Best For
zen garden / karesansui / Japanese zen design
Zen Garden
枯山水
F
38/100Failing
A digital interpretation of Japanese Karesansui dry landscape gardens, inspired by raked sand patterns, stone arrangements, and moss, pursuing ultimate tranquility and meditative calm. The pairing of sand white and moss green conveys the serene power of nature.
zen gardenkaresansuiJapanese zen designdry landscape gardenraked sand patternJapanese minimalismwabi-sabimeditation app designtranquil uimoss green palettezen aesthetic
Primary Move
Use sand-white backgrounds bg-[#f5f3ee]
Watch Out
Do not use bright vivid colors
AI Implementation
Copy the Hard Prompt first, then use the spec when needed
Use the Hard Prompt by default to generate UI. Use the Design Spec to understand, modify, and review the style. Use the Creative Brief for early exploration.
Hard Prompt
Use this by default: copy it, append the concrete requirement, and let AI generate consistent production UI.
When to use
- When AI should generate UI directly
- When repeated outputs must stay consistent
- When style drift is the main risk
How to use
- Copy the full prompt
- Append the concrete requirement
- Review against forbidden rules and UI states
STYLEKIT_STYLE_REFERENCE
style_name: Zen Garden
style_slug: zen-garden
style_source: /styles/zen-garden
# Hard Prompt
## When To Use
Use this when you want AI to generate code with strict style consistency. It is the safest default for production UI.
## How To Use
- Copy the full prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or another coding assistant.
- Append the concrete product/page requirement after the prompt.
- After generation, check the forbidden rules and interaction states before accepting the output.
Strictly follow the style rules below and maintain consistency. No style drift allowed.
## Requirements
- Prioritize style consistency first, then creative extension.
- When conflicts arise, treat prohibitions as the highest priority.
- Self-check before output: verify colors, typography, spacing, and interactions still match this style.
## Style Rules
You are designing in Zen Garden (Karesansui) style.
- Sand-white backgrounds: #f5f3ee, #ede9e1
- Moss-green primary text: #4a5548
- Muted natural accents: moss #8a9a7b, sand #c4bba8, stone #7a7062
- Always use serif fonts with light weight (font-serif font-light)
- Extreme whitespace: py-32, generous gaps between all sections
- Ultra-thin borders: border-[#c4bba8]/30
- Very slow transitions: duration-700 or longer
- No bright colors, no heavy borders, no fast animations
- Think raked sand patterns, carefully placed stones, quiet moss
- Every element should feel like it was placed with meditative intention
Animation & Interaction Rules:
- Meditative Slowness: Interactions must be slow and restrained, using duration-700 to duration-1000 with ease-in-out.
- Zero Displacement: No translate or rotate allowed; avoid any physical displacement animations. Focus should be expressed through show/hide and tonal changes.
- Ephemeral Fades: Use only low-contrast color deepening, opacity emergence, or very faint shadow fade-ins. No bouncing or high-contrast flashing.
- Quiet Focus: Text can default to semi-transparent (e.g., text-[#4a5548]/70), slowly becoming clear on hover/focus, maintaining a meditative rhythm.
## Absolute Bans (Match and Refuse)
If any of the following patterns appear, it is a style violation — rewrite without exception.
- use bright vivid colors
- use heavy borders or thick lines
- use fast animations or bounce effects
- densely arrange elements -- whitespace is the core
## Self-Check (Verify Before Shipping)
If any item fails, the style has drifted — fix before shipping.
- [ ] No purple-to-blue gradients
- [ ] No overused fonts (Inter, Roboto, Geist, Fraunces, Plus Jakarta Sans)
- [ ] No nested cards (cards inside cards)
- [ ] No gray text on colored backgrounds
- [ ] Body text contrast meets WCAG AA (>= 4.5:1)
- [ ] No bounce or elastic easing curves
- [ ] Animations have a prefers-reduced-motion fallback
- [ ] Body text line length capped at 65-75 characters
- [ ] No side-stripe accent borders (border-left/right > 1px)
- [ ] No gradient text (background-clip: text)
- [ ] No glassmorphism used as the default surface treatment
- [ ] No tiny uppercase tracked eyebrow labels above every section heading
- [ ] do not use bright vivid colors
- [ ] do not use heavy borders or thick lines
- [ ] do not use fast animations or bounce effects
- [ ] do not densely arrange elements -- whitespace is the coreComponent Templates
Component Preview
按钮
枯山水按钮，透明底色搭配细底线
Frontend Readiness
Dark Mode, States, Motion, and Accessibility
This layer tracks whether the style is ready for real websites: theme modes, state feedback, keyboard access, and performance constraints.
Overall
51%
Fallback
Dark Mode
0%
MissingUI States
79%
PartialMotion
70%
PartialA11y
70%
PartialPerformance
35%
FallbackKey State Coverage
lightHoverFocus VisibleDisabledLoadingEmptyErrorSuccess
Button
Default / Hover / Focus Visible / Active / Disabled
Input
Default / Hover / Focus Visible / Disabled / Error
Card
Default / Hover / Focus Visible / Loading / Skeleton
Form
Default / Focus Visible / Disabled / Loading / Error
Implementation Notes
- No curated dark-mode contract exists yet.
- Check contrast in both light and dark modes.
- Check heavy shadows, blur, large media, and scroll-linked effects manually.
- No style-specific performance cost profile has been curated yet.
FAQ
Zen Garden — Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Zen Garden design style?
- A digital interpretation of Japanese Karesansui dry landscape gardens, inspired by raked sand patterns, stone arrangements, and moss, pursuing ultimate tranquility and meditative calm. The pairing of sand white and moss green conveys the serene power of nature. Its core principle: Karesansui (Zen Garden) is the highest expression of Japanese Zen Buddhist garden art.
- What colors does Zen Garden use?
- Zen Garden uses #4a5548 as its primary color and #f5f3ee as its secondary color, with accent colors #8a9a7b, #c4bba8, #7a7062, #799d91. Every hex value can be copied from the palette on this page.
- How do I apply Zen Garden correctly?
- Key practices: Use sand-white backgrounds bg-[#f5f3ee]. Moss green as accent color text-[#8a9a7b]. Extreme whitespace with generous vertical spacing py-32.
- What are common mistakes with Zen Garden?
- Avoid: Do not use bright vivid colors. Do not use heavy borders or thick lines. Do not use fast animations or bounce effects.
- How do I prompt AI to generate Zen Garden UI?
- Copy the ready-made AI prompt on this page — it bundles the design tokens and component rules — and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or v0. Effective prompts include the keywords: zen garden, karesansui, Japanese zen design, dry landscape garden.
Global Styles
Global CSS
css
/* Zen Garden (Karesansui) */
:root {
--zen-bg: #f5f3ee;
--zen-surface: #ede9e1;
--zen-text: #4a5548;
--zen-muted: #7a7062;
--zen-moss: #8a9a7b;
--zen-sand: #c4bba8;
--zen-stone: #7a7062;
--zen-border: #c4bba8;
}
@keyframes zen-garden-fade-in {
from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(8px); }
to { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }
}
@keyframes zen-garden-pulse {
0%, 100% { opacity: 1; }
50% { opacity: 0.7; }
}
.zen-garden-card {
position: relative;
overflow: hidden;
}
.zen-garden-card::before {
content: "";
position: absolute;
inset: 0;
opacity: 0;
transition: opacity 0.3s ease;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, rgba(74, 85, 72, 0.05), transparent);
pointer-events: none;
}
.zen-garden-card:hover::before {
opacity: 1;
}
.zen-garden-gradient {
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #4a5548, #8a9a7b);
}
.zen-garden-gradient-text {
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #4a5548, #8a9a7b);
-webkit-background-clip: text;
-webkit-text-fill-color: transparent;
background-clip: text;
}
.zen-garden-frosted {
backdrop-filter: blur(12px) saturate(180%);
-webkit-backdrop-filter: blur(12px) saturate(180%);
background: rgba(74, 85, 72, 0.08);
}
.zen-garden-accent-corner {
clip-path: polygon(0 0, 100% 0, 100% calc(100% - 2rem), calc(100% - 2rem) 100%, 0 100%);
}
.zen-garden-animate-in {
animation: zen-garden-fade-in 0.5s ease-out both;
}
.zen-garden-focus { outline: 2px solid var(--zen-garden-primary, currentColor); outline-offset: 2px; }
/* Responsive utilities */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.zen-garden-animate-in {
animation: none;
}
}
@media (min-width: 768px) {
.zen-garden-card {
transition: transform 0.3s ease, box-shadow 0.3s ease;
}
}
/* Print styles */
@media print {
.zen-garden-gradient,
.zen-garden-frosted {
background: none;
backdrop-filter: none;
}
}IDE Integration
IDE Configuration Export
Download configuration files for AI coding assistants to generate code in this style.
Style Pack
Export Style Pack
Get complete machine-readable style assets including design tokens, Tailwind presets, CSS variables, and shadcn/ui themes.
Metadata
Style metadata including version information
Design Tokens
Compatible with Figma / Style Dictionary / Tokens Studio
Tailwind Preset
Tailwind CSS theme preset, import directly in config
Global CSS
CSS variables and base styles
shadcn Theme
shadcn/ui theme configuration
CSS Variables
Pure CSS variables, works with any project
SKILL.md
Loadable skill pack for Cursor / Claude Code / VS Code
Design Philosophy
Karesansui (Zen Garden) is the highest expression of Japanese Zen Buddhist garden art.
Accessibility
Accessibility Score
WCAG 2.1 compliance analysis based on color contrast and typography readability.
38
Overall Score
Grade: F - Failing
Contrast Ratios
Score: 20/100Average Ratio: 3.37:1
AA FailAAA Fail
| Context | Colors | Ratio | AA | AAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text on background | /#4a5548 / #f5f3ee | 7.06:1 | ||
| Secondary text on background | /#7a7062 / #f5f3ee | 4.38:1 | ||
| Muted text on background | /#c4bba8 / #f5f3ee | 1.72:1 | ||
| Text on secondary background | /#4a5548 / #ede9e1 | 6.46:1 | ||
| Secondary text on secondary | /#7a7062 / #ede9e1 | 4.01:1 | ||
| Text on accent 1 | /#4a5548 / #8a9a7b | 2.6:1 | ||
| Alt text on accent 1 | /#7a7062 / #8a9a7b | 1.62:1 | ||
| Text on accent 2 | /#4a5548 / #c4bba8 | 4.11:1 | ||
| Alt text on accent 2 | /#7a7062 / #c4bba8 | 2.55:1 | ||
| Text on accent 3 | /#4a5548 / #7a7062 | 1.61:1 | ||
| Alt text on accent 3 | /#7a7062 / #7a7062 | 1:1 |
Readability
Score
80/100
Font Size
text-sm md:text-base
Font Weight
font-serif font-light tracking-wide
Line Height
default
Scoring is based on WCAG 2.1 standards. AA requires 4.5:1 contrast for normal text, 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1 for normal text, 4.5:1 for large text.
Design Recipes
Recommended Combinations with Zen Garden
These curated recipes combine this style with layouts and animations, optimized for specific use cases.