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It Takes Three Japanese minimalism, Scandinavian functionality and Mediterranean richness make an unlikely yet stylish threesome, as evidenced in the home of chef and television host Eden Grinshpan, designed by Montana Burnett Design.
Photography Patrick Biller
DESIGN
Cultural Exchange
What do you get when you cross Japanese minimalism, Scandinavian coziness and Italian pizzazz? An emerging decorative style called Japandi Italiano, as sustainable as it is surprising.
WORDS BY Danny Sinopoli
Interior design abounds with historic style combos that might have seemed incongruous on paper but turned out to have staying power. There’s Hollywood Regency (British elegance meets cinematic glam) and French Bohemian (think Louis-style chairs atop jute rugs). Another, more recent amalgam, however, blends not two but three aesthetics to create a new multicultural paradigm that combines Eastern minimalism, Nordic functionality and Southern European panache. It’s a broadening of the popular Japandi look—one that might be described as Japandi Italiano or Japandi Mediterraneo.
Where does this brave new mélange come from? Japandi, of course, already interweaves two far-flung yet compatible aesthetics: Japanese spareness and Scandinavian comfort, both of which have held tremendous global appeal over the past few years, thanks in large part to the ministrations of decluttering guru Marie Kondo and an increasingly chaotic world. Stringent minimalism, though, can wear thin over the long run. By adding such Italian flourishes as opulent marbles or sculptural furnishings to the mix—which more and more designers have been doing, in a wide variety of settings—the austerity is tempered with a bit of decadence, creating a rich, alluringly layered result.
The Power of Three “Each [style] brings something distinct to the conversation, and together they create a remarkably harmonious dialogue,” says Toronto designer Montana Burnett, a proponent of the look. “Japanese design offers restraint and serenity, while Scandinavian style brings warmth and functionality. For its part, Italian design contributes a sense of romance, sculptural beauty and material richness. While each may seem different at first glance, all three share a deep respect for honest materials, timeless craftsmanship and thoughtful living. Our own work often borrows from that philosophy—layering quiet with expressive, rustic with refined—to create interiors that feel balanced rather than overly prescribed.”
Case in point: a materials palette that Burnett created for a home in Toronto’s Ledbury Park neighbourhood ranges from soft and subdued to vivid and dramatic, expertly bridging the two. In the kitchen, for example, she paired creamy white walls and chunky wooden chairs with a glossy, richly striated black-and-white marble backsplash. Upstairs, meanwhile, a bathroom containing a pristine white soaker tub is separated from the eminently cozy bedroom by some plush rust-coloured curtains that wouldn’t seem out of place in an Italian opera house.
“That balance between rusticity and refinement is something I return to often in my practice,” says Burnett, who travels extensively for both work and inspiration. “I’m endlessly captivated by regions like Umbria, where centuries-old architecture coexists so effortlessly with contemporary life.”
↑
From Top The home of chef and television host Eden Grinshpan, designed by Montana Burnett Design; a quietly expressive kitchen in a serene rural family residence designed by Montana Burnett Design.
Photography Dining, Decor: Patrick Biller; Kitchen: Lauren Miller
Stirring the Melting Pot Italy, in fact, appears to be ground zero for this new East-West amalgam. In April, AD Italia declared on Instagram that “tutti (sono) pazzi per lo stile Japandi” (“everyone’s obsessed with Japandi style”). The magazine went on to advise Italians how to incorporate the look into their homes: “La soluzione è nella semplicità” (“the secret lies in simplicity”).
At the same time, Japandi Italiano can be found far and wide. In Finland, for instance, the Runo Hotel Porvoo near Helsinki artfully combines the wabi-sabi timelessness of natural materials like stone and solid wood with sleek floor lighting and furniture by the luxury Italian brand De Padova. In the capital itself, the Hotel St. George is characterized by public spaces featuring austere black chairs and stools atop a vibrantly patterned tile floor.
In California, meanwhile, Los Angeles studios like OWIU Design and House of Leon have become known for blending Mediterranean warmth with Japanese simplicity, resulting in a sleek yet highly textured aesthetic.
It’s an approach with which Toronto designer Marc Contardi—who launched his studio, MVDC, in 2020—has an affinity. “I love amalgamating Asian with Italian or Mediterranean design,” he says. “I just finished a Japandi-style home, but was naturally driven to also incorporate elements that reflect my European background.” This included large, sculptural mirrors in an otherwise tranquil bedroom and sumptuous marble countertops in the streamlined kitchen and bathroom.
“Even though my aesthetic constantly evolves,” Contardi says, “certain elements are consistent—elements such as comfort, clean lines, mood lighting, specific colours. What we pride ourselves on at MVDC is the ability to create art and beauty through different avenues,” especially the interweaving of disparate global influences.
The Tao of Vastu Shastra
The merging of Japandi and Italian design isn’t the only cultural aesthetic crossover mimicking the multiculturalism that has come to define Toronto. In our city and beyond, Vastu Shastra—India’s version of feng shui—is also intriguing growing numbers of both homebuyers and designers.
Although the interest is no doubt being driven by the large Indian diaspora that calls regions like the Greater Toronto Area home, many non-Indians are likewise exploring the practice, as evidenced by the in-person and online consulting services offered by studios like The House of Interior Design, run by Sonata Swan and Yulia Syniavska, for $250 an hour and up.
Like feng shui, Vastu Shastra is an ancient environmental design system that seeks to align built spaces with natural forces to promote the well-being of residents. Unlike feng shui, the Indian practice (which translates to “the science of dwelling” and is rooted in Hindu and Vedic traditions) is typically implemented at the design stage of the building process rather than adapted afterward, although Vastu Shastra can still be applied to existing structures through remedial measures.
These include such “non-demolition remedies” as colour changes, mirror placement and strategic furniture arrangement, Aurora, Ontario-based consultant Chhavi Sharma writes on Instagram (@vastuchhavi). Sharma has more than 129,000 followers on the platform and is also available for consultations throughout the GTA.
In particular, positive cosmic energy can be channelled into existing structures by introducing soothing colours such as cream, pale green and sky blue, by positioning heavy furniture like wardrobes and beds against south and west walls (considered more auspicious) and by aligning stoves and ovens so that cooks always face east.
Perhaps the most important area of a house when it comes to Vastu is the main entrance, through which energy enters a home. If it doesn’t face north or east—the ideal alignments—an entryway should at least be brightly lit and free of clutter. If a mirror is in the hallway, it should not face the door directly.
Other “doshas” (flaws) can also be corrected through the introduction of crystals, wind chimes, copper strips and Vastu pyramids.
A step-by-step guide to making a home Vastu-compliant can be downloaded free of charge at appliedvastu.com, an Indian-based consultancy that also offers paid online assessments.
While each may seem different at first glance, all three share a deep respect for honest materials, timeless craftsmanship and thoughtful living.
Rules Don’t Apply For designer Sam Sacks, of Toronto-based Sam Sacks Design, those influences are many. “I’m a more-is-more kind of woman,” says the former magazine editor who opened her design firm in 2008. As a self-described consummate storyteller, her biggest problem, she quips, is introducing “too many layers—sometimes I don’t know when to stop!”
In fact, Sacks does understand when to stop, as a survey of her widely published, expertly composed interiors makes clear. In particular, she’s especially adept at marrying the warmth and simplicity of a Japandi-style room with touches of unabashed grandeur and verve.
Take her Gio Ponti-meets-Swedish-country-house pairing of a shaggy upholstered ottoman with a pair of chic pink lounge chairs sporting sinuous metal arms. In another example, a monumental marble island lined with willowy wooden high stools anchors a streamlined white kitchen, adding drama as well as interest to the highly functional space.
Despite her facility with international styles, “I don’t love broadly labelling design trends by their countries of origin,” Sacks clarifies. “I’m more inclined to say, ‘This paper lantern is Akari by Isamu Noguchi; he developed these lights in the early 1950s; these warm, humble fixtures make a great counterpoint to the fanciful mouldings found in Victorian homes.’ In other words, a good designer will know the rules [of a style] and then know how to break them in a really calculated way, conveying humour, whimsy or gravitas in the process.”
Photography Lauren Miller
↑ Clockwise from top left Bedroom and ensuite bathroom by Montana Burnett Design; kitchen by Sam Sacks Design.
Nature’s Best So what are the rules of Japandi Italiano? And how can the style be realized in a seamless, unforced way? According to the owners of Pissano Cerámica, an upscale Spanish tile company dedicated to adapting traditional Mediterranean ceramics to contemporary spaces, “both styles are inclined toward the use of natural materials—such as untreated wood, stone, linen or clay—and promote a handcrafted, organic aesthetic, without artifice,” they state in a blog post on their site. When amalgamating the two aesthetics, however, it helps to think of an “open, orderly” Japandi room as the canvas upon which Mediterranean elements are judiciously superimposed, like a spray of colourful blooms on a white tablecloth. Each is simpatico with the others, but performs a different function.
The design team at Pissano cites an example they’re familiar with. “One of the most evocative meeting points between these two styles is the use of terracotta floors… valued for their natural texture and earthy tones. This type of flooring pays homage to the Mediterranean tradition, but also fits in with the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which embraces the beauty of the natural and the handcrafted.”
A similar synergy can occur even when high-end Italian furnishings are introduced. After all, Italian design can be just as evocative of natural processes as industrial ones. The low-slung sofas produced by brands such as B&B Italia, for instance, are often highly sculptural, as sinuous as snakes or bulbous like amoebas. Similarly, the patterns that characterize the costliest marble slabs may be vivid and dramatic, but they’re also reflective of the rock beds from which they came.
“Natural materials [of all kinds] are fundamental to our philosophy,” Burnett says, explaining how her interiors inevitably end up achieving those effortless-looking fusions. “Whether it’s richly veined stone, beautifully woven textiles, limewash, plaster or handcrafted finishes, we’re always drawn to materials that possess authenticity, depth and the grace to age beautifully over time.”
And therein may lie the real appeal of Japandi Italiano: Besides inviting peace and pleasure, it’s an eminently humanistic style, prizing sustainability over trendsetting and elevating nature both practically and symbolically.
In this respect, it may just find a place in that pantheon of classic decorating combos, alongside Hollywood Regency and French Bohemian.
Burnett and her colleagues are working on it. “I always encourage people to invest in fewer, better pieces—objects that have been thoughtfully made by skilled artisans using traditional techniques,” she says. “A home becomes far more compelling when it feels curated over time rather than furnished all at once. It’s often the unexpected juxtaposition of cultures, eras and craftsmanship that creates the most beautiful interiors.”
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© 2026 Heaps Estrin Real Estate Team
Photography Patrick Biller
↑
It Takes Three Japanese minimalism, Scandinavian functionality and Mediterranean richness make an unlikely yet stylish threesome, as evidenced in the home of chef and television host Eden Grinshpan, designed by Montana Burnett Design.
DESIGN
Cultural Exchange
What do you get when you cross Japanese minimalism, Scandinavian coziness and Italian pizzazz? An emerging decorative style called Japandi Italiano, as sustainable as it is surprising.
WORDS BY Danny Sinopoli
Interior design abounds with historic style combos that might have seemed incongruous on paper but turned out to have staying power. There’s Hollywood Regency (British elegance meets cinematic glam) and French Bohemian (think Louis-style chairs atop jute rugs). Another, more recent amalgam, however, blends not two but three aesthetics to create a new multicultural paradigm that combines Eastern minimalism, Nordic functionality and Southern European panache. It’s a broadening of the popular Japandi look—one that might be described as Japandi Italiano or Japandi Mediterraneo.
Where does this brave new mélange come from? Japandi, of course, already interweaves two far-flung yet compatible aesthetics: Japanese spareness and Scandinavian comfort, both of which have held tremendous global appeal over the past few years, thanks in large part to the ministrations of decluttering guru Marie Kondo and an increasingly chaotic world. Stringent minimalism, though, can wear thin over the long run. By adding such Italian flourishes as opulent marbles or sculptural furnishings to the mix—which more and more designers have been doing, in a wide variety of settings—the austerity is tempered with a bit of decadence, creating a rich, alluringly layered result.
The Power of Three “Each [style] brings something distinct to the conversation, and together they create a remarkably harmonious dialogue,” says Toronto designer Montana Burnett, a proponent of the look. “Japanese design offers restraint and serenity, while Scandinavian style brings warmth and functionality. For its part, Italian design contributes a sense of romance, sculptural beauty and material richness. While each may seem different at first glance, all three share a deep respect for honest materials, timeless craftsmanship and thoughtful living. Our own work often borrows from that philosophy—layering quiet with expressive, rustic with refined—to create interiors that feel balanced rather than overly prescribed.”
Case in point: a materials palette that Burnett created for a home in Toronto’s Ledbury Park neighbourhood ranges from soft and subdued to vivid and dramatic, expertly bridging the two. In the kitchen, for example, she paired creamy white walls and chunky wooden chairs with a glossy, richly striated black-and-white marble backsplash. Upstairs, meanwhile, a bathroom containing a pristine white soaker tub is separated from the eminently cozy bedroom by some plush rust-coloured curtains that wouldn’t seem out of place in an Italian opera house.
“That balance between rusticity and refinement is something I return to often in my practice,” says Burnett, who travels extensively for both work and inspiration. “I’m endlessly captivated by regions like Umbria, where centuries-old architecture coexists so effortlessly with contemporary life.”
Photography Dining, Decor: Patrick Biller; Kitchen: Lauren Miller
↑
Above The home of chef and television host Eden Grinshpan, designed by Montana Burnett Design; a quietly expressive kitchen in a serene rural family residence designed by Montana Burnett Design.
Stirring the Melting Pot Italy, in fact, appears to be ground zero for this new East-West amalgam. In April, AD Italia declared on Instagram that “tutti (sono) pazzi per lo stile Japandi” (“everyone’s obsessed with Japandi style”). The magazine went on to advise Italians how to incorporate the look into their homes: “La soluzione è nella semplicità” (“the secret lies in simplicity”).
At the same time, Japandi Italiano can be found far and wide. In Finland, for instance, the Runo Hotel Porvoo near Helsinki artfully combines the wabi-sabi timelessness of natural materials like stone and solid wood with sleek floor lighting and furniture by the luxury Italian brand De Padova. In the capital itself, the Hotel St. George is characterized by public spaces featuring austere black chairs and stools atop a vibrantly patterned tile floor.
In California, meanwhile, Los Angeles studios like OWIU Design and House of Leon have become known for blending Mediterranean warmth with Japanese simplicity, resulting in a sleek yet highly textured aesthetic.
It’s an approach with which Toronto designer Marc Contardi—who launched his studio, MVDC, in 2020—has an affinity. “I love amalgamating Asian with Italian or Mediterranean design,” he says. “I just finished a Japandi-style home, but was naturally driven to also incorporate elements that reflect my European background.” This included large, sculptural mirrors in an otherwise tranquil bedroom and sumptuous marble countertops in the streamlined kitchen and bathroom.
“Even though my aesthetic constantly evolves,” Contardi says, “certain elements are consistent—elements such as comfort, clean lines, mood lighting, specific colours. What we pride ourselves on at MVDC is the ability to create art and beauty through different avenues,” especially the interweaving of disparate global influences.
The Tao of Vastu Shastra
The merging of Japandi and Italian design isn’t the only cultural aesthetic crossover mimicking the multiculturalism that has come to define Toronto. In our city and beyond, Vastu Shastra—India’s version of feng shui—is also intriguing growing numbers of both homebuyers and designers.
Although the interest is no doubt being driven by the large Indian diaspora that calls regions like the Greater Toronto Area home, many non-Indians are likewise exploring the practice, as evidenced by the in-person and online consulting services offered by studios like The House of Interior Design, run by Sonata Swan and Yulia Syniavska, for $250 an hour and up.
Like feng shui, Vastu Shastra is an ancient environmental design system that seeks to align built spaces with natural forces to promote the well-being of residents. Unlike feng shui, the Indian practice (which translates to “the science of dwelling” and is rooted in Hindu and Vedic traditions) is typically implemented at the design stage of the building process rather than adapted afterward, although Vastu Shastra can still be applied to existing structures through remedial measures.
These include such “non-demolition remedies” as colour changes, mirror placement and strategic furniture arrangement, Aurora, Ontario-based consultant Chhavi Sharma writes on Instagram (@vastuchhavi). Sharma has more than 129,000 followers on the platform and is also available for consultations throughout the GTA.
In particular, positive cosmic energy can be channelled into existing structures by introducing soothing colours such as cream, pale green and sky blue, by positioning heavy furniture like wardrobes and beds against south and west walls (considered more auspicious) and by aligning stoves and ovens so that cooks always face east.
Perhaps the most important area of a house when it comes to Vastu is the main entrance, through which energy enters a home. If it doesn’t face north or east—the ideal alignments—an entryway should at least be brightly lit and free of clutter. If a mirror is in the hallway, it should not face the door directly.
Other “doshas” (flaws) can also be corrected through the introduction of crystals, wind chimes, copper strips and Vastu pyramids.
A step-by-step guide to making a home Vastu-compliant can be downloaded free of charge at appliedvastu.com, an Indian-based consultancy that also offers paid online assessments.
While each may seem different at first glance, all three share a deep respect for honest materials, timeless craftsmanship and thoughtful living.
Photography Lauren Miller
↑ Above Bedroom and ensuite bathroom by Montana Burnett Design; kitchen by Sam Sacks Design.
Nature’s Best So what are the rules of Japandi Italiano? And how can the style be realized in a seamless, unforced way? According to the owners of Pissano Cerámica, an upscale Spanish tile company dedicated to adapting traditional Mediterranean ceramics to contemporary spaces, “both styles are inclined toward the use of natural materials—such as untreated wood, stone, linen or clay—and promote a handcrafted, organic aesthetic, without artifice,” they state in a blog post on their site. When amalgamating the two aesthetics, however, it helps to think of an “open, orderly” Japandi room as the canvas upon which Mediterranean elements are judiciously superimposed, like a spray of colourful blooms on a white tablecloth. Each is simpatico with the others, but performs a different function.
The design team at Pissano cites an example they’re familiar with. “One of the most evocative meeting points between these two styles is the use of terracotta floors… valued for their natural texture and earthy tones. This type of flooring pays homage to the Mediterranean tradition, but also fits in with the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which embraces the beauty of the natural and the handcrafted.”
A similar synergy can occur even when high-end Italian furnishings are introduced. After all, Italian design can be just as evocative of natural processes as industrial ones. The low-slung sofas produced by brands such as B&B Italia, for instance, are often highly sculptural, as sinuous as snakes or bulbous like amoebas. Similarly, the patterns that characterize the costliest marble slabs may be vivid and dramatic, but they’re also reflective of the rock beds from which they came.
“Natural materials [of all kinds] are fundamental to our philosophy,” Burnett says, explaining how her interiors inevitably end up achieving those effortless-looking fusions. “Whether it’s richly veined stone, beautifully woven textiles, limewash, plaster or handcrafted finishes, we’re always drawn to materials that possess authenticity, depth and the grace to age beautifully over time.”
And therein may lie the real appeal of Japandi Italiano: Besides inviting peace and pleasure, it’s an eminently humanistic style, prizing sustainability over trendsetting and elevating nature both practically and symbolically.
In this respect, it may just find a place in that pantheon of classic decorating combos, alongside Hollywood Regency and French Bohemian.
Burnett and her colleagues are working on it. “I always encourage people to invest in fewer, better pieces—objects that have been thoughtfully made by skilled artisans using traditional techniques,” she says. “A home becomes far more compelling when it feels curated over time rather than furnished all at once. It’s often the unexpected juxtaposition of cultures, eras and craftsmanship that creates the most beautiful interiors.”
@heapsestrin | Privacy Policy | Sitemap
© 2026 Heaps Estrin Real Estate Team
@heapsestrin | Privacy Policy | Sitemap
© 2026 Heaps Estrin Real Estate Team