5 ways to achieve a japandi-style kitchen

Embrace Japanese philosophy and add a helping of Scandinavian hygge for a supremely natural kitchen

By Jason Podesta | 1 August 2023

Browse any modern interior design magazine and you’ll encounter the term japandi, a trending interior design style that mixes wabi sabi, a Japanese philosophy, with the Scandi concept hygge to create an idea of simple cosiness.

Thankfully, you don’t need to meditate on a mountaintop to enjoy japandi. With a few simple steps and some considered kitchen design choices from Masterclass Kitchens you can achieve a japandi-style kitchen and reap its wellbeing benefits.

1. Contemplate simplicity

Creating Scandinavian hygge, or comfort, is easy; a woollen throw, comfortable furniture and a few candles will do. But what about wabi sabi? In this Japanese ideology, wabi is about recognising simple beauty while sabi relates to life’s impermanence. Wabi sabi experts use tea ceremonies to illustrate this, explaining that tea requires minimal materialism and is ideal for bonding over life’s simple pleasures.

The new high-quality Breakfast Dressers from Masterclass Kitchens are perfectly suited to the ritual of serving tea to guests. And of course they are also fully-equipped breakfast stations for your family’s needs.

2. Aim for timeless design

Enjoying the wabi sabi approach involves appreciating the simple beauty of objects as they gain the patina or roughness of age. Clearly you won’t want your japandi-style kitchen to deteriorate. Rather, by choosing quality fittings you can appreciate the kitchen at every stage in its lifecycle.

Take, for example, kitchen cabinet drawers. Cheap drawers crack, their plastic dividers discolour and their boxes derail. Masterclass drawers with wood-effect cutlery organisers remain ageless and the reliable runners come with a Blum lifetime guarantee. To accessorise the kitchen, add a few repurposed items such as luxury biscuit tins or antique mason jars.

3. Symbolise Japanese concepts

Japanese artisans use kintsugi, the art of mending fractured pottery with gold-, silver-, or platinum-powder-based lacquer, to create a product that’s more beautiful after a break. The act is an analogy for the the way the stresses of life improve us as we age.

Incorporating this theme into a japandi-style kitchen is easy, too. A Truffle or Midnight Pietra worktop from Masterclass, with the markings common to natural stone, will hide imperfections and still looks good with age. The same goes for the rich grain of Mayfield and Farmhouse Oak work surfaces.

4. Embrace asymmetry

Japanese philosophy is all about impermanence, accepting that life is ever-changing and imperfect in every moment. By including some asymmetrical objects you’ll reflect this philosophy and be reminded to appreciate the now. You could, for instance, display a length of whorled driftwood on Masterclass open shelving in your kitchen.

Available in Portland Oak or Tuscan Walnut, wall-mounted bookshelves from Masterclass Kitchens can hold 85 kg/sqm, or even more when installed in sturdy furniture such as a kitchen island.

5. Concentrate on shades from nature

Once you’ve internalised wabi sabi principles and decided how to incorporate them into your kitchen, you’ll want a colour palette to reflect your decisions. Japandi design shades tend to align with nature. Imagine off-whites, clays, woods and earthy accessories. Finding a modern kitchen with these qualities might seem challenging but the Masterclass Ligna and Madoc ranges adhere closely to the spirit.

They come in a range of wood-effect door finishes. Innovative features include extra usable cabinet space and 16,000 cabinet configurations. This results in endless ways to create a japandi style kitchen that flows organically to fill your home’s contours.