Discover Laila’s Japandi kitchen and our Japandi paint collection with 35+ colours. Based on the 60 30 10 rule for a calm and balanced space.
A look inside Laila’s Japandi kitchen
Laila lives with her partner Wouter, their son Tygo and their cat Kiyomi in a small village near Utrecht.
“For me, the kitchen really is the heart of our home. It is a social space with a direct connection to the dining room and living room.”
She loves cooking and having guests over. In this article, Laila shares practical tips for designing a Japandi kitchen, along with the choices she made in materials, shapes and colours.
Tips for designing a Japandi kitchen
A kitchen starts with a smart layout. According to Laila, it is essential to look at the natural walking routes in the kitchen: how do people move through the space in an intuitive way? The kitchen triangle, and the efficient line between the fridge, sink and hob, plays a big part in this. Also think about the distance between the dishwasher and the drawers or cupboards where you keep the cutlery, plates and glasses you use most.
Ma is an important element within Japandi style. It is a Japanese concept centred around meaningful empty space. It is the space around an object that allows the object to truly stand out. Personally, I do not believe in “the more, the better” when it comes to cupboards in a Japandi kitchen. When designing your new kitchen, it is important to think about what you really want to keep and store. And possibly what you could place somewhere else in your home.
Laila chose not to have wall units on one side and only two shelves on the other. This keeps the kitchen calm and creates space for Ma. The shelves hold both personal pieces and practical accessories, just as you often see in Japandi styling.
Materials used in the Japandi kitchen
For the walls and ceilings on the ground floor, including the kitchen, Laila chose the soft, warm shade Ukiyo from her own Japandi paint collection at betonlook.nl. The matt, mineral look of the paint gives the walls subtle depth and a natural texture. The light from the windows makes the colour look slightly different throughout the day, which brings the space to life.
Laila also chose several natural materials. The oak cupboards were designed together with Konga CPH, the worktop is quartzite, the lamps are ceramic and the floor is Dekton, a combination of glass, porcelain and quartz.
Favourite Japandi colours for the kitchen
Shapes and lines
In Japandi style, it is also about different shapes and clean lines. Laila added round shapes alongside the fixed straight lines in the sink, walls and drawers. This makes the kitchen feel softer and more harmonious. By repeating round shapes in the cupboards, shelves, worktop and lamps, the space feels calm and unified.
A Japandi kitchen is not about perfection, but about harmony: natural materials, warm colours and a practical, atmospheric layout. With the Japandi paint from Laila’s collection in collaboration with Betonlook.nl, you can create exactly that calm, timeless base where everything comes together.
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