By Nadia Vommaro

Home design and decorating are seeing major changes in the way we choose to organize and decorate our homes. Home design and decorating must meet your lifestyle needs and truly reflect your taste and zest for life. Your home is your haven, a part of you and those you love most.
One of the major trends we are seeing in home design is Zen Simplicity. A refinement of sleek, clean lines combined with the casual, comfortable look of shabby chic.
Throw in an element of Asian aesthetics and you will create a tranquil soothing environment, capable of calming the stresses of the day.

This look is a sanctuary, a place of calm that does not sacrifice comfort. As we strive to simplify our lives we must also reduce clutter and excess within our homes.
With so many of us working longer hours and the overwhelming quantities of technology in our lives, we want private retreats, private niches in our homes. A Private Sanctuary is a place to curl up and read a book or to meditate and escape the chaos of the world we live in. Despite the trend for open concept living, we crave a room of ones own. This niche can be as simple a favorite reading chair in the corner of a sunny room or a bathroom that feels like a spa. The trick is not only to design a private space or niche but, to then take the time to enjoy it.

Key points to simplify your life and enjoy your surroundings to their fullest, consider decorating with the following ancient Zen principles:

Simplicity:
People in North America clutter their dwellings with unnecessary items. Zen decoration suggests a minimalist approach ¡V doing more with less.

Ornament and Purpose:
Imagine your home with only the bare essentials in it. Remove anything that does not have a specific use. Now choose one or two items just for decoration. You will see and feel an enormous difference.

Mindfulness:
Each article in your home produces a conscious and purposeful environment. Choose each item with determination. By doing so, you create space for ideas to grow and breathing room for your spiritual life.

Light:
Even placing a simple sculpture strategically in your home will create ever-changing dynamics throughout the day and result in a flow of positive energy that inspires you, your partner and your guests.

Colors:
Pick Earth tones and allow your apartment or house to reflect a harmonious palette of possibilities. Keep any objects that are artless out of your space this will contribute to the overall effect.

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