Japandi: lighting for calm rooms of wood and natural materials

What is Japandi?

Japandi is an interior style that blends Japanese and Scandinavian design: the calm and restraint of Japanese rooms with the comfort and functionality of the north. The name combines "Japan" and "Scandi". The connection is not new: Scandinavian designers were already inspired by Japanese craftsmanship and architecture in the 20th century. Both traditions share the values that hold the style together: respect for natural materials, good craftsmanship, few things of high quality and rooms without anything superfluous. From Japan come darker woods, low furniture, sliding elements and an eye for imperfect surfaces in the spirit of wabi-sabi. From Scandinavia come light oak, soft textiles and the idea that a room, however clear, should stay warm and liveable.

How do you recognise a Japandi interior?

A Japandi room looks tidy, warm and balanced, with lots of free space and few objects.

• Materials: oak and walnut, often combined in the same room, linen, wool, paper, bamboo, stoneware and finely textured plaster.
• Colours: greige, sand, clay and oat, with accents in black, dark brown and muted green.
• Shapes: low, straight-lined furniture, slatted wall panels, screens and sliding elements in the style of Japanese shoji.
• Details: a single branch in a vase, handmade ceramics, an olive tree or bonsai, tea bowls on the sideboard.
• Order: closed storage so surfaces stay clear. Whatever is visible has been chosen on purpose.

The right light for Japandi

Japandi lighting is warm, subdued and placed rather low. It should reveal materials and surfaces and create calm, not light the room evenly.

Colour temperature: warm and dimmed

Bulbs with 2,200 to 2,700 kelvin suit wood, clay tones and linen. In the evening the light can be noticeably dimmed; dimmable bulbs make particular sense in this style. Cold, bright light contradicts the calm mood and makes natural tones look pale.

Natural materials on the shade

In Japandi, surface is everything. Wood veneer shades show their grain without adding extra pattern, while alpine hay brings a fine natural texture. In Leuchtnatur's veneer floor lamps, wafer-thin wood veneer is backlit so that the grain itself becomes the light source. This recalls the Japanese tradition of filtering light through paper, only with wood instead. Walnut picks up the darker tones of the style, oak the lighter ones, and a black base adds a graphic accent.

Low layers of light

Japanese rooms are designed for sitting close to the floor, so light at the eye level of seated people feels particularly right. Plan a pendant above the dining table, a slim column of light next to the sofa or bench and small table lamps on a bedside table or stool. Better a few lamps with a clear shape than many different ones. Shadows between the pools of light are not a flaw; they give the room depth.

Japandi room by room

Living room

Next to a low linen sofa, a column of light looks calmer than a floor lamp with a wide shade. Columna is a 156 cm veneer floor lamp with a diameter of 11 cm. In walnut with a black base, it suits a walnut sideboard and coffee table, a wooden screen and an olive tree. Switched on, the grain glows warmly through the veneer; switched off, it is a simple wooden column.

Dining room

Above the dining table, a flat pendant concentrates the light on the table top. Discus comes in 35 or 55 cm diameter, is about 20 cm tall and its cylindrical shape matches the clean lines of the style. The Nussbaum Satin (satin walnut) version links an oak table with a walnut sideboard; black chairs and a slatted wall keep the picture calm. The lower edge should hang 60 to 70 cm above the table. Over a long table, two 35 cm Discus pendants can also hang in a row; just make sure both show the same wood.

Bedroom

A low bed calls for a lamp that also sits low. Ligna is 47 cm tall and stands on three legs of Swiss stone pine, oak or walnut. With walnut legs and an alpine hay shade, it fits on a wooden stool used as a bedside table and gives subdued light in front of the slatted wall. Enough for reading, never too bright for falling asleep.

Hallway

Entrance halls rarely have much space. With a diameter of 9 cm, Gracia is the slimmest of the veneer floor lamps and needs hardly any floor space. Next to an oak bench, its oak veneer glows warmly and welcomes you with soft light instead of a harsh ceiling light. A ceiling light can add general brightness for putting on shoes. A bench, a mirror, a rail for hat and bag and a light column are all a Japandi hallway needs.

Common Japandi lighting mistakes

Japandi rarely fails because of too little, but usually because of too much.

• Too many lamps and shapes: a different style for every lamp takes away the calm. Repeat materials such as walnut, oak and black.
• Cold or too bright light: Japandi needs warm, subdued light. A bright ceiling spotlight makes the room feel like an office.
• Lamps placed too high: with low furniture, light from far above looks lost. Table lamps and light columns bring it to seating height.
• Shiny surfaces: chrome, high gloss and coloured glass do not suit the matt, natural materials of the style.
• Lamps without a purpose: every lamp should have a fixed place and a function, such as reading, eating or arriving home.

Japandi lamps by Leuchtnatur

Leuchtnatur is a workshop in Übersee on Lake Chiemsee making lamps of wood veneer, alpine hay, leaves and loden. The veneer is selected by hand and comes from FSC-certified wood. For Japandi, walnut and oak work particularly well, ideally with a black base, as do alpine hay shades for a fine natural texture. Find more in wood veneer lamps, floor lamps, pendant lamps, table lamps and wall lamps.