What is Japandi? And will it help sell my house?

It’s time to come clean – we have a weakness for design trends. We’ve tried hygge, cottagecore and colour drenching but we have really fallen in love with one current interior fashion and that’s Japandi. The best bit? This design style might just help you sell your home.

Japandi marries Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics – two of the calmest, clutter-free approaches to living. Japandi pretty much encapsulates all the styling advice we give to property sellers, resulting in a clean, tidy and neutrally decorated property with mass appeal and an improved marketing price. If you’re ready to embrace simplicity, natural elements, comfort, sustainability and organic shapes, read on.

Neutral colours

At the heart of Japandi is harmony, therefore a classic Japandi interior design will not feature bold, brash or clashing hues. Instead, colours are drawn from a muted palette – think taupe, white, stone, cream, light grey, terracotta and latte. It’s possible to be creative within the neutral palette by using more than one colour when choosing paint, floor coverings, soft furnishings and accessories.

Use of materials

The most successful Japandi interiors look to nature for home furnishing influences. Instead of glass and plastic, furniture and accessories should be made from bamboo, stone, cotton/linen and wood (oak, beech and maple possess the light, warm tones required for Japandi). The earthy, neutral notes of these materials are beautiful as they are, so no embellishing or gilding is needed. Ideas to try include timber battens affixed vertically to a wall, ‘tongue and groove’ style panelling and a stone bathroom basin.

Less is more…but it’s luxurious

Maximalism may suit some people but when selling a property, less is definitely more. Earlier in 2023, the annual home improvement survey by Rated People found a home with mess and clutter would see an offer on a property for sale decrease by an average of £9,290. Japandi draws heavily on the KonMari method of decluttering, pioneered by Japanese organising consultant, Marie Kondo. When following the principle, you let go of items that ‘no longer spark joy’ and find a neat home for everything else.

Tidiness is paired with the tactile when implementing Japandi style. You can reflect Scandinavian hygge by adding storm lanterns filled with cream-coloured candles, cable knit blankets and decorative wicker baskets.

Learn to overlook the lavish

Intrinsic to Japandi is the concept of ‘wabi-sabi’. Wabi roughly translates as ‘rustic simplicity’ and ‘understated elegance’, while sabi means finding beauty in imperfection , especially in items that may have been in the family for a long time or have an important heritage. For today’s home stylist, this may involve sanding back an old wooden chest of drawers instead of buying a new item of furniture.

Accessorise with plants

Houseplants are really having a moment and the Japandi style rules give you direction when choosing what type of houseplants to buy. In fact, Japandi houseplant styling is a microtrend of its own! You can achieve the Japandi aesthetic by adding plerandra elegantissima (false aralia), polyscias ming, shield aralia, Chinese elm bonsai and sophora prostrata (weeping false cypress) to your home.

If you are thinking of selling a property you own and want to test the waters with a no-obligation valuation and receive styling advice, contact our team today.