Shopping Bag

0 items £0.00

View Bag/Checkout >
Menu

The Fabulous Fleece Company Blog (2018)

​What is 'Japandi' style and how can you create it?

If you’ve not noticed, modern culture has developed rather an enthusiastic love for the portmanteau - where you blend together the meanings and sounds from two words to make a whole new word and concept. Smoke + fog = smog; motorway + hotel = motel; breakfast + lunch = brunch... you get the idea!

So it was only natural that this trend for fusing words would find its way into the trend-led world of interiors, where home decor is often combines more than one style.

Which brings us to the concept of ‘Japandi’ (Japanese + Scandi), an interior style that has been making big waves with designers and home decor lovers recently. It is also known as ‘Scandinese’ or ‘Japanordic’ (more variations of smushed together words!)

Whatever you choose to call it, this hybrid trend is an East meets West fusion that takes the best similarities and differences from both Scandi and Japanese interior design world to create an exciting minimal style of its very own.

How Japanese and Nordic styles complement each other

Though on different sides of the globe, there has long been an affinity between Japanese and Scandinavian design cultures. There have a shared love for minimalism and the simplicity of clean lines, plus they really respect the authentic beauty of natural materials and quality craftsmanship.

Both design styles also lean towards more practical, uncluttered spaces, enhanced by a just handful of well considered statement pieces and accessories, rather than too much decorative detail.

Combining stylistic differences

There are also some key differences, so the Japandi trend combines the best of both worlds to balance out the excesses of each style individually.

The philosophy of 'wabi-sabi' - of finding beauty in the imperfect - is central to Japan’s design culture. Whereas in Scandinavian the notion of hygge - creating an atmosphere of warmth and comfort - is very important.

Japanese interiors tend to exhibit more sleekness and elegance, while the rustic details of Nordic design add more variety and texture. Where the neutrality of Scandinavian interiors can verge on being too clinical, the richer colour palette of Japanese design can help give a room more warmth.

Scandinavian furniture is typically made up of light woods and has a relaxed simplicity, while Japanese pieces are more sleek and refined, featuring stained or painted woods and more curved shapes.

Scandinavian accent pieces focus on comfort, with lots on items like soft rugs, blankets and cushions to give a homely feel, whereas Japanese accents tend to be more utility based.

So Japandi rooms ideally include a mix of both, while keeping things simple and scaled back.

If you love the hybrid philosophy and look of Japandi style, we’ve rounded up some key ways to help you recreate it to your own home.

HOW TO ADD SOME JAPANDI STYLE TO YOUR INTERIOR

1. Embrace simplicity

Japandi style is a masterclass in minimalism, so keep spaces as decluttered and airy as possibly for maximum tranquility.

Accessories and decorative items are not abundant in either Japanese or Scandi design philosophy - so think more quality than quantity and choose just a handful of well considered statement pieces to accessorise.

Scandinavian design likes soft textured items that add cosiness, while Japanese style favours utilitarian pieces, so try combining items across the two philosophies - sparingly of course.

Sheepskin rugs would be a great addition being so practical as well as very hygge! The unique individuality of each sheepskin - especially the mottled fleeces from the rare breeds - also ticks that wabi-sabi box of being beautifully imperfect!

2. Choose natural materials

Wood is a key material in Japandi style, as are other natural fibres such as bamboo, rattan, and paper so try to incorporate ample use of these. If you're feeling adventurous, add some bamboo wallpaper, otherwise perhaps choose a statement pieces of furniture made from rattan such as the cupboard pictured.

Mixing light and dark wood together is a good way to create a nice contrast, while also encompassing both design cultures.

Also try adding sheer fabrics that soften the daylight such as voiles and semi translucent paper screens. An origami style paper light shade, is also great accent piece to include.

House plants are another great addition to bring nature indoors - they can can also help soften the clean lines of minimalist look and add some natural vibrancy! A bonsai tree would be a good way to add both greenery and a Japanese feel.

3. Explore warm muted shades, but also contrast colours

When it comes to colour palettes, avoid painting walls anything too bright or clinical looking Instead use off-whites such as Farrow & Ball’s Wimborne White or Slipper Satin for your neutral paint shades. More warmth can some from the colour of materials in the room, such as natural fibre rugs and light coloured wood.

Accent colours in Japandi style include the soft Scandi tones of light greys, pale pinks, baby blues and pastel greens. However you can add some deeper richness by sparingly using darker accent colours such as charcoal grey, indigo, emerald green or even black.

4. Go low and space out

Japanese furniture tends to be low lying, to satisfy the traditional cultural need to feel and be closer to the earth so low pieces of furniture are a signature of the japandi style.

Try low benches, armchairs and coffee tables in living spaces, and futon style low beds in the sleeping rooms. To align with Scandi style, also ensure you leave plenty of open space around any major furniture pieces.

A style made to last

It may have the catchy name, but Japandi style doesn't deserve to be labelled a trend in many ways, as that implies that it's a short-term fad. In reality, Japandi has all the right ingredients to be a longer-term philosophy or design movement with its mix of classic furniture, natural materials and subtle colours.

It provides a great foundation look that can be adapted over time to suit needs, tastes and individuality. While other trends - and undoubtedly more portmanteau descriptions - will quickly come and go, we think Japandi / Scandinese / Japanordic is a classic style that can really stand the test of time.

For more pictures and inspiration to create Japans style, visit our Pinterest board.

Why sheepskins are great for babies and kids

Babies, toddlers and young children love to seek out comfort, whether it’s a hug from their parents or snuggling up to their favourite soft blanket. So the tactile and supportive nature of sheepskin makes it a very appealing material for little ones to use and enjoy as they grow.

Practicality is always a primary concern when considering any item for your child. So sheepskins’ practical qualities such as aiding temperature regulation, being dirt resistant, flame resistant and even reducing the risk of children developing allergies - are very useful too.

Then there’s the aesthetic appeal, making sheepskins are a great addition to a baby’s nursery, a child’s playroom or bedroom.

So below is a more in-depth guide of the various ways sheepskins are great for babies and children, with some visual inspiration of where to place and how to use the fleeces.

Sheepskin is hypoallergenic and can reduce allergy risk

German researchers found babies who were came into contact with animal skins like sheepskin, in their first three months of life were much less likely to develop asthma and allergies by the time they were 10 years old.

The theory is that the microbes found in animal skin could help protect against asthma and allergies by strengthening the immune system.

Sheepskin is also gentle on your baby’s skin - due to its lanolin content - and may help heal sensitive or inflamed skin or rashes.

Sheepskins are temperature regulating

The natural temperature regulating properties of wool helps your little one to stay at the right temperature. This quality is especially helpful for newborn babies - especially those who are premature or have low birth weight - as they cannot yet regulate their own temperature.

Sheepskin's breathability naturally assists in regulating heat and moisture, keeping your baby warm and snug when the weather’s cool and comfortably dry when it’s hot.

That’s why using a sheepskin to line a buggy or pushchair is such a good choice to keep baby comfortable when out and about in all weathers.

Sheepskins are dirt, water and flame resistant

Sheepskin is naturally anti-bacterial and has self cleaning powers by retaining a natural oil called lanolin, which that resists dirt and grease. Of wool’s three layers, the second has tiny overlapping scales that rub against each other to push off the dirt.

The third layer is a protective filmy skin that helps to resist water. The core of each wool fiber - which contains a protein called keratin - can absorb 30% of its weight in moisture vapour without the sheepskin getting or feeling damp.

Unlike synthetic fibres like polar fleece made from petrochemicals, sheepskin is also more breathable (so it gets less clammy and smelly) plus its naturally flame retardant and resistant to static electricity.

Once you do need to wash it, you easily can in the machine or by hand. Just be sure to follow our care tips here on how to keep it your fleece in tip-top condition.

Sheepskin is a naturally comforting material

A woolly fleece is very tactile and flexible, being so soft to touch and is also very supportive and cushioning. So it can create a snug and soothing cocoon-like environment to help your little one feel more safe, secure and relaxed.

Sheepskins are easily portable

With any comforting item that your baby or child is attached to, you’ll want to take it with you wherever possible to recreate a familiar environment. So it’s great that sheepskin rugs are so easy to transport between a cot and playroom, to use in your car, or to take away on holiday to provide reassuring comfort.

Inspiration for how to use sheepskins for babies and children

Now we've covered the various benefits of sheepskins for little ones, here are some lovely ideas for different places you can use fleeces...

Sheepskins are a soft surface for both rest and play, whatever the child’s age. The silky, malleable texture is great for babies and toddlers to explore and also rest upon - as a mat for when using their play gym, for example.

For older children who love sprawling on floors sheepskin rugs can provide a softer surface to relax upon, while playing or reading.

Image credit: https://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=120004

Add natural tones to a nursery

Whether you opt for a more neutral coloured nursery, or something more gender specific, sheepskins come in a range of tones the light creams and greys that fit well with most decor schemes. The texture also adds softness which really suits the nursery environment.

Image credit: https://projectnursery.com/2014/04/stokke-sleepi-system

Give extra cushioning to a nursing chair

When parents need somewhere comfortable to sit and feed their baby - especially for those lengthy or frequent night feeds - a sheepskin is a great way to soften the surface of a nursing chair.

Image credit: Rock My Style - http://rockmystyle.co.uk/hectors-nursery/

Make a cosy reading nook

Along with some cushions and a selection of your child’s favourite story books nearby, a sheepskin rug is all you need to make a welcoming reading nook in a corner of their bedroom.

Image credit: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/10-cozy-reading-nooks-for-kids-202534

Use as flooring for a teepee

If you are browsing Pinterest for kids bedroom decor ideas, you are sure to have come across plenty of inspiring images featuring a canvas teepee style play tent. Here, sheepskins on the floor inside make these little dens even more appealing as hideaways.

Image credit: http://www.thebooandtheboy.com/2014/10/teepees.html

Create a rocking sheep

Perhaps one of our favourite ways to introduce a sheepskin into a child's life is to make a fun play thing with it - a rocking sheep! A great alternative to a rocking horse, with the added tactile appeal that sheepskin can give.

We so love this idea and a few of our customers have actually done it - see Fab Fleece Fan Alice Sharple's pic below right. Isn't the final result fabulous?!!

Recommended sheepskins for children

If looking for advice on what specific sheepskin from our range to purchase for a baby or child, we would firstly recommend the white medical sheepskin. The fleece is shorn to the ideal length to be springy and supportive and is tanned using a eco-friendly, baby-safe method.

Due to their smaller size, our Lambskin Rugs are also great for little ones. Other possible options to consider would be our classic, bestselling fleeces such as Natural Cream Sheepskin Rug or the Individual Rare Breed Sheepskin.

Whatever one you choose and however its used, children are sure to get lots of comfort and enjoyment from a fleece over many years.

Relaxed summer wedding style ideas

© weddingyurts.co.uk

The excitement around the recent royal nuptials have shown how most people love a good wedding. It has certainly helped to set the mood for celebration this year, especially at the start of summer as we head into peak wedding season.

The royal wedding's glorious weather and stunning setting of Windsor Castle were certainly very enviable but the pressure and formality that comes with such a state occasion is something much less appealing for most couples planning to walk down the aisle.

In terms of wedding trends, relaxed and informal weddings have become much more popular, such as more bohemian and festival inspired events, set in less traditional venues such as yurts or even industrial warehouse spaces.

So here's our round up of some ideas and trends for creating and styling a more informal summer wedding, with a few sheepskins thrown in for good measure, of course ;->

© http://www.yorkshireyurts.co.uk

More relaxed wedding venues

Stately homes, churches and traditional venues may offer grandeur for such a big life occasion but they can also feel stuffy and dated, with less opportunity for a couple to express their individuality.

More stripped-back, industrial style spaces or warehouse weddings are becoming more popular as spaces to house the ceremony and/or reception. They provide a great blank canvas to dress and decorate exactly as desired and showcase the style and taste of the bride and groom.

Glamping inspired yurts, teepees and large bell-tents also make an updated twist on the traditional marquee for holding the reception. There are some great companies that specialise in hiring yurts for marriage celebrations across the UK - such as www.weddingyurts.co.uk

© Alison Conklin Photography via Aisle Say blog

Lots of greenery and foliage

Flowers have always been the focal point of traditional weddings so it's good to see a rise in more greenery and foliage being used to decorate ceremony and reception venues - bringing in more of these elements from nature also helps to make the event itself feel more natural.

For the ceremony, how about saying the vows framed by an arch of abundant green foliage or in front of a backdrop of vertically hanging garlands made from greenery?

© Photo by Carley Rudd; Flowers by Wylie West Creative; Art Direction & Styling by Anne Sage

We love the new take on using wreaths to suit a summer event - thin metals hoops adorned with foliage that can be suspended from above to create an eye-catching, modern display.

Plant based displays can also create a more unconventional table decorations, in place of traditional floral bouquets, using potted plants or garlands of foliage like eucalyptus in table centres.

Softened indoor seating

As most event organisers use chairs that can be easily stored, they are never the most comfortable types of seats! So if you have a small gathering, you could drape light or long-haired sheepskins over the backs of individual chairs which will soften any hard edges but also add to the wedding's luxury look.

© http://utahbrideandgroom.com/real-wedding-alex-henry

If a sheepskin on every individual chair not feasible for events with a larger guest list, then how about having them on the thrones of the bride and groom, being the special couple of the day.

© Free People - https://blog.freepeople.com/2015/01/laura-jakes-carmel-valley-wedding/

Tables with individual chairs may be the typical event seating for weddings, but we like the use of long rustic wooden tables and benches which add warmth and can be softened with sheepskins or reindeer hides.

© Coco Wedding Venues; © https://www.onefabday.com/beautiful-bantry-wedding-by-magda-lukas

© Coco Wedding Venues; © https://www.onefabday.com/beautiful-bantry-wedding-by-magda-lukas

Relaxed outdoor seating

For temporary seating ideas outside a wedding or reception venue, how about simple day beds made from hay bales or wooden pallets. You can drape them in plenty of patterned Berber and sheepskin rugs or animal hides, for comfort and to make the seating area look more inviting - yet casual - place to sit.

© Rebecca Douglas Photography via rockmywedding.co.uk

Casual Catering

Part of this trend towards more relaxed and individual weddings is in the food and drink choices and the rise in casual catering - where you can bring in your preferred mobile food or drink offerings to your venue.

These trucks are those you'd normally expect to see at a street market or festival event, serving wood-fired pizzas, crepes, ice creams and cocktails from vintage vans, horse boxes or converted caravans. It's another great way to add a festival style atmosphere to the day.

© https://whitemag.com

Can we help?

We hope this post have been helpful in giving you some visual inspiration for creating a memorable wedding event.

For more ideas and inspiration, visit our Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/fabfleece/wedding-insp...

If you are looking to source sheepskins for your own personal wedding, or if you are a wedding planner or events venue wanting to add beautiful quality fleeces and hides to your inventory for hire, then please get in touch with Lucy direct with your requirements.

A Fabulous Fleece for The Man Behind the Curtain

We always like to showcase any interesting bespoke sheepskin projects and our latest commission was particularly exciting and unusual - a giant-sized fleece (our biggest yet) for a Michelin starred restaurant.

This very stunning and unique bespoke sheepskin, made from striking black and white mouflon fleeces, was commissioned by The Man Behind the Curtain, a cutting-edge restaurant in Leeds which was opened in 2014 by chef Michael O'Hare.

Our biggest ever bespoke sheepskin!
This is by far the biggest bespoke sheepskin we've made to date, comprising of a whopping 35 skins - seven rows of five fleeces. In fact it was extremely hard to fit the whole fleece into the photograph!

As you can imagine, the final sheepskin when all the fleeces were sewn together weighed an absolute ton! It was certainly a challenge getting it packed and into transit for delivery!!

More about The Man Behind the Curtain
This celebrated Leeds restaurant has a reputation for modern and highly experimental food heavily influenced by Basque and Spanish influences produce and flavours. It is currently the only restaurant in the Yorkshire city which holds a Michelin star and the second restaurant in the city to have ever been awarded one.

Striking decor in modern monochrome
The restaurant takes its name from a line in The Wizard of Oz and its decor is as striking and unique as the food. Originally located above a clothes shop, the first carnation of the website was fitted out on a shoestring in a 'punk loft' style featuring graffiti style artwork and sculptures.

Last year the restaurant moved downstairs to a street-level space twice the size. Now the decor maintains its modern monochrome colour scheme but is now based around marble and chrome materials to create a grander, more elegant space. The irreverent centrepiece is a marble surf board suspended from the ceiling in a chrome box.

We've not got any pictures of the fleece in situ but seeing the black and white colour palette and distinctive decor, you can see how the black tipped Mouflon fleeces will look so great in this context.

More Mouflon?
If you love the look of this striking fleece, here's the Mouflon sheepskin product page:
If interested in commissioning your own custom made fleece, visit our bespoke sheepskin page.

An interior designer's sheepskin adorned home

All images ⓒ Kate Kitchen

We love working with interior designers, helping them to source beautiful bespoke sheepskins and hides for their client projects.

However, considering the stylish products that those working in interiors industry have access and exposure to every day, we consider it a real compliment when our products are chosen to feature in a designer's own home.

These lovely images show the gorgeous living space of Kate Kitchen, founder and owner of Reverie Interior Design based in Sussex.

Kate ordered five individual rare breed sheepskins from us for use in her own home interior scheme. She sent us such fab images, we wanted to feature them in in more detail here on the blog, as well as on the fan board.

The dark toned sheepskins draped over the back of those stylish sofas in the living room area add a layer of extra luxury and comfort to seating that already looks super for sinking into and relaxing after a hard day.

We also love the pop of bright colour from the deep pink of those velvet cushions. The distinct flower print cushions also work really well with the whole look.

In the kitchen, Kate uses sheepskins to soften the seating around the dining table in her fabulous open plan kitchen and dining space. These pics give us major kitchen envy - just love the dark charcoal grey of those cabinets!

Of her interior style, Kate says "I love sophisticated Parisian elegance, combining classic and contemporary elements to create timeless interiors."

Indeed, at Fab Fleece Co we believe that sheepskins are timeless, classic items and they work well with many different interiors styles.

Kate shares lots of images of inspiring interiors over on Instagram so do follow her there https://www.instagram.com/reverieinteriordesign or click through to the Reverie Interior Design website: http://reverieinteriordesign.com

We've been lucky enough to be seen in: