Cultures fuse beautifully in Japandi design, a blend of Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics. This East-meets-West look is a natural fit for ceramic tile, a material matching Japandi’s simplicity, durability, and natural beauty.
Beyond its characteristic neutrals, the Japandi ethos embraces space and light. Tile effortlessly enhances these qualities with subtle surfaces, refined edges, and timeless textures.
Form and function are inseparable in Japandi interiors — and ceramic tile offers both. Whether echoing handcrafted clay or soft-grained wood, tile becomes a key canvas for intentional living. Its hygienic and sustainable qualities enhance your Japandi aesthetic with effortless maintenance and ethical style.
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All About Japandi Style
What’s Japandi style? Here’s the rundown:
- Biophilic design, with surfaces and furniture that invite the outdoors in
- Sustainable materials, from coverings to decor
- Open design that nurtures calm and reduces visual clutter
- Warm neutrals punctuated with muted blacks, blues, and greens
- Handcrafted details and artisanal textures highlighting a human touch
- Minimalism, bathing spaces in modernity touched with tenderness
- Clean lines (without sterility) often achieved with slatted walls
- Thoughtful patterns and layouts that feel expressive and orderly
- Indoor-outdoor transitions that connect you to nature
To better understand Japandi, let’s look at its underlying cultural influences. Their overlap (such as natural materials) is what makes the style so welcoming.
The “Japan” Influence
Japanese design is storied and informed by millennia:
- Meaningful minimalism, a deliberate choice to live simply
- Wabi-sabi, an embrace of imperfection as a mark of beauty
- Ma, the intentional use of negative space to evoke pause and harmony
- High-quality and natural materials
- Earthy colors, mainly soft whites, charcoals, browns, and greens
The “Scandi” Influence
Scandinavian design (“Scandi”) balances restraint with warmth and practicality:
- Function-first choices, with human needs at the heart
- White, black, and wood tones with abundant natural light
- Hygge, a focus on wellness and comfort
- Clean lines with geometric precision and basic silhouettes
- Lagom, Swedish for “just the right amount” — not too much, not too little
Let’s jump into Japandi tile design as it applies to commercial and residential spaces alike.
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Japandi Tile, Close-Up
A porcelain tile panel makes a quiet statement with lighter strokes sweeping upward as delicate blades of grass.
Rich chocolate and warm tan tones in wood-look tile evoke the natural beauty of earth underfoot, complete with authentic wood-grain texture.
Beige travertine-look mosaic tile thrums with subtle movement across a broad wall. The overall effect evokes the texture of linen, perfectly complementing the cloth pendant lights.
The look of hand-applied concrete undulates across this large-format tile, resulting in a brutalist modern testament to time and craftsmanship.
Linear textured tile in dusky black and blue conjures a contemplative space with this practical backsplash. Randomly alternating vertical and horizontal strokes add visual interest in a wabi-sabi way.
These randomly assorted organic-yet-geometric tiles harmonize soothing neutrals and sharp angles. Add both matte and glossy finishes, and they strike a very Japandi chord!
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Nestled Niche
Find cozy, cohesive juxtaposition in this Japandi bathroom. Textured tile flows up and out while the niche’s neat grid creates a visual window of light. Earthy tones mesh with inky blues, greens, and rusts, reminiscent of stepping into a sun-dappled thicket.
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All Is Calm
Mid-century modern and Scandinavian aesthetics share visual and philosophical DNA, both emphasizing functionality, simplicity, and natural materials. This Bertoia wire chair — an iconic example of MCM furniture — complements this shower’s vertical travertine-look walls and parquet-look floors.
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Sky Meets Skylight
The epitome of Japandi style, this light-drenched open bath beckons you to take a deep breath. Variegated stone-look tile decks the walls, and a slatted wood-look accent wall echoes Asian design.
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Wood, Air, and Stone
Vast marble-look tile panels punctuated with floral graphics liven up this modern shower area. The slatted wood-look floor blends clean lines with warmth and texture.
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Cool and Collected
This Japandi-style bath covered in greige-hued tiles centers around block tile sinks. Lush foliage is welcomed in through large windows and wood beams punctuating the ceiling, while spa-like stones cradle the tub.
[Related: 17 Inspiring Before and After Bathroom Renovations]
Feel the Breeze
You can almost see the botanicals sway on this porcelain panel accent wall overlooking golden-veined marble-look floors. The combination is serene but unpretentious, characteristically Japandi.
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Clean-Lined Retreat
Earthy elements create a striking indoor-outdoor bath, where neutral stone-look tiles unify the space and guide the eye from one area to the next. A herringbone backsplash echoes the room’s structured lines, while curated Japandi furniture completes this tile-centric oasis.
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Order In The The Organic
Wabi-sabi and hygge vibes hum peacefully in this space. Stone-look wall tile hosts irregular vertical bands as a travertine-look floor summons balance with organic texture.
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Meditation Space
Gloss and matte meet texture in a Japandi-style sitting room. Natural light accentuates the slatted wood-look wall tile while a zellige subway tile statement wall gleams in rich, earthy browns. Vertical and horizontal lines harmonize over the wood-look floor tile below.
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Cultural Crosshatch
This living room calls for a midday nap! Wide oak-look planks lay the foundation for an accent wall with a crosshatch design, a nod to fabric-weaving traditions. This immersive Japandi design comes complete with a shoji-esque divider.
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No Drama
Kintsugi-inspired tile is the standout in this wabi-sabi sitting area. The look of wandering, gold-filled cracks is juxtaposed against quintessentially Japandi slats on one wall and plaster-look tile on the other.
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Fire and Ice
Tall, blonde, wood-look slats surround a fireplace that’s anchored by a matte black tile floor. Each area masterfully holds its own while contributing to functional, holistic design.
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Perfectly Imperfect
This fireplace surround showcases zellige tile, a Japandi design staple due to its handcrafted qualities. Neutrals ranging from crème brûlée to dark chocolate deliver rustic modern energy.
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The Grass Is Greener
Japandi style has a playful edge in this den. The focal point — a jade-green zellige tile fireplace — is supported by wood-look tile slats beside it.
[Related: Cozy Up Your Home With These 17 Fireplace Tile Ideas]
Leave Space For Nature
Understated Japandi design is hiding in the shadows of this loft. The inset wall holds palm frond-patterned XXL tile, resplendently echoing other nearby shadows.
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Cracked The Code
This living room exemplifies relaxed Japandi comfort. The cracked appearance of this muted gray tile brings a sense of story to the room, while the tidy grid layout fosters peace and calm.
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Sushi or Herring?
The hygge is strong in this room, with sturdy stone-look floor tile and an island counter that exudes comfort and contentment. Zellige tile brightens the backsplash, bringing a wabi-sabi element.
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Extraordinary Dining
This Japandi dining room expertly marries Japanese design and Scandi functionality. Subdued stone-look floor tile creates a clean base, while crosshatch-weave wall tile moves the eye around the room.
[Related: Tile Color Inspiration Room by Room]
Blades of Grass
Let’s head out! Ceramic tile rated for outdoors allows for a Japandi-style outdoor oasis. Faint grass-patterned panels cover tall planters, with coordinating stone-look tile on the ground.
[Related: Understanding Tile Color Psychology: How It Influences Your Mood]
Walk This Way
Traverse this Japandi-style walkway for a moment of zen before entering the house. The wood-look tile — both spectacular and unimposing — blends into the natural landscaping.
[Related: Explore the Great Outdoor Tile Possibilities]
Indoor-Outdoor Bliss
Japandi tile style unites the inside and outside of this home. A tile “rug” beneath the couch gives a focal point to the seating area.
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Bookmark Your Chapter
This paver patio keeps it simple with black, white, wood looks, and greenery. The same stone-look floor tile continues inside, uninterrupted, for a curated Japandi-style space ready for reading, rest, and relaxation.
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Elevated Business as Usual
Hospitality designers recognize the subtly striking beauty in Japandi tile designs. This lobby leans into the beauty of kintsugi, employing gold-streaked wall tile and hygge comfort with a soft, speckled stone-look floor tile.
[Related: Hotel Tile: Your Guide to Stylish and Durable Surfaces]
Laid-Back Lounge
This Japandi-style restaurant hosts nights to remember. Fronds stretch across ivory tile panels in arched nooks, each dotted with a teal pendant light. Glossy marble-look tile coordinates on the floor with flowy gold veins.
[Related: Beachcombers Restaurant and Wet Whistle Poolside Bar]
Going Up
Creamy marble-look tile bathes the floor of this Japandi-chic lobby. Behind the reception desk, slatted wood-look tile walls draw the eye upward, while dark profiles and stones sit around a single tree.
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Find Your Center With Japandi Tile Looks
Create your own sustainable, durable Japandi-style spaces with ceramic tile. Bathroom to boardwalk, you’ll find the energy you seek without the extra upkeep that stone, wood, and marble surfaces demand.
Stroll through our design gallery to inspire your own tile journey!
