wabi-sabi mood (pre-order)

Wabi-sabi, the ancient philosophy that values imperfection, lies at the heart of Japanese traditions, both artistic and societal. Today, it is blending into modernity. Worse, this timeless aesthetic, which thrives on the passage of time and gains richness from the patina of age, has been diluted by the mass-market decoration industry. Reducing wabi-sabi to what it once was, or to a “lifestyle” trend, means confining it within a box.

From their encounter with Architect Kengo Kuma, the authors have captured and illustrated his vision of "modern wabi-sabi." Through their travels, they have observed the transcontinental flow of wabi-sabi and, through this aesthetic, the influence Japan exerts. Traveling across the archipelago, they have met with a new generation that defends, reveals, and perpetuates this philosophy: the new ambassadors of wabi-sabi.

From a shared moment with a monk in a teahouse, to a thousand little joys, they have felt the essence of wabi-sabi… They now invoke it and invite you to experience it.

A travel journal, a book of images, and testimonials… Anne-Emmanuelle Thion, globe-trotting photographer, and Thierry Grundman, traveling antiquarian, founder of Atmosphère d’Ailleurs and the wabi-sabi Lab, take you on a journey to discover a cross-cultural and multifaceted vision of wabi-sabi, meeting its contemporary advocates along the way.

Author / Curator: Thierry Grundman

Photographer: Anne-Emmanuelle Thion

240 pages hardcover bound with natural linen

Publication: July 2025

Price will be 95 EUR. (instead of 85 EUR.) from September 9, 2025.

Size: 224 x 310 mm (8.82 x 12.20 inches)

Bilingual edition (English + French)