According to Japanese legend, a young man named Sen no Rikyu wanted to learn the ways of the Japanese tea ceremony. He went to a famous master who tested the younger man by asking him to tend the garden.
Rikyu cleaned up debris and raked the ground until it was perfect, then scrutinized the immaculate garden. Before presenting his work to the master, he shook a cherry tree, causing a few flowers to spill randomly onto the ground.
In effect, Rikyu created an idea that came to be known as wabi-sabi. It is about embracing simplicity, natural beauty, and a perfectly imperfect feel.
We used to joke about how our friends reframed the blemishes we created as we settled into our home as “character.”
Turns out it was just wabi-sabi.
