Japandi Interior Design & Lighting Ideas: How to Combine Japanese & Scandi Styles

Scandi interiors have inspired many design enthusiasts over the years, encouraging us to embrace simplicity, Nordic charm and comfort. While the Scandi design ethos remains popular, a new influence has been changing the approach to this recognisable look.

The increasingly popular Japandi style puts a Japanese twist on Scandinavian aesthetics and mindsets, becoming a desirable style in its own right. This trend incorporates the best of both worlds to create balanced designs that are perfectly suited to contemporary sensibilities.

Here’s what you need to know about this trend and how to use it to transform your interiors.

What is Japandi Interior Design?

The term ‘Japandi’ comes from a blending of ‘Japanese’ and ‘Scandi’, which perfectly reflects how these two looks combine and work with each other to create something new.

The distinct style works so well because of the complementary traits that characterise each look. At its core Japandi is interested in:

• Simplicity
• Functionality
• Unrefined beauty
• Everyday comfort

Every Japandi interior will aim to encapsulate these traits to some extent, embracing a blend of hygge and wabi-sabi, two attitudes that are central to the original design styles.

Embracing Hygge & Wabi-Sabi

The Japanese concept of ‘wabi-sabi’ appreciates transience and imperfection, finding joy in the understated and rejecting that which is excessive. The word has no literal English translation and is used to describe an aesthetic worldview that welcomes the inevitable cycle of nature.

This blends beautifully with Scandinavian notions of ‘hygge’, a philosophy that prioritises comfort, cosiness and an appreciation of everyday things.

These concepts translate into the choices made for various design elements used in Japandi interiors.

Japandi vs Scandi

This rise of Japandi means it is overtaking the popularity of Scandi styles in the UK, indicating more people are continuing to reach for this harmonious blend.

We recently looked at the most popular design trends of the past year across numerous platforms. Results show that Japandi continues to creep up in popularity and overtake Scandi with 3.7 million mentions on Instagram and an impressive 52.8 million on TikTok, compared to 202K and 19.6 million for Scandi.

How to Do Scandinavian Interior Design

When approaching Japandi, it’s useful to understand how the two elements play against and complement each other. Common threads in Scandinavian interiors include:

• Various soft, comforting textiles
• Neutral colours
• Light wood elements
• Wooden floors with small rugs
• Houseplants and hanging plants
• Maximising natural light
• Simple accents of colour or pattern
• Function-led design
• No clutter

How to Do Japanese Interior Design

You’ll notice that many of the qualities embraced in Japanese design align with those above, which is what makes Japandi the natural next step. Japanese-inspired spaces tend to prioritise things like:

• Clean lines and modular design
• Natural, unpainted wood
• Lightweight and natural materials
• Minimalism and a sense of peaceful emptiness
• Open-plan, airy spaces and sliding doors
• Natural light being a ‘material’ to carefully consider
• Moments for zen
• Low furniture
• White or earthy, natural colour schemes

How to Achieve the Japandi Style in Your Home

There’s a lot to love about the Japandi style; it can give your space a soothing, peaceful feel and promotes a more mindful approach to self-expression through design. Combining the features listed above helps formulate a fantastic answer to the hectic, sometimes overwhelming nature of modern life.

Japandi Lighting & Ambience

Lighting is an incredibly important part of Japandi styling. While you need to consider how to maximise the natural light flowing through your space, you must also think about the role of light fixtures in offering a complimentary ambience and creating moments of softness.

The warm glow from modern living room lights, such as refined pendants or delicate wall lights, helps to create an intimate atmosphere where you can unwind and contemplate the day in comfort.

Understated modern living room lights are ideal for Japandi interiors as they are designed to combine functionality and efficiency with aesthetics – another central theme of the look.

Light, Neutral Colour Palettes

Dark, dramatic scenes are nowhere to be found among Japandi lovers. Instead, this look is all about opting for neutral schemes that promote tranquillity and simplicity.

Beige, off-white, brown and grey are all staples here as they provide a layer of warmth that’s pleasing to the eye while also being a simple backdrop for your more unique details and carefully curated accessories.

Clever Colour Contrasts

While lighter colour palettes may be a focus, that’s not to say you need to stay away from darker colours altogether. In fact, contrasting paler shades against small accents of black or darker brown in the form of cabinets or statement chairs is a popular choice for elevating Japandi living rooms.

Artwork with stark lines and darker colours or a striking pewter pendant are other good ways to bring a note of contrast to your otherwise light interiors.

Minimalist Furniture

Japandi furniture should exude minimalist sensibilities, keeping silhouettes simple and elegant. This means no unnecessary frills or embellishments, instead allowing you to focus on the beauty in the bare essentials.

Choose furniture that embraces both geometric and more dynamic natural shapes to help you adhere to a minimalist theme while creating a sophisticated layering effect and more diverse opportunities for visual interest.

Natural Materials

Embracing the natural world and bringing the outside in to some degree is essential for a recognisable Japandi look. Both Scandi and Japanese interiors make liberal use of wooden elements to increase the sense of warmth and rustic beauty while allowing you to mix and match shapes and textures.

Things like bamboo, rattan, jute, cotton, wool and an array of houseplants can be used to enhance your connection with nature and increase your room’s sense of zen.

Different Cosy Textures

Another good way to entice the senses is by introducing multiple textures through a range of textiles and materials. To really embrace that sense of hygge, opt for comfortable, cosy textures that invite you to snuggle up and relax into a space.

Plush chairs, rugs, cushions and throws in your cosy, neutral colour palette are all great ways to increase the comfy factor. Japanese-style wood wall panelling is another way to add further depth and intricacy to your Japandi interiors without deviating from a minimalist aesthetic.

Quality Craftsmanship

The minimalist influence here means your interiors are stripped back and focused on the things you love the most. Take this chance to invest in your interiors and choose quality sustainable or hand-made items that are going to keep your home looking great for years to come.

Buying only the very best and only what you need, even if it has a slightly higher price tag, ensures you start cultivating an interior that really reflects you and your beliefs. This reinforcement of spending less but spending better also means you’re less likely to be tempted to reintroduce clutter into your interiors or add accessories that won’t serve you in the long term.

We understand the ever-growing need for quality craftsmanship all too well – our modern living room lights and all other fixtures are handcrafted and lovingly designed to ensure they continue elevating your interiors even as your style evolves.

If a statement light is the only thing your Japandi-inspired interior is missing, be sure to check out the Industville lighting range, with sleek modern finishes, including pewter, brass, copper and black, for the perfect compliment.

Header image credit: @alisonreaarchitects