Japanese Bedroom Ideas
A Japanese bedroom is low, quiet and uncluttered: a bed close to the floor, natural wood and paper, soft diffused light and a calm palette of off-white, wood and ink. Keep the art to one focal piece or a matching pair, and let everything else stay simple.
Below: what makes a bedroom look Japanese, the colours and materials to use, how to choose and hang the art, and how to get the look on a budget.
Prints for this look
The colour palette
What makes a bedroom look Japanese
The look comes from traditional Japanese homes, where rooms were laid with tatami mats, divided by sliding shoji screens and kept clear so they could be used in different ways through the day. A modern Japanese style bedroom borrows the same ideas:
- Sleep low. A futon or a low platform bed is the single biggest signal.
- Natural materials. Pale wood, bamboo, woven grass, linen, cotton and paper.
- Soft light. Paper lanterns, frosted panels or shoji-style screens instead of bright overhead light.
- Very little furniture. Built-in or closed storage, and nothing on the floor that does not need to be there.
- One point of focus. A single print, a branch in a vase, a ceramic bowl.
Japanese bedroom or japandi? They overlap, but a Japanese bedroom is lower, sparer and more traditional. Japandi adds Scandinavian softness: more textiles, a rug, a little more furniture.
Colours and materials
Build the room from a warm off-white like rice paper, then add wood in a light, golden tone. Indigo and charcoal give depth, in bedding, a throw or the art itself. A small touch of vermilion red, the colour of temple gates and lacquerware, adds warmth, but keep it to one or two places.
For texture, layer a woven grass or jute rug, linen bedding in sand or stone, and a paper lamp. Plants with sculptural shapes, such as a small pine, a fern or a single branch, suit the room better than lots of leafy pots.
Choosing and hanging the art
Traditional Japanese homes show one piece at a time in a small alcove and change it with the seasons. That is a good rule for the bedroom too: one print above the bed, or a calm matching pair.
Ink paintings, woodblock-style landscapes, cranes, waves and cherry blossom all suit the room. Keep the colours in the same family as the walls and bedding, and avoid crowded gallery walls or very bright pop art, which work better in a living room.
Above the bed, choose one A1 above a double, or a pair of A2 prints above a king size. A low bed means the art can sit a little lower than usual: keep 15 to 25 cm between the headboard, or the top of the mattress, and the frame.
Browse our Japanese wall art, woodblock prints and Japanese ink art. For more on the prints themselves, read our guide to Japanese wall art for bedrooms.
A Japanese bedroom on a budget
- Lower the bed. A mattress on a simple slatted base gets you most of the way.
- Clear the room first. Removing things costs nothing and does more than buying new ones.
- Swap the lampshades. Paper shades are inexpensive and change the light at once.
- Use a roller blind in bamboo or pale linen in place of heavy curtains.
- Choose one print, not five. A single larger piece looks more Japanese and costs less than a full gallery wall.
Sizes at a glance
| Size | Centimetres | Inches | Works for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 | 21 x 29.7 | 8.3 x 11.7 | Shelves, desks, small gaps, sets of 3 |
| A3 | 29.7 x 42 | 11.7 x 16.5 | Hallways, side walls, pairs |
| A2 | 42 x 59.4 | 16.5 x 23.4 | Above a sideboard or small sofa, the anchor of a gallery wall |
| A1 | 59.4 x 84.1 | 23.4 x 33.1 | Above a standard sofa or bed |
| A0 | 84.1 x 118.9 | 33.1 x 46.8 | Large walls, open-plan rooms, statement pieces |
All our A sizes fit standard off-the-shelf frames, and every print is made to order on museum-grade matte paper.
