Enhance your wellbeing at home by prioritising abundant light, negative space and a ‘less-is-more’ ethos, says Yoko Kloeden
The Japanese principle of Yūgen informs Yoko Kloeden’s interior design practice. “It’s an ancient and rather abstract concept that refers to a subtle beauty that is felt rather than seen,” she explains. There is no direct English translation, but Yoko compares it to how she feels sitting in the temple gardens of her hometown, Kyoto. “This calm feeling washes over me and then lingers a while, similar to how you might feel when you come back from a good walk. My mission is to evoke that feeling in the spaces I create.”
Yoko does this in a few ways, prioritising abundant light, negative space and a ‘less-is-more’ ethos in her projects. She prefers natural materials (“Our ancestors spent a lot of time outside, so anything that reminds us of that has a calming effect,” she believes) and always makes sure that anywhere a client spends a lot of time – a desk, say – has sight lines and focal points that highlight pleasing views. “We are big on framing, often using internal openings or windows,” she adds.
These principles come together beautifully in a Victorian terrace in Stoke Newington which, before Yoko got involved, felt dark and industrial. The owners wanted their home to feel more peaceful, and to have a deeper connection to the garden. Nowhere is this seen better than in the former dining room in the extension, pictured above, which flows from the kitchen and was barely used before. It already had glass sliding doors opening to the garden, where the owners enjoyed cooking on their barbecue, so Yoko transformed it into a garden room that offers year-round immersion in nature.
Dissolving the boundaries are Ca’ Pietra terracotta floor tiles that continue outside (“I wanted to use reclaimed bricks, but they were too thick,” says Yoko) and a lush living wall of green plants.
The clients now adore spending time here. And the reasons for this are likely deeper than you’d think. A growing body of evidence on biophilic design suggests spaces such as this are demonstratively healing. One study showed that hospital patients with a view of trees recovered eight times faster than those who looked out at a brick wall. A fact to have up your sleeve next time someone tells you off for bringing home another monstera plant.
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The flow in this bright two-storey home makes absolute sense for its owner’s lifestyle
