Dark Academia Aesthetic or Japandi? Interior Design Trends 2022

If you feel ready for a change in the decoration of your home and you need inspiration, here is a guide to the 2 most modern interior trends 2022: Dark Academia Aesthetic and Japandi.

Dark Academia Aesthetic

Dark academia is a social media aesthetic and subculture concerned with the arts, literature, poetry, decoration, and classic Greek and Gothic architecture. The subculture is associated with ancient art and classic literature.

Historically, we recognize dark academic aesthetics in the fashion of the 1930s and 1940s.

It features prominently, especially clothing items worn by students at Oxbridge, Ivy League schools, and prep schools of that period.

Also in a number of classic works of literature, such as Oscar Wilde’s “The Portrait of Dorian Gray” and “Maurice” by E. M. Forster, as well as at writers such as Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley that have been influential and popular among the dark academia subculture.

And into some more recent books, such as JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series and Donna Tartt’s novel The Secret History. (source: Wikipedia)

Dark academia aesthetic was the second most popular design term in 2021 and is almost the opposite of japandi. It is a style characterized by dark wooden furniture, dense rooms full of things, classic Greek statues, and tons of old books.

The aesthetics of dark academia are somewhere between goth and steampunk, but without the cartoonish versions of each of them. It’s the celebration of black walls, velvet furniture, and vintage patterns.

Imagine how Mary Shelly would have decorated her office and you will get an idea of the dark academia aesthetic interior design.