If you’re a décor lover, you’ll likely know what the Japandi trend is all about.
Calming, neutral and perfect for lovers of minimalistic interiors, Japandi combines neutral and chic Japanese design with Scandinavian sleekness for a muted yet opulent finish.
Think neutral colour palettes with monochrome accents, nature-inspired landscapes and clean lines – Japandi is a growing decor trend that isn’t slowing down.
And now a South London based mum has proved that the Japandi trend can be followed and applied, even to the drabbest and most run-down houses, cost-effectively.
Green Lili has spoken to DIY-loving Ore from the Instagram page @oreathometo find out how she transformed her rundown Victorian terrace.
Opening up about how she did it, the Japandi-loving mum revealed that she wanted to ensure her home was ‘grubby hand-proof’, welcoming and homely.
Ore, 33, is based in South London and loves with her husband and two children and has completely made her decor dreams a reality.
Running her Instagram page, Ore loves to share decorating hacks, insights to how she did her amazing renovation and money-saving tips.
She describes her decorating style as ‘a mix of influences’ with most rooms comprising of a minimal Japandi vibe.
A monochromatic colour palette with hints of green, gold, grey and wood adorn every inch of Ore’s home.
‘My main focus for any room I decorate is it feeling comfortable for those who are enjoying it,’ the London-based mum explains.
She bought the property as a probate sale, which meant that the previous owner had passed away, and from the get-go it was apparent that it had been unloved for a number of years and needed a facelift.
As soon as Ore and her family completed on the house and got the keys, they got their builders in the very next day to begin work.
‘Everything was painted in psychedelic green or purple,’ Ore explains.
‘The renovation took around five months, and we used a building team for the bulk of it with some DIY thrown in here and there.’
The family didn’t have a vision in terms of design, but knew Ore knew she wanted their new house to have the ‘feel of a home’.
‘I wanted it to be comfortable and inviting but, most importantly, functional for our family and little children.
‘I wanted a beautiful home, but I didn’t want it to feel like a museum, and it had to be “grubby hand-proof”, as I like to say.
‘This then influenced the paint colour choices around the home and a lot of the styling.’
One of her favourite rooms is her office – which set her back less than £300 to renovate.
‘It was just a box room with a single coloured wall, and it wasn’t a very inviting space to work,’ she detailed.
‘I spent weekends working on it myself and saved money because of no labour costs.’
Ore also upcycled their entrance shoe storage unit.
‘It was initially a basic white Ikea hemnes shoe cabinet, and I changed it into a black ribbed cabinet more in keeping with the rest of the décor and style of the house.’
BEFORE
Provider: @oreathome
After
Provider: @oreathome
‘Also, don’t rush when it comes to decorating,’ she explains.
‘Social media posts and reels will have you seeing home accounts click their fingers and a room is transformed, but in reality, it takes a lot of time to decorate and transform a house, so don’t feel rushed because of what you see online.’
Ore’s top decorating tip
Ore recommends that if you can try your hand at doing some of the work yourself instead of hiring trade – do it.
‘Things like panelling, although tricky at first, are super easy to do as.
‘DIY, which would save you hundreds on paying for something. The same goes for painting.
‘Also, consider “shopping your house” – are there items in other rooms or in storage that maybe you’re not using that would work well to decorate the new room?
Look at high street shops for affordable finishing pieces – places like Dunelm, H&M, and Zara are great for getting luxury-looking finishing touches but on a budget.’
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