How to style a Japandi living room: the complete guide

You probably know the feeling. You walk into a house and your shoulders immediately relax a little. No clutter, no excess, but also not cold or empty. Exactly that feeling is what the Japandi style is all about.

Japandi is the beautiful cross between Japanese minimalism and Scandinavian coziness. Simplicity on one side, warmth on the other. The result is a space that radiates calm without becoming boring. Rough walls, natural fibers and just that one object that isn't quite symmetrical. In this article, we'll guide you through all the steps to create that atmosphere in your own home.

Start with your color palette

Every good Japandi space starts with the same foundation: calm, natural tones. Think sand, beige, warm gray and the soft brown of untreated wood. A plastered wall in a deep terracotta or clay color is allowed, as long as the rest of the room remains calm. Black is also allowed, but as an accent. A black faucet, a black pot, an edge along a tabletop.

What you especially want to avoid? Bright colors and shiny surfaces. Japandi is about materials that are allowed to exist, not about things that scream for attention.

Unsure about a color? Ask yourself if it would occur in nature. Does that stone color match a riverbed? Does that brown remind you of honey or tree bark? If so, you're on the right track.

Our Home Accessories collection is a great place to browse if you want to feel this color palette before you buy.

Materials that don't hide their texture

Solid teak wood. Woven raffia. Raw rattan. These are the heroes of a Japandi space, and they don't have to be perfect to be beautiful. In fact, a slight imperfection in the weaving or wood makes the piece more personal.

We often see it: people choose smooth, lacquered pieces while a hand-woven example gives so much more character. A round mirror with a raffia fringe edge, a bedside table with rattan inset panels, a basket with a natural weave. These kinds of details give a room depth without becoming busy.

Our Furniture collection is full of handmade pieces in teak wood and rattan that fit perfectly into this picture.

Texture instead of pattern

Here lies the difference with many other interior styles. Where boho relies on print and color, Japandi relies on feel. A rough raffia cushion next to a smooth linen cushion. A woven cushion cover against a soft velvet throw. The contrast is in how something feels, not how it looks.

Build up your sofa or bed in layers. Start with linen or cotton cushion covers in soft, neutral tones. Then add a few cushions with a woven or fringed edge for texture. And don't be afraid to use one color accent; a deep terracotta or rust red works surprisingly well against a sand-colored base.

Take a look at our Textiles collection for pieces with a clearly palpable weave structure. That's exactly what you're looking for here.

Vases and objects that are just not perfect

Wabi sabi, the Japanese art of embracing imperfection, comes together nowhere as beautifully as in ceramics and natural stone. A handmade vase with a slight imperfection tells a story that a perfectly symmetrical example can never tell.

Play with heights and shapes. Place a rough stone vase next to a smooth white one. Combine a round wooden figurine with an angular candlestick. Don't fill everything at once, but let objects breathe on a shelf or niche in the wall.

Three to five objects per surface is more than enough. More than that, and you lose the calm you just built up.

Our collection Vases & Decoration is full of pieces that celebrate this inequality rather than hide it.

Light that provides a glow, not illumination

Forget that bright ceiling spotlight. In a Japandi space, you work with multiple small light sources at different heights. A floor lamp in the corner. A candle on the bedside table. Maybe a pendant lamp with a rattan or raffia shade that lets soft light fall through the fibers.

Warm white light, somewhere around 2700 Kelvin, works wonders. And make sure no single light bulb is glaring directly into your line of sight. The goal is atmosphere, not brightness.

In our Lighting collection, you'll find pendant lamps with natural shades that naturally bring this warm glow.

Let the space breathe

This is perhaps the hardest step, because it's about what you don't do. The biggest pitfall with Japandi is wanting to place too much. Emptiness is not a missed opportunity to put something down. Emptiness is the styling.

Leave a wall partly bare. Put two objects on a shelf instead of eight. Let the floor be visible between your furniture.

A useful test: remove an object and see if the space still feels complete. Does it still feel good? Then that object probably didn't belong there.

Not in one afternoon, and that's exactly the point

Japandi isn't built in a single weekend. It's a living style that grows with you. Start small. One corner with a reading chair, a throw, and a nice lamp is enough to feel if the atmosphere suits you. From there, you slowly expand.

And keep asking yourself the same question with each new object. Does this add to the tranquility, or does it just add?

Curious for more? Check out our complete Home Accessories collection for more inspiration, or read on in our other styling guides.