Zenith of Zen: 13 Nontraditional Takes on Japanese Gardens

Concrete Zen Garden Sink
zen garden sink

You’ll never forget to water thirsty plants with this zen garden sink by Gau Designs, which cuts a tiny planter hole and channel into sand-colored stone alongside the basin. Each time you run the water to wash your hands, the plant’s roots get wet.

Creative Carpets: Zen Garden Accent Rug
Screen Shot 2015-09-09 at 9.04.36 AM
zen garden rug

Carpet company Amazed Ltd creates accent rugs with all sorts of unexpected patterns, using raised textures rather than varying colors for a subtle effect. In addition to hedge mazes, footprints and tire tracks, they offer a few custom designs inspired by zen gardens.

Desktop Zen Garden Lamp
zen garden desktop 2

zen garden desktop

Incorporating elements of bonsai and Japanese gardens, this little box for your desk is a planter and table lamp in one. The Mökki planter lamp by Caterina Moretti “invites you to contemplate the immensity of the night and on what a flash of light can reveal.”

Two Modern Zen Garden Bathroom Designs
zen garden bathroom

zen garden bathroom 2

Place a bathtub in the middle of a relaxing zen garden, and you’ve got a space you might never want to leave. Nobody could blame you for taking up permanent residence in these two Japanese garden-inspired modern bathrooms, which feature living greenery like bamboo set in rock-lined planters at varying heights.