Japandi, Scandi, or Modern? A quick guide to interior design styles

Design styles get thrown around like everyone already knows what they mean. Here's a plain-English cheat sheet to the most popular ones, so you can actually tell which look you're drawn to before you commit a single can of paint.

The big ones, defined

• Scandinavian — light woods, white walls, cosy minimalism. Functional and bright.
• Japandi — Scandinavian warmth meets Japanese restraint. Natural materials, low furniture, calm.
• Modern — clean lines, neutral palette, uncluttered. Often confused with contemporary.
• Industrial — exposed brick and metal, raw textures, warehouse energy.
• Bohemian — layered textiles, plants, colour and pattern with a relaxed, collected feel.

How to actually choose

Don't pick a style from a label — pick it from rooms that make you feel something. Save images you love and look for the pattern. Then test the look against your real space, your light, and how you live before you buy anything.

This is exactly where an AI tool helps: SpaceFlip AI lets you see your own room rendered in each style side by side, so the choice stops being abstract and starts being obvious.