Homeowners are focusing on health and wellness at home, and placing value on the idea that your home should feel like a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. Japandi design provides elements that help homeowners accomplish these goals.
Japandi is also one of those new home trends that isn’t new, but newly trending. Drawing from centuries-old principles of Scandinavian design and Japanese minimalism, the synergies of these two styles have new meaning, and therefore a new life in today’s design world, as the context of what we require from our built environments to feel safe and happy shifts.
Also helping boost Japandi’s popularity, is that it offers a ‘two birds, one stone’ benefit, with crossover to several other trending styles, including sustainability, biophilia, and creating a cozy home.
With cozy appeal, Japandi design combines the functionality of Scandinavian design, with the simple beauty of Japanese minimalism. The result is a tranquil, earthy aesthetic, that feels as calm as it looks.
Borrowing elements from Danish Hygge and Japanese wabi sabi, Japandi is a great example of how to use interior design to promote a mindset and guide functionality at home.
Japandi Is Where Hygge Meets Wabi Sabi
Both Hygge and wabi sabi are lifestyle philosophies that encourage you to dial down and become introspective, focus on gratitude and immerse yourself in the moment.
From these philosophies, design and decor choices are assigned to enhance these emotional, intellectual experiences.
For example, with Hygge, gratitude, cozy, calm, togetherness with loved ones and mental and physical health are priorities.
To translate this into design, Hygge incorporates rustic woods, cozy textiles, comfortable furniture and natural materials.
Meanwhile wabi sabi focuses on the authentic beauty of imperfection, the power of being mindful and present, and going with the flow of life cycles and nature. It is also influenced by the elegant minimalism of traditional Japanese cultural style.
Design-wise, in wabi sabi, the entire space, and everything in it, has a purpose. Items either bring you joy, have a functional aspect, play a decorative role, or a combination of these. Common are multi-functional pieces.
Japandi pulls from the overlap between these two styles, influenced by minimalism, neutral palettes and mindful design to generate some pleasant, stylish synergies. What might this look like in a room? “Natural wood finishes, tiles with unique handmade properties, furniture that showcases the beauty of woodgrain, and a subtle muted or neutral color palette all contribute to the calming qualities of Japandi design,” says WELL and LEED accredited interior designer Sarah Barnard.
“Incorporating unique natural materials such as wood paneling, beautiful stone countertops, and large windows that provide ample natural light creates bright indoor spaces. This promotes a sense of calm by establishing a tangible connection to the surrounding environment,” she says.
Why Is Japandi so Popular Right Now?
Great trends with staying power are those that can harness and combine the best qualities of other trends that create a style baseline, which is part of the magic of Japandi. Homeowners are already familiar with, and love, biophilia and sustainability, the perfect platform for Japandi to spring from.
For example, Japandi delivers the calm we expect from biophilia.
“The biophilic elements of Japandi design intend to mirror the mental health benefits we experience from spending time outdoors, encouraging us to feel more in touch with nature, peace, and contentment within our home,” says Barnard.
It’s also eco-friendly from a practical standpoint.
“Japandi design is intrinsically linked to sustainability through its emphasis on minimalism, natural materials and craftsmanship,” says Brad Blank, president of Tri Pointe Homes’ DC Metro Division.
Scaled-down aesthetics require less “stuff”, so less waste going to landfills. Similarly, if following the Japandi philosophy, you’ll invest in higher-quality items that won’t need to be replaced. Also, many items are multi-functional, which supports mindful consumption.
While higher-quality items might come with a higher price tag at the outset, the cost is generally offset by having less items. This, along with longevity of pieces, make Japandi a relatively budget-friendly design philosophy, adding to its broad-based appeal.
The uncomplicated principles of Japandi are easy to follow, rooted in joy and personal connection, aspects that make it popular and enduring.
How to Have Japandi Design in a Home
Here is some guided inspiration on how to create a calm, introspective, Japandi-inspired aesthetic at home.
Clutter-Free for Clean Lines: Rooms and surfaces are uncluttered in Japandi style, which requires a focus on smart storage. This means having ample storage available in key high-touch areas, such as the entryway, kitchen, living room and bedrooms.
Natural Materials: Japandi style incorporates natural materials, including stone, rattan, cotton and bamboo. Layering these in a space with accents and textiles delivers undeniable warmth and visual texture. Use natural stone to create a cozy fireplace surround or have a stone tub in the primary bath. Pick oversize rattan light fixtures for warm focal points. The true star of the show in Japandi style is natural wood, from live-edge furniture to wood details, such as fluting or accent walls, slatted walls or wooden tiles.
Foster an Indoor-Outdoor Connection: One of the cornerstones of Japandi design is communing with nature, because of how it promotes stillness and mindfulness. Accomplish this by establishing an indoor-outdoor connection with your home design, so that you can feel immersed in nature even while inside.
Design: Design main living spaces with sliding glass doors or retractable walls. Use the same flooring and color palette in indoor and outdoor living spaces for the sake of continuity and to extend sightlines. Install a skylight for more natural light, and to receive natural, dappled light from various directions, as you would when you are outdoors, making the indoor-outdoor connection more authentic.
Focus on Quality Over Quantity: Focus on craftsmanship and durability. Invest in a few key pieces, such as unique artwork or handcrafted, high-quality furniture that will be timeless. Pick things that are meaningful to you in some way, and that will be a source of joy and comfort during daily use for years to come.
Be Authentic: Mix and match your decor and furnishings. Authenticity comes with patina, and imperfections that are details of craftsmanship, so no need to be uniform. Ensure flow by incorporating pieces of various sizes and shapes that occupy, but don’t overwhelm, the space.
Neutral Colors: While many of the trending colors are bold, bright and saturated, Japandi color palettes are nuanced and nature-inspired, with a soft collection of neutral, earthy tones. Think taupes, creams, and soft blues, greens and yellows that hint of color, rather than bursting with it. Stay relatively monochromatic once you’ve selected a shade or color family. You can also hold a neutral color palette with your structural and architectural features, such as walls, surfaces and built-in features, and add color with nature-inspired or natural accents, such as plants, shells, terracotta and fractal patterns.
