The word "Japandi" was coined around 2016, but the design crossover it describes goes back 150 years. When Japan opened its ports to Western trade in the mid-1800s, Scandinavian architects and designers started making the trip east — and came home changed. Alvar Aalto studied Japanese residential architecture through Tetsuro Yoshida's 1935 book on the Japanese house. You can see the influence in his Villa Mairea, with its rattan-wrapped columns and organic material integration.
The connection runs both ways. Since the 1950s, Japanese designers have been drawn to Nordic furniture for the same reasons Nordic designers admired Japanese spaces: honest materials, clean function, nothing wasted. Japandi just gave a name to a conversation that's been happening for generations.
Today, Japandi pulls about 42,000 Google searches a month — up 23% year over year. It's showing up in Michelin-starred restaurants (Noma's Kyoto pop-up, designed by Copenhagen's OEO Studio, was pure Japandi) and luxury hotels like Aman Tokyo, with its six-story washi paper lobby. This isn't a passing trend. It's two design traditions that keep finding each other.
Wabi-Sabi Meets Hygge
Japanese aesthetics give Japandi several concepts that don't have clean English translations. Wabi-sabi is the famous one — beauty in imperfection, in the crack in the bowl, in the brushstroke that trails off. But there's also kanso (simplicity through eliminating the unnecessary), ma (the purposeful space between things), and shibui (subtle elegance that reveals itself slowly, over time). These aren't decorating tips. They're philosophical positions about what beauty is.
The Scandinavian side brings hygge — warmth, coziness, contentment. Where wabi-sabi can skew austere, hygge pulls it back toward softness. Wool blankets. Candlelight. Lived-in comfort.
Japandi art lives in the overlap: imperfect but warm, restrained but inviting. Not the cold perfection of gallery minimalism. Not the cluttered coziness of farmhouse style. Something quieter and harder to pin down.
The Japandi Art Palette
Color is where Japandi gets specific. The palette draws from both traditions:
- From Japan: charcoal (sumi ink), indigo, moss green, warm gray, off-white (washi)
- From Scandinavia: pale oak, cream, soft sage, muted blush, light gray
- The overlap: warm neutrals, muted earth tones, black as an accent
The Scandinavian collection captures the light, airy side of this palette, while the botanical collection hits the organic, nature-connected notes that both traditions value.
Choosing Art for Japandi Spaces
Not every minimalist print is Japandi. Here's what to look for:
- Organic over geometric: natural forms, brushstrokes, and flowing lines feel more Japandi than hard geometric shapes
- Imperfection is good: art that looks slightly hand-rendered, with visible texture or irregular edges
- Nature references: botanicals, landscapes, water, stone — both cultures draw heavily from the natural world
- Minimal composition: lots of empty space, few elements, each one purposeful
- Muted tones: nothing bright or saturated. Everything should feel like it's been softened by time
Framing for Japandi
The frame is especially important in Japandi because both traditions pay close attention to how objects are presented:
- Light oak or ash: the Scandinavian standard, warm and natural
- Dark walnut or black: the Japanese influence, adding weight and contrast
- Floating frames: the gap between art and frame echoes the Japanese appreciation for ma (negative space)
- No frame at all: canvas pieces or prints mounted on wood panels can feel appropriately craft-forward
Our Scandinavian art guide covers Nordic framing in detail. For Japandi specifically, mixing a light wood frame in one room with a dark frame in another creates the cross-cultural dialogue that defines the style.
Placement and Spacing
Both Japanese and Scandinavian design value negative space, so Japandi interiors tend to have fewer pieces with more breathing room than most Western homes.
The Japanese concept of ma — the space between things — is essential. Art shouldn't fill the wall. The empty space around it is part of the composition. In practice, this means:
- One piece per wall, with generous margins
- Art that incorporates white space within its own composition
- Avoid groupings — single pieces maintain the sense of intentional emptiness
If this resonates, our 5 rules for minimalist wall art aligns closely with Japandi principles, especially the rule about white space being part of the design. And for hanging specifics, the designer hanging guide will help you nail the placement.
