10 Japanese Home Decor Tricks That Make a Room Look Expensive (But Cost Almost Nothing!)

Ten Japanese home decor tricks can make a room look expensive for almost nothing, and the first one is a $10 paper shade. The last one is a piece of furniture Japan keeps in a museum as a national treasure, and a version for your living room costs $30 to $60. I'm Richard Nakamura. I fixed appliances for thirty years. The Japanese side comes from Japan's own ministries, its museums and its architecture dictionaries; the prices come from IKEA, Target, Walmart, Angi and ENERGY STAR. The 10 tricks: 1. A paper shade over the bulb (Gifu lanterns, Noguchi's Akari): about $10, plus $20 for a plug-in cord set. Use a warm 2700K LED 2. One branch, not a bouquet (ikebana): free from your yard, in a $15 bud vase 3. A furoshiki on the wall: one square of cloth (about $30 to $35) that does five jobs 4. Two sets of cushion covers, swapped on June 1 and October 1 (koromogae): linen for summer, wool for winter 5. Handmade, mismatched cups and bowls (wabi-sabi), three to a shelf 6. A tea tray as the centerpiece: one teapot, two cups, nothing else 7. Incense, "listened to" (kodo): one stick, twenty minutes before guests arrive 8. One piece of "Japan blue" indigo in every room, and only one 9. A long, narrow print that changes with the seasons (like the scroll in a Japanese alcove) 10. The folding screen (byobu): a $30 to $60 fabric divider that hides a corner, becomes an art wall or splits a big room Safety: LED bulbs only inside paper shades, under the wattage printed on the shade, and never leave incense burning in an empty room. 🔗 Save Thousands on Repairs, Replacements and Power Bills — My Complete Home-Saving Method: https://nakamurasecrets.com SOURCES • The Noguchi Museum, the history of Akari — https://www.noguchi.org/isamu-noguchi/digital-features/the-history-of-akari-light-sculptures/ • ENERGY STAR, light bulb purchasing guide — https://www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/asset/document/Light%20Bulb%20Purchasing%20Guide_16Mar2020.pdf • IKEA, GULLSUDARE paper pendant shade — https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/gullsudare-pendant-lamp-shade-white-handmade-80583616/ • IKEA, HAVSRIS cord set with switch — https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/havsris-cord-set-with-switch-white-80490052/ • Angi, light fixture installation cost — https://www.angi.com/articles/how-much-does-it-cost-install-lighting-fixture.htm • Kids Web Japan (MOFA), ikebana — https://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/culture/q4.html • Ikenobo, about ikebana — https://www.ikenobo.jp/english/about/ • Target, ceramic bud vase — https://www.target.com/p/rustic-ceramic-bud-vase-threshold-8482/-/A-94685990 • Japan's Ministry of the Environment, the furoshiki (2006) — https://www.env.go.jp/en/headline/169.html • JAANUS, seigaiha — https://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/s/seigaiha.htm • JAANUS, asanoha — https://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/a/asanoha.htm • nippon.com, koromogae — https://www.nippon.com/en/features/jg00059/ • Kyoto City, the wisdom of Kyoto townhouses (Japanese) — https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/tokei/cmsfiles/contents/0000260/260189/04_kyoumachiyanochie.pdf • IKEA, DYTÅG linen cushion cover — https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/dytag-cushion-cover-red-brown-10517682/ • Encyclopaedia Britannica, Sen Rikyu (wabi and sabi) — https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sen-Rikyu • Encyclopaedia Britannica, kintsugi — https://www.britannica.com/art/kintsugi-ceramics • JNTO, the tea ceremony — https://www.japan.travel/en/guide/tea-ceremony/ • Kotobank, monko (Japanese) — https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%81%9E%E9%A6%99-143148 • Japan Tourism Agency, Japan Blue — https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/en/R2-01794.html • nippon.com, the tokonoma through the seasons — https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g02582/ • Smithsonian archives, House Beautiful's 1960 shibui issues — https://asia.si.edu/research/archives/search/ead_collection:sova-fsa-a1988-03 • Encyclopaedia Britannica, shibui — https://www.britannica.com/art/shibui • JAANUS, byobu — https://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/b/byoubu.htm • Nezu Museum, Ogata Korin's Irises — https://www.nezu-muse.or.jp/en/collection/detail.php?id=10301 • Walmart, room dividers — https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/room-divider • Angi, interior designer cost — https://www.angi.com/articles/how-much-does-it-cost-hire-interior-designer.htm #japanesedecor #homedecor #japandi #decoronabudget #homeownertips #wabisabi