With the hustle and bustle of daily life, the importance of retreating to spaces that soothe and relieve stress, rather than those that can just pile up the tensions, can never be underscored. Hence, the concept of quiet luxury.
Quiet luxury is often associated with fashion and interior design, but did you know that this could also be implemented in outdoor spaces? Looks ironic as the outdoors is where you hear all the noises of cars passing by or construction ongoing, isn’t it? Let’s go ahead and explore.
The Concept of Quiet Luxury
Simply put, quiet luxury is new-age minimalism. In the world of outdoor design, this concept emphasizes elegance and quality over displays of wealth and sophistication, thus the term.
Outdoor landscapes following this concept create a serene space in the right amount of class, thanks to the careful selection of top-notch materials, a muted and subtle color palette, and timeless design pieces. It’s always effortless luxury and peace rather than windy and flashy trends.
Quiet Luxury Features With Real-Life Examples
Here are the features of quiet luxury in outdoor design with real-life examples on the side:
1. Quality Over Quantity
Instead of a buffet and menagerie of elements, quiet luxury in outdoor spaces champions few but well-crafted pieces made from the most durable and highest quality materials.
The best example would probably be a minimalist patio at a vineyard in Napa Valley. Since it is minimalist, there’s less clutter, and it features very small yet solid teak lounge chairs with deep, comfy cushions. All those and other furnishings stand on a premium outdoor swim tile collection, to give you an idea.
2. Muted Color Palette
Painters know what muted color palettes are. This means choosing to use neutral and earthy tones, specifically creamy whites, soft greys, and warm beiges, for that calming effect.
Ever been to a Hamptons beachfront home? That’s a prime example. Most outdoor terraces here are known to use limestone tiles, off-white cushions, and taupe umbrellas, all in color tones that are subtle yet harmonious.
3. Timeless Design
The focus here is on a design that stands the test of time. It’ll also save you on the costs. One example would be traditional Japanese courtyards. In here, you can find a restrained layout, clean-lined furniture, and Japanese elements like stone lanterns that do not overpower the other features. In other words, harmonious.
4. Subtle Details
What hasn’t been said yet? Simply, intricate furnishings are used sparingly. It is like turning down the volume of your car’s radio.
A hypothetical example would be a French countryside villa, for instance, where wrought iron with hand-forged scrollwork supports the pergola. It elevates the entire space without going over the top.
5. Emphasis on Craftsmanship
Quiet luxury won’t be serene if you just choose anything that you find in furniture stores. It must be all about craftsmanship.
Imagine an estate where a stone firepit is designed by local masons, thus triumphant in adding depth and texture.
6. Serene Atmosphere
Tranquil and inviting. A good example would be a Scandinavian lake house wherein the deck overlooks the waters, and is still softened by linen pillows and lanterns. Just plain silence. Deconstruct for decompression.
Japandi: Japanese + Scandinavian
One of the most effective ways to implement quiet luxury is by using a Japandi design. Follow the name, and you will realize how it actually means “Japanese” and “Scandinavian” styles. It traces its origins to the wabi-sabi Japanese philosophy, a way of life that values the slow without being too lazy, contentment, and simplicity. These coincide with the hygge Scandinavian practice, which embraces comfort, cosiness, and the person’s health.
To assist you in visualizing, the smooth and modern lines of Scandinavian design are blended with the elegance and uniqueness of Japanese aesthetics. Minimalist, yet won’t scare away guests in your property.
Photo by Unsplash
How to Implement Quiet Luxury Right
Below are the tips to get quiet luxury and Japandi designs right:
Tips for General Quiet Luxury
1. Landscapes Speaking for Itself
Quiet luxury is about restraint, but without forgetting your goals. Each element must have a purpose. This also involves focusing on craftsmanship and spatial harmony. Everything is poetic.
2. Refined Planting Palettes
Color has the power to wow, and it also can be powerful and loud, but still quiet. Refined color palettes include dusky purples, soft greens, and off-whites. You can apply these to your gardens and plants. They won’t just improve your garden space but also allow it to endure and stay elegant.
3. Material Choices
Even if you are creating quiet luxury, material is ever more important because you’ve got the pick the best for the few furnishings you are having. Quiet luxury thrives in those touches.
4. Integrated Technology
Apart from perhaps couches and tables outdoors, you also need to consider lighting, sound, heating, and irrigation, but even these need to be subtle. To achieve this unification, you can embed smart solutions into your designs to preserve clean lines and calm sightlines. Pathways are visible, trees are subtly lit, and the mood is warm without a single visible fixture. It’s not about being conspicuous.
5. Personalize
This is true with quiet luxury for outdoors, especially if you are a property owner and investor. No two gardens shall ever feel alike. Even if it is all about you, consider exploring the many sides of you. For instance, your playful side is in one property and your melancholic side in another.
Tips for Japandi Style
1. Keep Things Natural
Again, color choices apply when in Japandi style. Opt for muted tones, such as sand, cream, beige, taupe, stone, and oatmeal. White, even the plainest white, isn’t quiet. Also, nothing should jar, grate, or dominate or outshine another element.
However, if you can’t help unleashing your creativity, you can add contrasting colors, but be careful not to go overboard. With regard to the materials, use rattan, cotton, bamboo, paper, and the like.
2. Mix and Match
Trust your creative guts here as you match materials like bamboo, rattan, and wood, for example. On top of everything, you must also make sure the pieces are of the best quality.
3. Minimal Accessories
Accessories must be minimal, or you’re not creating quiet luxury. In Japandi, there should not be any hint of clutter, regardless of whether you’re using mirrors, picture frames, artwork, wall hangings, vases, or rugs.
4. Enticing Textures
One thing that sets Japandi design apart from other quiet luxuries is that different textures and fabrics are used. For instance, including throw pillows on the seats in your outdoor space.
5. Subtle Lighting
Ever been to a bar when you’d sometimes have to squint your eyes while eating that steak? That might just be quiet luxury, but in Japandi in particular, you can use handcrafted, retro pendants in pewter or copper colors for the elegance you and your outdoor spaces deserve.
Are You Ready to Showcase Quiet Luxury?
In a world where luxury often feels synonymous with extravagance, the Japandi garden offers an elegant rebuttal. It tells us that luxury can be subtle. It can be serene. It can be sculpted into the silence between things. Go beyond plants. It’s your lounge space, too. Less is more.
