Japandi is the intentional blending of the Japanese and Scandinavian design influences. You know, like that nauseating pop-culture activity of blending a celebrity couple’s name into one unfortunate nickname.

The Japanese aesthetic is practical, clean lines, slick with a focus on craftsmanship, but can be a little broody and muted in tone.  Value is placed on quality and sustainability.

Meanwhile, a Nordic breeze blows in  Scandi, short for Scandinavian, she has a natural, crisp, rustic vibe that seeks to shake off the chill and cozy things through her practice of Hygge, pronounced *hoo-ga*.

Hygge is an overall feeling of homeyness achieved through rustic textures, order, lighting, scent, and plants.

The Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, (so fun to say) believes there to be beauty in imperfection or patina. The more an object is used, and worn, the more beautiful it is.

The ethos of wabi-sabi is the juxtaposition of the rustic and the refined and claiming beauty in all of it.

The essence of the Japanese and Scandinavian design styles is rooted in minimalism, simplicity, and a neutral color palette. at the heart of it, they are soul mates.

As far as creative couplings go, Japandi is the global love child of minimalism.

The relationship could live in perfect harmony in the world of minimalism and beyond because they have just enough in common to live in perfect harmony while maintaining their individual identities to make this a timeless endeavor.

For the uninitiated, the Japandi design style is not simply adding some wood tones to your gray rooms. It is a very intentional design approach that respects intention and pride of place.

Last year as we all hunkered down at home and critically looked at how,  where, and the why of living. Collectively we decluttered, we enjoyed simple pleasures and we remembered why we hated 1,569 piece puzzles of Bambi in the wilderness.