Interior design for nearly 40 years has been almost laser-focused on simplicity and minimalism, with the most recent big design trend perhaps embodying this approach the most.

Whilst the minimalist approach to design has its roots in the Bauhaus movement of the 1920s and early 1930s, it started to gain a foothold in the 1960s and by the 1990s had become the dominant approach to interior design which we see in varying forms today.

Japandi is arguably the logical extreme of simple, minimalist living, inspired by two different approaches to the idea of simplicity:

• Japanese wabi-sabi, an approach characterised by desolateness, rustic simplicity and an acceptance of imperfection and impermanence, and
• Scandanavian hygge, which is seeking comfort and cosiness in simple pleasures.

In many respects, the two styles are incredibly similar, with both styles relying on natural textures, an empathy with natural materials, muted colour palettes and a focus on light, open and airy spaces.

The combination style that results is a kind of warm minimalism, and a style of interior design that whilst simple and clutter-free is also comfortable and designed to be lived in.

Its popularity is possibly not surprising with a design world thrown into flux over the past two years. With people spending far more time at home in 2020, the minimalist show-home approach to design was completely untenable.

With that came the embrace of a range of styles such as maximalism, which embraced uniqueness, individuality, form over function and clutter over space.

With many of those circumstances changing, there is a reaction to this reaction, with people wanting a return to a warmer, happier, more comfortable form of minimalism, and Japandi fits this requirement perfectly.