8 ways to make your home look & feel more Japandi
Do you love the calmness of a minimal interior but find contemporary design too stark? Are you like a moth to a flame when it comes to grounding neutrals? Is decking your home out with earth-aware materials and finishes a non-negotiable factor? If you’re crying out ‘yes’, keep reading because it sounds like Japandi style might be right up your alley.
If you’re not familiar with Japandi, check out our breakdown of the 2021 interior style trend ‘Japandi’ here. Get on board with trend and check out our 8 easy tips for making your home more look and feel more Japandi.
Japandi style tip #1: use simple lines
Japandi interior styles are defined by their uncomplicated look and feel. One of the best places to start building that look is with furniture and accessories that have clean lines. No pretty scallop edging (as pretty as it is), no frills and fuss, no Art Deco arcs and swags —just smooth and steady silhouettes. They don't all have to be razor-sharp, but you’re going to want to keep things simple so your eye doesn’t have to work as hard to read the room, but naturally glides around the space instead.
Japandi style tip #2: choose neutral paint colours & natural colour schemes in your furnishings
Neutral paint colours are a great way to talk the Japandi talk. Both Japanese and Scandinavian interiors are influenced heavily by Mother Nature and the ease and flow that comes with colours inspired by the great outdoors, so work them into your room via your paint palette, fabrics and finishes.
Beige tones are a perfect starting point. Wholesome and organic, clean and neutral, but also warm and comforting, these are the pillar stones of Japandi decor. So look to colours like our earthy Beige 03 or deeper buff browns, like our light Beige 02 paint. If you like the idea of hints of green without stepping completely into verdant territory, try Greige 01.
In terms of the more classic neutrals – your whites and greys: warmer, off-whites like White 06 and oaty White 05 sing to the restfulness of the Japandi scheme. Mid-tone, green-based greys like Grey 04 will bed in beautifully (check out more colours that go with grey here).
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Japandi style tip #3: play with contrast
You’re probably getting the hint just from points one and two that the Japandi style is about mixing things up. Rounded silhouettes with angled ones, varying tones of neutrals (maybe with some classic darker wood tones popular in Japanese design), and by its very nature two overseas aesthetics in one room – Japanese and Scandinavian. Check out our 10 top tips for a perfect Scandi home.
The key is to identify harmonious contrasts that aren’t a shock to the system when you lay eyes on them – the Japandi philosophy isn’t about pulse-raising touches. What works so well with influences from Far East design to that of the Nordics is that they balance one another out.
Japan’s sleek elegance is counteracted by the texture and rusticity of a Scandi home; whitewashed Scandinavian colour schemes are given depth through the Japanese interiors preference to richer tones; Scandi decor puts comfort first, whereas Japanese ones favour utility. The list of contrasts goes on, and when in the same room, you end up with one harmonious, happy whole.
Japandi style tip: #4 use natural, eco-friendly materials
Wood is one of the most popular renewable materials to bring into your interior, but there are plenty of other headlining natural materials to weave into your space. Grasses and reeds, such as rattan, kubu, jute and sisal are all borne from the earth and provide buckets of texture too (a favoured feature in Scandi schemes).
Japandi style tip #5: less mess, more functionality
Quality not quantity and less is more – two guiding mantras for Japandi enthusiasts.
Key to that overriding feeling of soothing simplicity is reducing the amount of ‘stuff’ you have in your room, and we don't just mean the things that are on show. It’s no good shoving all your bits and bobs into cupboards, because the moment you open them to find that vase, that book, that record, your Japandi vibe will come undone. Keep things clean and clear behind closed doors too and you’ll feel all the better for it – tidy space, tidy mind.
With less paraphernalia on show, and more focus on having only items that you love and need, you’ll find that function sneaks up the importance list. Japandi interiors encourage you to think long and hard about how you're going to use the room. That way, it can behave as beautifully as it looks, responding to your every whim with empathetic ease.
Want to learn about feng shui? Learn how to feng shui your living room here.
Japandi style tip #6: choose quality craftsmanship
Like we said, quality, not quantity. Partly to do with its eco-aware principles of buying once and buying well, and partly to do with Japandi’s appreciation for artisans and the individuality that comes with their creations, fine craftsmanship is a big one to tick before you invite a piece of furniture to move in with you. More than that, tip-top making applies to absolutely anything in your Japandi-style room – accessories, lighting, the lot.
Even if it means forking out a little extra upfront, the thinking is that you’ll treasure it all the more and that it will be built with the long game in mind so you’re investing in your furniture’s future, the maker themselves, and the planet.
Japandi style tip #7: balance your lighting
The Jap in Japandi will bring out the task-style lighting areas of the room where it’s all about function – your reading lamps, your spotlights over work surfaces, your Anglepoise desk lamp. The andi part is all about Scandi softness that promises ambience and a nurturing atmosphere.
Your room’s lighting will be a tale of two halves with Japandi styling in mind, and trust us, it means you’ll have all bases covered.
Japandi style tip #8: ground yourself
And finally, point eight is more of a lifestyle outcome than a styling tip, but it’s a reminder to really let your space work its magic on you. You’ve purposefully designed a space that’s consciously chill and restorative, so let it do its thing, let its mellow and minimal nature wash over you, and let your Japandi decor firmly root your mood. Ten minutes in its company and you’ll feel grounded with a capital G.
If you love the Japandi style and are tempted to make these small changes, go for it! Introduce just one of these elements and you’ll already be making your home look and feel more Japandi. If you want to start with painting your walls, explore the neutral, earthy colours from our designer paint collection