What is Japandi? Bring this trendy design style into your home

Japandi is the latest trend in home décor aesthetics - so new you may not have even heard of it yet! But, it might be just what you need in your home...

This perfect combination of Japanese and Scandinavian style is all about warm neutrals, natural materials and functional minimalism.

According to the Spruce, the cozy rustic feel of Scandinavian design marries perfectly to the sleek functional minimalism of traditionally Japanese design.

A few key elements of Japandi:

  • Natural materials (think wood, shell, cotton and wool)
  • Clean lines
  • Handmade, sustainable items
  • A warm neutral color palette (or, if you want to be bold, a splash of black)
  • Minimalist décor
  • Functionality for everything

Ready to try Japandi in your own home? Here's how to introduce the concept room-by-room.

Living Room

Opt for visible, natural materials like a wood-trimmed chair and wooden accent/coffee tables. Have plenty of storage options available — remember, Japandi is all about minimalism so you'll want to hide your stuff. These neutral-toned baskets (with lids!) are great for stashing throw blankets, toys and other items to keep clutter to a minimum.

 

This basket is made with natural materials and features a fun fringe detail for a unique texture. Park it by the edge of your couch so your stuff is easy to reach.

A creamy wool accent rug would be perfect for a hallway or other area to break up long swaths of hard floor, adding an instant cozy feeling. Bonus tip: if you have hardwoods upstairs, adding an accent rug to hallways can cushion the noise of footfalls from above. Functionality is a Japandi staple.

Here's our take on a Japandi conversation area. Notice we used lots of neutral tones and textures as well as throw pillows that were inspired by nature (animal print!). Our tables featured clean lines and plenty of functional items like the clock and lamp.

This display features a number of classic Japandi elements - select just a few of your favorites to create a truly minimalist look. It's easy to create a custom look when you adapt Japandi to your own personal style!

Bathroom

Your bathroom is arguably one of the easiest rooms to increase sustainability, another tenet of Japandi.

For example, trash your plastic soap dispensers, tissue boxes, etc. for a gorgeous, refillable vanity set like this one from Pigeon & Poodle:

And get rid of your plastic loofah in favor of these pretty, eco-friendly bath brushes and sponges. Note that they're all in Japandi's preferred warm natural materials.

For towels, upgrade to something soft and sustainable like Peacock Alley's Bamboo line or Yves Delorme's cotton/modal blend collection called Etoile.

Kitchen

Look for organic, inviting pieces like these wooden boards and serving trays. Our Montes Doggett clay cups are handmade in Peru from Andes Mountains clay and other natural and renewable materials.

You can also switch from wasteful paper towels to earth-friendly linen napkins in neutral tones.

Bedroom

Easily work Japandi style into your bedroom with sustainable, organic cotton bedding in neutral colors. Or mix it up a little like we did with this blush bed featuring linen bedding from Bella Notte and hand dyed accents from Kevin O'Brien.

Yes, blush can be a neutral! It's even mentioned as an optional color palette to add to Japandi because it occurs so frequently in nature (think conch shells, sunrises and pink sand). We styled this bed two ways: a more neutral blush option and a bolder, very Japan-inspired version featuring the most gorgeous shade of dark blue.

Want more ideas for introducing Japandi into your home? Stop by the store and talk to one of our associates about how to make this design concept work for you. 

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