Japandi interior design encompasses a mix of Scandinavian and Japanese stylings, both of which have an emphasis on simplicity, natural materials, and calm in the home. This design style has come to popularity in recent years with no signs of slowing down, and for good reason. A Japandi decor looks beautiful to all design tastes, whilst creating a feel of cosiness and relaxation that makes staying at home feel great! If you haven’t seen it already, check out my post on nailing the Japandi style in other rooms of your home here.

In a minimalist Japandi bathroom, luxury is present without calling attention to itself. Streamlined surfaces, durable materials and single colours for the walls and floors help to erase a rooms boundaries and make the room look bigger (and more expensive) than it may be. Concentrating on quality of materials whilst maintaining simplicity and calm is key – choose muted colours, accessories and hardware in natural materials and you will be onto a winner!

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Bathtubs for Japandi bathrooms

Baths in Japandi style bathrooms should reflect the Japandi focus on clean lines and natural materials. Traditional Japanese bathtubs are called ‘Japanese pedestal tubs’ and are often very deep, and round. Mixing this with the Scandinavian emphasis on cosiness and ‘hygge’, means investing in a luxurious bathtub that you can lounge in for hours. Natural materials will also come to the forefront, with a preference for stone and wood materials.

When choosing a bath it should be freestanding, or housed in a dark wood apron, with simple lines and black taps and showers. Victorianplumbing have some great options (I am not being sponsored in any way, these are just my personal preferences after my own searching!), which draw parallels to the Japanese pedestal tub, with deep trough-like baths in smooth and modern shapes.

Another version I love is this bath from Lusso & Stone. It is in a higher price range but if you have the budget, the styling makes a nice nod to Japanese culture and minimalism, with beautiful black contrast around a modern bath design.

Cream and stone bathtubs also look magical in a Japandi bathroom, where neutral tones blend beautifully with woods, concrete and monochrome accessories and tile. Be warned though, stone bathtubs can be incredibly expensive (the one below sells for £45,000!), and also very heavy. If you opt for this style ensure that you will be able to transport it and that the bathroom flooring will be able to take the weight.

Showers for Japandi bathrooms

If you’re opting for a shower instead of a bath – round, waterfall style showers look great in a Japandi bathroom. The round shape is modern and elegant, whilst the waterfall style imitates rainfall, a beautiful example of the Japandi style’s affinity with nature and that which is outdoors. Opt for contrasting shades of blacks and charcoals, and ensure the design itself is as minimal as possible.

For those of you who love waterfall showers but find them inconvenient when you don’t want your hair to get wet, you can also find styles that have a decent secondary shower head as well.

Bathroom fixtures for Japandi bathrooms

Sinks and toilets should also follow minimalistic shapes, with clean, modern lines and smooth designs. I have found that wall hung toilets and sinks really work in the Japandi style. They help to enhance the feeling of clean (they make cleaning easier, that is for sure!), taking up less space and looking less cluttered by allowing the eye to see the full floor space underneath

For sinks, I particularly love stone vessel sinks on dark wooden shelves, coordinated with some wall mounted taps. Not only is this a beautiful mixture of natural materials (wood and stone), the colours create a beautiful contrast and they create a ‘cleaner’ look than more bulky standing sinks. These would need to be installed carefully as you need to ensure the walls can bare the weight of them, so proceed with caution if choosing this style!

Storage will also be key in decreasing the possibility of a cluttered view. Other bathroom items should be hidden away behind bathroom cabinets or in sleek, small cupboards, whatever suits the size of your space best.

For additional interest, for those of you who have larger bathrooms, you can include Shoji panels – the traditional Japanese room dividers you may have seen before – allowing light to travel easily through the doors whilst still bringing some privacy.

Japandi bathroom tiles

Bathroom tiles should be made from stone, in neutral creams or greys, and floor tiles should match wall tiles for a more cohesive look that makes a room look bigger – a great tip for smaller bathrooms. I love the impact of limestone tiles throughout, in a light to medium grey. Limestone tiles will make the most dramatic impression, and look great with wooden accessories. They are also incredibly durable and do not allow water to pass through at all, making them a great material for the bathroom.

If you want to mix and match tiling for a ‘zoning’ effect, you can find rock tiles and place them in a brick layout to create a feature wall along a shower or bath, like the image below from ergonomicdesigns. You can also find wooden tiles which work well if you wish to section off an area of the bathroom, for example behind a towel rack. These are relatively expensive so use sparingly, and preferably not in areas where they’re likely to get extremely wet (such as in the shower cubicle).

Accessories for Japandi bathrooms

For accessories, you can include plants in stone pots, wooden storage bowls and candles. Plants such as bonsai, bamboo or other plants native to East Asia may provide a nice nod to the Japanese influence of the style, depending on how much you want to lean into the theme. Otherwise any plants will do, as long it is the right amount for the space.

In keeping with the Japandi style, it is important to be constrained when adding accessories. This style of bathroom should never look cluttered, and there should be plenty of empty space to calm the mind. This means sticking to a small amount of accessories, that are not too bright or bushy.

For more tips on creating Japandi style in the rest of your home, check out my other blog post: ‘How to nail the gorgeous Japandi style in 3 different rooms‘