How to Create a Japandi Bedroom

Turn your bedroom into a sanctuary inspired by Japanese and Scandinavian design with our guide to Japandi style!

There might not be a more peaceful and functional aesthetic than Japandi style, which makes it perfect for your bedroom. A Japandi style space can be a haven away from your busy daily life, where everything is intentional, uncluttered, and designed to help with clearing your mind at the end of a long day. If you’re ready to turn your bedroom into a more purposeful yet calming room, then we’ve got all of the steps you’ll need to master Japandi style!

Our Step-By-Step Guide For A Japandi Style Bedroom

Step 1 - Decide On Your Colour Scheme

Colours are so important when you’re designing a room, from the walls and floors to furniture and bedding, so make sure everything you choose fits with the gentle, muted Japandi vibe. Warm whites, greys, earthy browns and medium tone wood (or wood effect) are all perfect, and you can add a little bit of colour too, but keep it light and pale. Gentle shades of green fit especially well, since they emphasise Japandi style’s connections to nature.

Step 2 - Choose A Low Profile Bed

When you’re designing your bedroom, the bed itself is one of the most important elements and there’s no better way to start off a Japandi aesthetic than a low-profile option. Look for a bed that is low to the ground and doesn’t have a footboard, like the Denver Bed, and choose a natural look with wood or wood-effect materials.

Another way to lean into Japandi style is to go with integrated storage, like drawers under your bed. These can help you to keep that calming, uncluttered look in your bedroom.

Step 3 - Add A Simple Wardrobe

For your wardrobe, it’s best to keep it simple. Go with the natural wooden look, and try out a light shade to match with the Scandi side of Japandi style. Look for sleek, clean designs without too much texturing or detail for a smooth and stylish finish.

Step 4 - Try A Dark Chest of Drawers

Darker tones can fit into Japandi style, such as adding a black wooden chest of drawers like the Samira 4 Drawer Chest to your bedroom. Including black or dark grey accents can create some Dark Japandi style, which is a sleek, modern take on the aesthetic. It’s still grounding and keeps that connection to the natural world through the wooden material, but has slightly more depth and a little bit of extra flair.

Step 5 - Pick A Natural Bedside Table

As well as choosing a bedside table with an organic feel, such as the Eden Wooden Bedside Table, you should also consider the height of your nightstand compared to your bed. Since Japandi style beds are usually low profile, you’ll need to make sure your bedside table isn’t too tall, as it could create a sense of overcrowding. Instead, aim for a bedside table that is level with the height of your mattress to keep a cohesive feel.

Step 6 - Consider An Elegant Dressing Table

If you have the space in your bedroom and appreciate an extra surface for getting ready in the morning, then a dressing table could be an ideal addition to your space. Choose a sleek, simple design to make sure it works with the Japandi aesthetic. You could pair a dark dressing table with a neutral stool or chair for a soft but visually interesting contrast.

Step 7 - Use Some Sleek Extra Storage

Japandi spaces should generally be as uncluttered as possible, so having enough storage is a crucial step for your bedroom design. While you might think that sideboards belong in dining rooms and living rooms rather than bedrooms, they can be a versatile way to add some extra storage. Matching your sideboard’s look with your other furniture, like your wardrobe and chest of drawers, can help it to fit in with the overall style of your bedroom.

Sideboards are also a great opportunity to display some carefully chosen decor. While you shouldn’t crowd the surface with too many ornaments, choosing a few specific pieces to display can have a massive impact. You can add in a sense of ‘wabi-sabi’ by choosing handmade ornaments and artwork, since the Japanese side of Japandi style is all about embracing imperfections.

Step 8 - Set Up Calming Lighting

Your bedroom’s lighting is incredibly important, since it’ll set the mood for when you’re just getting into bed and preparing to sleep. Light, natural materials are great for your lampshades, like the Fawn Seagrass Wall Light, and matching light sets can add to the cohesive feel in your room.

However, you shouldn’t have too many different lights in your bedroom. For Japandi style, it’s best to take a minimalist approach, such as choosing one or two wall lights, which you could place at either side of your bed’s headboard, one bedside light and a matching pendant for your room’s main light.

Step 9 - Find Linen-Look Bedding

Rather than intricate patterns and bold colours, Japandi style bedding is more about plain but calming duvet cover sets with a linen look and texture. Bedding like the Lark Muslin Duvet Cover Set in neutral shades like beige is perfect for creating a serene feel in your bedroom, which is exactly what you need to set yourself up for a restful night’s sleep.

Step 10 - Layer Up With A Faux Fur Throw

If you want an extra layer of comfort on your bed, you could add a faux fur throw in an earthy shade like olive green or brown. It’s best to keep your bed setup minimal for Japandi style, so just one faux fur throw on top of your bedding will work best. 

However, don’t worry about keeping it meticulously folded and unwrinkled. Part of Japandi style’s charm is allowing imperfections and that ‘lived-in’ feel, so casually draping your throw over the end of your bed can be even better than a precise arrangement.

Step 11 - Finish With Neutral Vases

Neutral planters or vases can be stylish additions to your Japandi style bedroom, especially if you add some minimalist real or faux plants to them. Look for vases with a stone-like finish to strengthen the natural, organic feel in your space, and choose lighter shades to work with your Japandi colour scheme.

Give Your Bedroom Some Calming Japandi Style

Japandi style is one of the best aesthetic choices for your bedroom. It’s serene and grounding, which is exactly what you need to set up the right environment to sleep in. If you want to lean more into Scandinavian inspiration, then check out our guide to creating a Scandi style bedroom. Or, if you need some advice on getting your newly styled Japandi space clean and decluttered, try out our checklist for spring cleaning your bedroom.