What is Wabi-sabi? The minimal kitchen trend designed to give you peace of mind in 2025

The New Year always inspires us to reinvigorate our interiors, particularly when it comes to decluttering our belongings to welcome in a fresh start. There's no better way of embodying this ethos in your kitchen than with the wabi-sabi trend. A traditional Japanese ideology, it's all about celebrating the natural world and dialling back design details - it's safe to say we're obsessed.

Kitchen trends consistently inspire our cooking spaces, but it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the ever-evolving use of colour and pattern we see. The constant desire to switch up our interior design can sometimes feel like your personal taste gets lost, but don't fear - wabi-sabi is here to change that.

Wabi-sabi kitchens are all about natural materials, asymmetry and lived-in, less-than-perfect decor. It's minimalist but not unrealistically clutter-free - here's how to embrace the trend.

What is Wabi-sabi?

'A wabi-sabi kitchen finds beauty in imperfection, simplicity, and the natural world. You’ll often find an aesthetic that highlights rustic and organic materials like wood, stone, and ceramics, as well as a muted colour palette featuring earthy tones. It's all about creating a kitchen that feels authentic and welcoming, where the imperfections add character and charm,' explains Harriet Goodacre, style consultant at Topps Tiles.

In short, it's less of a kitchen trend and more of an overall ethos for your kitchen ideas. We saw quiet luxury boom in 2024, and while we love the chic minimalist aesthetic, wabi-sabi inspires us to embrace imperfection in design - essential in a busy family space like a kitchen.

'Wabi-sabi kitchens are all about a minimalist yet cocooning aesthetic, drawing inspiration from nature and embracing imperfection. This style combines form with function, often using surfaces that have unique finishes inspired by traditional techniques, like chiselling or hammering, to create a rustic, aged feel with small, irregular detail,' adds Gavin Shaw, managing director of Laminam UK.

Pared-back colour palettes, natural materials and tonnes of texture are all key ways to embody the wabi-sabi trend - here's how to recreate it in your kitchen.

1. Embrace texture

Fluted kitchens have been a huge trend in 2024 and are set to continue into 2025, and what's even better is that they fit seamlessly into the wabi-sabi aesthetic, too.

'Ribbed wood finishes are a great choice for wabi-sabi interiors. They bring a touch of texture and simplicity that fits perfectly with soft, earthy colour palettes and a calm, minimalist vibe. This style embraces subtle imperfections while still looking polished and timeless,' explains Josie Medved, designer at Symphony.

'In a kitchen, ribbed finishes can make the space feel both functional and effortlessly stylish. Whether you pair them with neutrals for a soft, tranquil feel or darker shades for something more dramatic, they add depth without overpowering the design.'

2. Lean into foliage

'Adding life to the space with plants and foliage is also key to curating a wabi-sabi kitchen. Showcase in handcrafted pots to lean into the trend even further!' Josie continues.

The wabi-sabi ethos is all about a down-to-earth, organic spirit, so packing your kitchen with lots of greenery will embrace the trend. It's also excellent for wellbeing, helping to create a more mindful approach to living in 2025.

3. Go for a muted colour scheme

We're all about rich, playful kitchen colour schemes, but if you're looking to lean into Japanese design then pared-back shades are the way to go.

If you have a busy home and lifestyle then a neutral kitchen colour palette will really help to set the scene for more relaxing mornings and nights. A kitchen is where you start and end your day, so ensuring that the colour scheme reflects a calmer mentality will offer you peace in multitudes.

4. Choose thoughtful decor

While the wabi-sabi trend encourages minimalisn, this isn't to say you should strip your kitchen bare of belongings.

The opposite is actually the case - the right, thoughtful decorative details will make your kitchen look perfectly lived-in and natural, which only adds to the wabi-sabi ethos.

Open shelving is a great way to highlight your favourite pieces of kitchenware and personal memorabilia in a kitchen. Keep it to a minimum though with items that are both pretty and practical - this Japanese pestle and mortar from Sous Chef will make the ideal touch.

5. Layer natural materials

Wabi-sabi is a design ethos rooted in simplicity, but this doesn't mean it needs to be boring. Layering plenty of texture and natural materials is the key to nailing this look in your kitchen, creating a down-to-earth scheme that has interest everywhere you look. Whether this is through marble worktops, brass handles or textured porcelain tiles, stick to similar colours and tones and the world is your oyster.

'The Wabi Sabi/Japandi trend is a great one to embrace. It’s less of a short-lived trend and more of a way of living and accepting change and imperfections. It’s about patina and how a space or object can mould to you over time – like a well-made pair of leather shoes or your favourite Big-E Levis,' explains Massimo Buster Minale, founder of London-based solid metal interior details brand Buster + Punch.

'Spaces come alive when they echo your personality and tell a story, and by using premium solid metal hardware and detailing in your home, your touchpoints are being given permission to last longer but also take on that magnificent patina which evolves as you use and interact with them. Wabi Sabi celebrates imperfection and change, and solid metal hardware with ‘living finishes,’ like Smoked Bronze and Brass, embodies this perfectly. These finishes are developed to patinate beautifully over time, reflecting your interactions and telling your story in your home.'

Will you be looking to wabi-sabi for a more mindful cooking space this year?