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Canadian design studio Untitled [design agency] has used materials that will age gracefully, such as limestone and fir woods, to create a calm ambiance within its renovation of this Vancouver home, which has been shortlisted for a Dezeen Award. More
For our latest lookbook, we have selected ten minimalist bedrooms from the Dezeen archive designed to provide an undisturbed night’s sleep. More
Balbek Bureau has translated the minimalist artistic style of Kyiv tattoo parlour 6:19 Studio into a sparse and desaturated interior. More
Interior design studio Taste Space designed this roastery and cafe in Bangkok to take customers on a journey from coffee bean roasting to cup. More
The minimalist styles and natural materials used in both Japan and Scandinavia come together in this lookbook, containing 10 living rooms that have been decorated with Japandi interior design.
“Japandi” has become the denomination for interiors where Japanese minimalism meets Scandinavian functionality. Simple, pared-back designs and natural materials are some of the key characteristics of the style.
Bare branches and dried flowers add an organic touch to the interiors, which also tend to feature an abundance of wood – a material used in both Japanese and Scandinavian interiors.
This is the latest lookbook in a series providing visual inspiration for interior designers and design lovers. Previous lookbooks in the series have showcased plant-filled offices, calm living rooms and interiors made from biomaterials.
Montreal House, Canada, by Talo Studio
A historic Montreal house was given a contemporary update by design studio Talo Studio, which played with textures to create the home’s minimalist aesthetic.
“A thick rounded sofa is combined with a low linear slatted coffee table and nubby rug with a subtle swirl, reminiscent of a Japanese garden,” studio founder Tiina Vahtola told Dezeen.
An angular Hans Wegner lounge chair with a sheepskin throw nods to the Scandinavian influence.
Find out more about Montreal House ›
The Audo, Denmark, by Norm Architects and Menu
Danish design brand Menu and architecture studio Norm Architects collaborated on the design of The Audo, a hotel in Copenhagen’s Nordhavn area.
A coffee table in veiny Carrara marble adds pattern interest to the room’s muted design, while a woven rug and rock-like ceramic sculpture stand out against the bare walls. The room’s beige sofa with a wooden frame evokes functional Japanese furniture.
Find out more about The Audo ›
Biscuit Loft apartment, USA, by OWIU Studio
Japanese design elements were added to this industrial loft space in Brooklyn, New York, such as a raised platform that can double as a bed frame. In the living room, a classic white Eames lounge chair sits next to a sculptural side table in dark wood.
Dried flowers and grass and a selection of ceramic jugs and vases make for a living room design that feels more Scandinavian or Japanese than American. A traditional Scandinavian-style tasseled rug makes the room feel more homely.
Find out more about Biscuit Loft apartment ›
Powerscroft Road, UK, by Daytrip
This London home combines a pared-down interior design with interesting tactile touches such as a fluffy rug with a geometric pattern.
A rough-hewn wooden side table is reminiscent of traditional Japanese joinery, while the vintage Cleopatra daybed by Dutch designer Dick Cordemeyer for Auping adds a northern European design piece that perfectly matches the home’s Asian influences.
Find out more about Powerscroft Road ›
Azabu Residence, Japan, by Norm Architects and Keiji Ashizawa Design
Norm Architects and Keiji Ashizawa Design have collaborated on a number of projects, including this Japandi interior design for a home in Tokyo.
The triangular pendant lamp is by Norm Architects for Karimoku Case Study and is made from traditional Japanese washi paper. Its geometric shape is picked up by the abstract sculptures on one of the walls and complements the armless modular sofa.
Find out more about Azabu Residence ›
Margin House, Japan, by Kohei Yukawa
Margin House was designed by architect Kohei Yukawa for himself and his family. Flexible living spaces are arranged around an atrium that features a living tree in the middle of the room.
The use of pale wood throughout adds a Scandinavian touch to the room, which has a welcoming feel and is flooded with natural light.
Find out more about Margin House ›
Ca l’Amo, Spain, by Marià Castelló
Architecture studio Marià Castelló designed this retreat in Ibiza using cross-laminated timber (CLT) to keep the volumes lightweight.
The delicate feel of the architecture with its wooden detailing is echoed in the furniture and decorations chosen for the interior, including a classic Pierre Paulin Butterfly Chair.
Slender tree branches are used for decoration, mirroring the trees in the building’s courtyard.
Find out more about Ca l’Amo ›
Kinuta Terrace, Japan by Keiji Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects
The Kinuta Terrace in Tokyo has a muted, discrete colour palette of beige walls and curtains that match the wooden floor in the living room. Here, a grey stone table with a wooden frame complements a wooden sofa with grey cushions.
A decorative vases and round sculptures on the table mirror a large pot that holds a money tree (Pachira aquatica).
Find out more about Kinuta Terrace ›
Edinburgh apartment, Scotland, by Luke McClelland Design
A British take on Japandi interior design can be seen in this living room in an apartment in Edinburgh. Simple and functional, the design nonetheless feels interesting because of the small touches, such as the dark-wood foldable side table and the classic rice lamp.
Artworks decorate the walls and the room’s fireplace has been painted black, matching the graphic slender black floor lamps. The wooden floor has been left mostly bare, with just a small grey rug for decoration.
Find out more about Edinburgh apartment ›
A Quiet Reflection, Sweden, by Ariake
Japanese furniture producer Ariake created an installation at Stockholm Design Week in 2018 to show its first collection. The range included these wooden sofas, whose strict lines and warm wooden frames perfectly encompass the meeting between Scandinavian and Japanese style.
A triangular white lamp and small sculptural side table are a fun addition to the room, which also features a weathered wooden floor and walls where the peeling paint has become a decorative feature in itself.
Find out more about A Quiet Reflection ›
This is the latest lookbook in a series providing visual inspiration for interior designers and design lovers. Previous lookbooks in the series have showcased plant-filled offices, calm living rooms and interiors made from biomaterials.
Read more: More
New York studio Space4Architecture has brought natural light into a townhouse in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens neighbourhood by adding a staircase topped with a skylight. More
For this week’s lookbook, we have picked ten Scandi-style living rooms from the Dezeen archive that play with textures and showcase natural materials, elegant accessories and muted colours.
Scandi style is a term used to describe designs from the three Scandinavian countries – Sweden, Denmark and Norway – but has also become a catchphrase that denotes minimalist interior design that uses plenty of natural materials, especially wood.
Wooden floors are traditional in Scandinavian homes, where they are often matched with wood details such as panelling and classic mid-century modern furniture.
Scandi living rooms often feature white or pale walls, which are common in the Nordic countries where the long, dark winter months mean people tend to choose light colours for their interiors.
Many of the ten interiors below also play with textures, adding fluffy throws to simple sofas, tactile rugs to wooden floors and rattan and leather seating.
This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous roundups include L-shaped kitchens, interiors that use internal glazing and inviting courtyards.
Gjøvik House, Norway, by Norm Architects
Located an hour outside of Oslo, Gjøvik House comprises six interconnected blocks with interiors featuring mottled grey walls, earthen textiles and warm wooden panelling.
Pale grey hues were used for the living room, which has a soft Bollo chair designed by Andreas Engesvik for Foglia and a modular sofa in a neutral grey tone.
According to the architect, the spaces were designed to have a “cosy and inviting feel, where you can truly hibernate while taking shelter from the frigid days of Nordic winter.”
Find out more about Gjøvik House ›
TypeO Loft, Sweden, by TypeO
The living room area of creative studio TypeO’s guest loft in southern Sweden features floor-to-ceiling glazing that opens up onto a large balcony.
A coffee table by Isamu Noguchi for Vitra matches the wooden floor and beams and is complemented by Ligne Roset’s Togo armchairs in black leather. Sculptural decorative details add an art gallery-like feel to the bright living space.
Find out more about TypeO Loft ›
20 Bond Apartment, US, by Home Studios
Design firm Home Studios filled the 20 Bond Apartment in New York with bespoke furniture and vintage finds, including a leather Safari chair by Danish designer Kai Winding.
An entire wall is taken up by a bespoke shelving unit that the studio made from oak wood and brass, adding another Scandinavian-style feature to the room. A rattan table and a pink resin side table by Sabine Marcelis add a tactile touch.
Find out more about 20 Bond Apartment ›
Sculptor’s Residence, Sweden, by Norm Architects, Menu and Dux
Norm Architects, Menu and Dux collaborated on this installation that was designed to resemble the “eclectic living quarters of a creative.” Muted brown and beige hues lend the interiors an earthy, organic feel, which is contrasted by the elegance of the black marble table and black sculptures.
Menu’s Hashira floor lamp adds a subtle nod to Japanese interiors, and its sleek surface offsets the knobbly texture of the brand’s Eave Dining Sofa Bench.
Find out more about Sculptor’s Residence ›
Villa Weinberg, Denmark, by Mette and Martin Weinberg
Wienberg Architects collaborated with fellow Danish architects Friis & Moltke to overhaul the 1940s Villa Weinberg. The result is a warm, inviting home lined with oil-treated oak walls.
The wood-clad living room also has a simple wooden coffee table and poufs for lounging on, as well as a built-in leather-clad bench. A rice lamp and sheepskin throw add texture to the wooden interior.
Find out more about Villa Weinberg ›
Solviken, Sweden, by Johan Sundberg
Scandi living rooms tend to have very neutral colours, but in this space in a Swedish holiday home, two comfy sofas in a calming seafoam green create a bright focal point in the room. The hue is picked up by a painting at the end of the large, open-plan kitchen and living room.
Small unpainted wooden coffee tables match the floor and the wooden storage cabinets alongside one wall.
Find out more about Solviken ›
London townhouse, UK, by Daytrip
Design studio Daytrip’s renovation and expansion of an east London townhouse includes a living room with white walls, a wooden floor and furniture in muted colours.
A textured “Banana” sofa designed by Danish Cabinetmaker, contrasts with the glass Trebol side table by Oscar Tusquets Blanca.
Numerous ceramics and sculptures surround the open fireplace and add life and interest to the sleek white interior.
Find out more about London townhouse ›
Lyceum Apartments, Sweden, by Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter
The Lyceum Apartments in Stockholm are located in the Old Technical College’s Pharmaceutical Institute and feature light-filled rooms with clean designs and historical details.
In the living room, a curved white sofa contrasts against the angular shapes of Pierre Jeanneret’s wood and cane Easy Chairs, Soft beige curtains match the neutral hues of the rest of the room.
Find out more about Lyceum Apartments ›
Sommarhus T, Sweden, by Johan Sundberg
This summer house by Johan Sundberg features a green sofa and a matching armchair. Both are from Danish brand &tradition and match the verdant greenery outside the large glass windows.
A practical wooden table holds globe-shaped glass vases matching the slightly uneven glass lamps in the ceiling. The entire room is clad in pale wood, including the spruce floors, creating a calm, peaceful interior. The fixed furniture in the home was made from oak.
Find out more about Sommarhus T ›
Birkedal, Denmark, by Jan Henrik Jansen
A circular holiday home on the island of Møn in Denmark features a playful living room with white-panelled walls and a floor covered in small white pebbles collected from the beach.
A built-in curved sofa has brown leather seats that have been made cosier with added throws and pillows, and a small circular side table provides space for books, magazines and snacks.
Find out more about Birkedal ›
This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing colourful interiors, calm living rooms and colourful kitchens.
Read more: More
The minimalist, utilitarian interior of this store in Copenhagen by local studio Aspekt Office provides a neutral backdrop for the colourful clothing and homeware that it sells.Located on Niels Hemmingens Gade where it meets the city’s pedestrian shopping street Strøget, the OCE concept store occupies a building that dates back to 1736.
Products are displayed across white and coral-coloured shelves in the home department
OCE stands for objects, clothes and experiences, in reference to what’s on offer in the lifestyle brand’s roughly 50 Chinese stores and its growing number of European outposts.
Terkel Skou Steffensen and Hans Toft Hornemann of Aspekt Office were asked to create an interior for the brand’s Copenhagen store that would help to attract Scandinavian customers.
The steel storage units blend in with the white walls
“The design requirements for the new store were clear and concise,” said the studio, which has provided creative direction for OCE for several years.
“OCE wanted us to create a Nordic atmosphere and add a Scandinavian look, feel and expression to their brand, to be able to attract Scandinavian costumers. That was paramount.”
An oak-panelled service counter provides visual warmth within the otherwise industrial space
The studio decided to divide the store into different zones, one dedicated to fashion and the other to homeware.
Upon entering at ground floor level, customers are greeted by an oak service counter that provides a warm counterpoint to the all-white interior while effectively splitting the area in two.
Clothing is hung on simple white rails
“In general, we have worked with as few colours as possible to make [OCE’s] colourful products stand out and take the primary focus,” said Steffensen and Hornemann.
“To obtain the essential Scandinavian look and feel, we have worked with carefully selected materials. Scandinavian design is a design movement characterised by simplicity, minimalism, functionality and beauty, and we had to mirror that in OCE’s new store.”
Snarkitecture creates billowing all-white pop-up store for Valextra in Milan
In the home department to the right of the counter, the interior was kept “sterile and raw”, with products displayed on simple white and coral-coloured steel shelves.
On the other side, the fashion department sees clothing hung on white steel rails and changing rooms concealed behind grey wool curtains. A grey linoleum floor, designed to resemble concrete, was used throughout to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere.
Grey wool curtains separate the changing rooms
Several of the shop’s display tables are topped with a speckled, terrazzo-like material that is created from recycled yoghurt pots by UK company Smile Plastics.
“Since the store is very small and compact, we made it our mission to utilise even the tiniest little corner,” explained the studio, which has transformed the previously unused space under the stairs into an exhibition area with built-in shelving.
“In this way, we highlight the stairs of the store and lead people to the first floor.”
A staircase with traditional turned wood spindles was painted white
The store’s minimal white interior was also designed to be respectful to the surrounding architecture.
“The store is located in a pedestrian area, surrounded by historical buildings with bricks facades and stucco decorations,” the studio explained.
“Another common feature of these buildings are the large, high windows that allow in as much light as possible, but also allow you to see the beautiful surrounding edifices,” it added.
“We wanted the shop to have a look that blends in homogeneously, no dramatic pops of colour, no discontinuity with the neighbouring interiors that you can see through the windows. The soft palette blends in with the surrounding environment, the materiality chosen is simple and discreet, yet modern and fresh.”
The oak counter separates the homeware from the fashion department
Other designers who have attempted to capture a Scandinavian aesthetic in a retail setting include Ulrika Bernhardtz, the creative director of lifestyle brand Arket, who designed the brand’s Copenhagen store using an all-grey palette.
In London, architecture firm Farrells conceptualised the interior of a mixed-use shopping and dining development to reflect Japanese and Nordic culture, while the Soho store of clothing brand Eytys references Swedish brutalism and postmodernism.
Read more: More
