zen room? Then contact us for friendly advice. You can drop us an email or call our friendly team on 01829 759 259.