Wabi and sabi are Japanese design elements that raise rusticity to a new level. Lacking the crudeness generally associated with things rustic, they imply an earthiness that is the ultimate in sophistication. They move beyond the glossy, gilded, and gaudy, to a simple organic elegance that emanates tranquility. Wabi Sabi Style reveals the sparseness, the minimalism of a rich palette of organic colors and textures, the manipulation of light and space, and the exquisitely stylized representations of nature in private gardens that embody the essence of Japanese design. Flowing from spring to summer, autumn, and winter, each chapter is steeped in Japanese lore and techniques for incorporating the wabi sabi philosophy into one's own home. Breathtaking photography brings wabi sabi alive, demonstrating the means for creating it everywhere. James and Sandra Crowley are the owners of the Lotus Gallery in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they specialize in Japanese antique furnishings, folk art, and tea wares. A lifelong student of Japanese art and culture, James began collecting Japanese antiques as a boy.

A fine artist and accomplished writer, he is a graduate of the University of Utah. Sandra is an Asian American who has spent her adult life reclaiming the culture of her ancestors and acquiring a vast knowledge and collection of Asian art. Her keen sense of style and design assists her in the creation of distinctive and beautiful Asian interiors. The Crowley's combined talents and shared passions for the peoples and cultures of Asia have allowed them to create an innovative design book in the wabi sabi style unlike no other. Modern commercial photographer Joseph Putnam blends art and science for hisunique photography style. His remarkable compositions have appeared in advertisements for NuSkin, Micron, and WordPerfect, as well as in the Los Angeles Times and Time magazine.