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Japandi is a design trend that seeks to combine calming Japanese style with Scandinavian design. The two marry so well together because Japanese and Scandiavian aesthetics both consist of:
- Minimalism: “less is more” in Japanese design vs. declutter and maximum utility philosophies in Scandinavian design
- Natural materials: like bamboo for Japanese interiors and light woods in Scandinavian homes
- Neutral colors: both for Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics
We’re seeing more Japandi interior design in modern homes because of the simplicity and natural elements from earthy tones that brighten up a room without overpowering it.
Today we will further explore Japandi style home decor with a specific focus on how this new aesthetic look can transform your own home office into an oasis where you can find some peace in the hustle and bustle of a work day.
Why does Japandi style have so much appeal?
Simply because of the balance and calmness of the combined Japanese and Scandinavian styles. At our core, we are meant to be in the outdoors and because of that, we have natural fight or flight responses to our surroundings. The design style we’re exploring is all about easing those responses.
Beyond that, the minimalist aesthetic combined with functional interiors will keep you productive and purposeful in whatever you are doing.
While most professionals will try to create a consistent theme throughout your house, Japandi style can fit within the interior design parameters for stand alone rooms, like a dining room or home office, especially if the room gets lots of natural light. The beautiful craftsmanship, which is traditionally handmade, and minimalism will motivate you to maintain uncluttered spaces to let the style shine.
How can you can apply Japandi Interior Design?
Even if you don’t go out of your way to search for Japandi specific furniture, these are the principles you’ll want to apply:
- Natural materials to ground you:
- Japan: bamboo, stone, ceramics
- Scandinavia: pine, birch, wool, leather
- Neutral colors for a warm feel:
- Japan: beige, cream, soft browns, and grays with some darker earthy tones for contrast, but use them sparingly
- Scandinavia: utilize bright natural light, white walls, beige, muted browns
- Furniture:
- Japan: low to the ground, which is a foundation in their interiors history, and handmade
- Scandinavia: functional (with storage) with clean lines
- Space & Layout: both Japan interior design and Scandinavian interior design have an openness that has good flow with few barriers
It’s also important to also include some contrasting color and plants are a great way to do that because they stand out and emphasize the earthy theme; see our Home Office Ideas: 10 Low Maintenance Plants.
Japandi Style in a Home Office
Applying the principles above can be difficult to accomplish in a small home office, but if you have a good sized dedicated space, even in an open living room, you can still apply these principles. If you want to accomplish the full feel, you’ll want to plan for a location in uncluttered spaces.
In a Japandi style office, you’ll want a space that can flow with a light colored wooden desk, a minimalist chair (rather than a standard office chair), clean lines in your surroundings, and try for natural plant decor with rich leaves, like a Jade Plant (we’ll get into Japandi style art shortly). If your workspace is joining the living room, ensure that the color schemes go together, rather than clash which would take away from the aesthetic.
If you can incorporate the above, you’ll feel calmer at work. A good portion of that calm feeling is from the flow, colors, and materials, but medical professionals have studied the effects of uncluttered spaces on the mind and that is a contributory factor as well.
Japandi Style Wall Art
To be clear as a starting point, including art – in a Japandi style room or any room for that matter – generally isn’t about filling space, it’s actually about adding some contrast and improving the rooms ambiance.
Japandi art is simple and usually has geometric patterns and serene landscapes that added lines to the room. You can go a step further and opt for trees or water that have a nature element but still contain lots of lines.
A classic color choice is black and white, but I favor some color so watercolor can be a nice addition to brighten, but not overpower, the room. You really can’t go wrong either way, but if you go for the former, try to add some plants for a bit of additional color.
Remember, Japanese interior design is big on “less is more” so you’re not looking for something that will overpower your room.
Japandi Style in Other Rooms:
To round out our thoughts, let’s touch up on the other rooms in your house for those of you who are inspired and are looking for a consistent theme throughout your house
Japandi in the Bedroom:
Again, you’ll want muted, wooden elements. Remember, Japandi style interiors have low to the ground furniture, so your bed frame, nightstands, and cabinets should be relatively low. Bedrooms, more than any other room, should be peaceful so you don’t need as much color “pop” here as in other rooms. Bamboo is really nice for creating this feeling, and as the image below shows, having a bamboo slated wall panel looks quite classy.
Japandi in the Kitchen:
Your kitchen needs to be highly functional and should remain an uncluttered space (tough to do with kids, I’ll admit). Typically you’ll see open shelves, which can even be a darker tone for some natural contrast, that assist with the theme of lines.
Bar stools with low or no backs, and low dinning room chairs are the most common.
Japandi in the Living Room:
Opt for low sofas to stay close to the ground with linen fabric and a light wooden coffee table if possible. Scandinavian design does have some leather looks to it, but this is where the blending with Japanese style gets superseded.
Wooden sculptures on floating shelves with some hanging plants look really sharp and add an artistic element to the room.
Conclusion
As you start putting together a Japandi style interior, you’ll probably notice that your room looks bigger and somehow calmer. That’s because of the low furniture and light colors that are grounded in nature. It will also force you (if you need extra motivation) to keep the space organized because clutter will stand out more; but that’s a good thing, isn’t it?
If you choose to incorporate Japandi style into your home it’s sure to impress guests and give you a more peaceful mindset. Enjoy!
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