For years, Hamptons style has shaped the way Australians approach outdoor living – crisp white canvas, navy stipes, driftwood accents and the occasional nautical motif. It’s an aesthetic that has felt synonymous with coastal life, almost nostalgic. But the most inspiring outdoor spaces right now are moving in a quieter direction.
Call it, Coastal Japandi, or Scandifornia, it’s a design approach that pairs the simplicity and restraint of Japandi interiors with the relaxed beauty of Australian coastal living. It relies on natural materials, sculptural forms and warm, sun-bleached neutrals over obvious nautical details. It feels less like a trend and more like a natural evolution: grown-up and considered, yet accessible and timeless. The traditional beach house aesthetic will always have its place, but if a refresh is on your mind, something more pared back speak volumes.
Japandi goes outdoors
Japandi — a fusion of Japanese and Scandinavian design — has been one of the most influential interior aesthetics of recent years, and for good reason. It pairs the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and simplicity, with the Scandinavian principle of hygge — warmth, cosiness and contentment found in understated, well-made spaces. The result feels calm rather than cold, minimal without being sparse, and beautiful in a way that never dates.
Now that sensibility is moving outside and when it meets the Australian coastal aesthetic, something entirely our own emerges. Incorporating warm neutrals and natural textures of the shoreline, it takes the restraint of Japandi and filters it through open air, salty sunlight and the particular ease of an Australian spring afternoon.
The result is an aesthetic defined more by feeling than by look. It’s calm and considered rather than styled and themed. Relaxed, reclined and deeply connected to landscape, it has never felt more relevant as outdoor spaces become true extensions of the home.
Freedom’s new outdoor collection is the most wearable expression of this shift — marrying the low-lying aesthetic of Japandi with Scandinavian warmth and grounding it all in a connection to place. Here are five principles to help you bring the look home with Freedom.
Texture talks
Bring the coast to your outdoor space with texture rather than pattern or motif. Teak and oak timber form your foundation, while woven rattan and subtle tactile finishes bring warm and depth. Let the materials do the talking.
Coastal palette
Navy and white aren’t the only route to coastal cool. Instead, take your colour cues directly from the landscape. Be inspired by the sun-bleached sand, silver driftwood, warm stone and soft sea mist. These understated, neutral tones work with the afternoon light rather than against it.
Create a room
Being outside, doesn’t mean you can’t create a zone that feels like a proper room. Layer soft furnishings on outdoor lounges, pair up multiple side tables to add scale and interest, and create conversation between each piece. For example, style a lounge setting with a coffee table and occasional chairs to build a layered look, just as you would indoors.
Figaro Sofa $1599 and Coffee Table $649
Outlook is everything
Regardless of the space you’re styling, orientate your furniture towards light and any available view. On a balcony, for example, arrange a timber dining table with a bench seat on one side facing the view and armchairs at the ends, so the setting opens up toward the very thing that inspired it.
Genoa Outdoor Dining Table, $2999
Design to linger
This aesthetic is all about choosing comfort over formality. Make your design choices with what happens after the meal in mind. You want to create a casual, reclined feel that encourages everyone to linger longer and embrace the spirit of hygge regardless of whether you’re entertaining or sharing a weekday meal with family. This translates to low-to-the-ground lounge settings, armchairs with generous seat depth, tactile upholstery finishes, and considered details right down to your choice of crockery and glassware on the dining table.
Dune Outdoor Occasional chair, $999
At Freedom, you can always find something that suits your home, tastes and lifestyle. We aim to inspire all Australians to express their individuality and sense of style in their home. Find everything to design your world at Freedom.
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