Style Issue: Japandi - The Architecture of Quite Living

Japandi is often described as a style.
But in essence, it is a way of organising space.

It emerges where two architectural cultures meet:
Japanese restraint and Scandinavian material honesty.
Both traditions value simplicity, craftsmanship, and the quiet presence of objects.
Not as decoration, but as structure.

Japandi is not about less.
It is about enough. Like architect Mies van der Rohe states: "Less is more".

I. Beyond Style: Japandi as Spatial Thinking

Japandi is frequently reduced to a look: light wood, neutral tones, minimal furniture.
But that misses the point.

At its core, Japandi is about how a space is used and perceived.
It prioritises proportion over ornament, tactility over visual noise.
Rooms are not filled; they are composed.

Empty space is intentional.
It allows materials to breathe, light to travel, and daily rituals to unfold without friction.
This is not minimalism for effect, but for clarity.

II. Material Honesty: Wood, Stone, Fibre

Materials define Japandi more than colours do.
They are left close to their natural state; untreated oak, ash, linen, clay, stone.

Wood is central, but never glossy.
Grain is visible. Age is welcome.
Stone grounds the space, often rough or matte, absorbing light rather than reflecting it.

Textiles soften the architecture.
Linen curtains diffuse daylight. Wool rugs quiet footsteps.
Nothing competes for attention. Everything has weight.

Japandi interiors feel calm because materials behave predictably.
They do not shout. They settle.

III. Light, Shadow, and Silence

Light is treated as a structural element.
Natural light is filtered, not maximised.

Sheer curtains, deep window reveals, and layered lighting create softness rather than brightness.
Shadow is part of the design; corners remain quiet, surfaces gain depth.

Artificial light follows the same logic.
Lamps are low, warm, and directional.
Rather than flooding a room, they create small islands of light: a chair, a table, a pause.

This choreography of light supports stillness.
The room feels inhabited, even when empty.

IV. Form and Function: Furniture as Architecture

Japandi furniture sits low and close to the ground.
This lowers the visual horizon and expands the perceived height of the room.

Forms are simple, often geometric, but never rigid.
Edges are softened. Proportions feel human.

Each object earns its place through use.
A table is sturdy, not sculptural for its own sake.
A chair invites sitting, not posing.

Less furniture does not mean emptiness; it means that what remains becomes legible.

V. Where Japandi Often Goes Wrong

The most common mistake is aesthetic imitation without spatial intent.
Beige walls, black accents, and bamboo lamps do not create Japandi on their own.

Without attention to light, proportion, and material interaction, the result feels flat.
Japandi requires restraint, but also depth.

True Japandi is not styled.
It is composed.

 

VI. Living the Japandi Way

Japandi is ultimately about daily life.
How you move through a room.
Where you sit.
How light changes the atmosphere from morning to evening.

It values objects that age with use, spaces that adapt quietly, and interiors that support calm rather than consume attention.

A Japandi home does not impress at first glance.
It reveals itself slowly  through touch, time, and presence.

VII. If Japandi Is Your Style; Where to Begin

If Japandi speaks to you, start by looking at your space before buying anything.
The foundation is not furniture, but proportion.

First, observe light.
Which rooms feel calm by nature?
Japandi works best where daylight is soft and consistent, spaces that already invite stillness.

Next, simplify the layout.
Remove what interrupts movement or blocks light.
Japandi needs clear lines of sight and space between objects.
Empty space is not unfinished; it is functional.

Then, look at materials you already have.
Floors, walls, window frames.
Identify their tone: warm or cool, matte or reflective, and let future choices respond to that palette rather than overwrite it.

Only then introduce furniture.
Choose fewer pieces, placed deliberately.
Low, grounded forms. Honest materials.
Each object should feel necessary, not decorative.

 

Interrested about how to intergrate this style into your home and which objects to chose? Stay tuned for more. 

 

The Architist Recommendations: Objects That Fit the Architecture of Japandi

 

1. Studio HENK, Dansk dining tabel. A oak dining table with visible grain

Grounded proportions, untreated finish. The table becomes part of the room’s structure rather than a statement piece.

 

2.  Westwing, Linnen table lamp

Soft, directional light with tactile presence. 

 

3. Washed linen curtains in warm neutral tones

They filter daylight gently, allowing light and shadow to coexist.