HOW I BECAME AN INTERIOR DESIGNER OF JAPANDI STYLE

Apr 21

Written By Judit Ferik

*"My dream living room" moodboard for the Moodboard of the Year 2023 contest, where I won first place with this work, among others*

But really, why Japandi interior design?

(Warning, a personal report follows!)

It all started with this:

*Japanese art, Year of publication: 1980*

When I was a child, I found this book in my parents' house, on the living room bookshelf. And as well as the Japanese travel guide and Japanese flag, and with that, this culture slowly but surely became ingrained in me.

Why am I talking about this? Consciously and unconsciously, we bring a lot of patterns from our ancestors, which also contribute to the design of our future home. A dedicated branch of science deals with why we choose that particular color, style, shape or material for the interior of our property.

Although my parents' interior design can be said to be eclectic in today's perspective, at that time in my childhood it was considered as sophisticated simple and modern: blessed with abundant natural light, spacious spaces thanks to the layout, natural colors, the contrast of dark brown wooden furniture and whitewashed walls, cozy shutters as shading, in terms of decoration minimal ceramics, green plants and ikebanas in all quantities.

These interior details kept coming at me:

It was clear that I wanted to furnish my first, beloved small apartment in a "Japanese" style, even then I had no idea why. More specifically, I thought it was because I like it. Then it turned out, in fact, it is rooted much deeper.

I remember well, my carpenter was amazed by my strange wishes: a wooden futon bed in the bedroom and a Japanese-style sliding door on the wardrobe were the desired designs. Comfortable, low-profile furniture made of natural materials in natural colors prevailed in the other rooms as well. And of course the bamboo wallpaper on the wall. However, I definitely wanted the circle from the Japanese flag or at least the color red to appear in the apartment, which eventually came to life in the form of a wall decoration:

*The desired futon bed in Japanese style*

Later on, my life continued in this direction, despite the fact that, of course, we are all constantly changing and developing, and so is our style.

For me, interior design is actually a journey of self-knowledge, during which I can get answers about my decisions. It is now clear why I dedicated for Japandi style even in the interior design school, and why I have since become an expert/researcher on this topic.

It can be clearly observed that we shape the design of our home both consciously and unconsciously. Man and his environment are related to each other: we arrange the space and surround ourselves with elements that reflect our inner processes.