This Japandi-Style Home in Calgary Offers a Calming Summer Getaway for its Homeowners

Photos by Eymeric Widling

Designer Katie Rioux had everything timed perfectly. The lead designer at DWK Interiors knew when the homeowners’ flight would land in Calgary from Hong Kong, and raced over to make sure everything in their new home would look perfect on their arrival. “I [had] the ambient light figured out for the time of day,” Rioux says. The couple hadn’t seen a single photo throughout the six-month design process, and she wanted the big reveal to be big for them. So when the homeowners arrived at their Altadore home, they received a warm welcome of soft lights glowing through the windows. “It was magical,” Rioux says.

Coming from the bustling city of Hong Kong, the couple envisioned their five-bedroom and six-bathroom Calgary home, built by Trickle Creek Homes, as a summer getaway, with future plans for it to eventually become a part-time residence. They approached DWK Interiors with hopes of creating a calming sanctuary, with enough space for family and friends, that might serve as a counterbalance to their cosmopolitan apartment in Hong Kong.  “They wanted the space to feel light, airy and simple,” Rioux says, “they didn’t want over-the-top designs, just statement pieces that spoke for themselves.”

One of these pieces hangs in the library: a painting of green, yellow and pink flowers, with a rust-colored background. “[The piece was] almost like a Japanese garden, it has these rust tones and greens, and the homeowners really loved these colours,” says Rioux. In fact, it sparked the inspiration for the home’s Japandi aesthetic: a design that brings together Japanese minimalism and Scandinavian natural materials.

Those rusts and greens from the library became the colour palette for the rest of the home, “I wanted to pull these rust tones throughout,” Rioux says. “We pulled them into the artwork, into the accent chairs, the marble detail on the coffee table.” Textures are layered throughout: genuine leather headboards are arranged next to rattan lighting fixtures in the bedroom, and wooden paneling is placed above marble accents.

Due to the long-distance nature of the project, Rioux dubbed the process a “designer’s dream.” The homeowners simply handed over the key and entrusted the entire process to the DWK team while they remained overseas. Rioux had the artistic space to ensure that everything was perfect and allowed for last minute change to be made as swiftly as possible. “Every little detail was covered,” Rioux says, down to “making sure there was fresh greenery in all the pots.”

Though the initial design was completed in December 2024, the work of DWK Interiors is not yet finished. As the homeowners continue to make the space their own, adding a wellness suite, complete with a sauna and gym, and personal touches like floor lamps and side tables, the collaboration continues to thrive.

A custom mural by Calgary-local artist Sarah Slaughter brings a dreamy Japanese countryside to life. Rolling hills and bonsai trees in rust browns and creams blend into the decking and make the real-life greenery pop. The patio area, with a table and chairs from Fourhands, features a sliding panel overhead for protection against rain or the Calgary sun. Photo by Eymeric Widling.

The homeowners are avid readers, and so the library, with its double bookshelf from Fourhands, became the heart of the home. The painting from Wendover Art Group is an abstract nod to a Japanese garden and the inspiration for bringing Japandi style into the home: here, seen in the travertine accent table from Fourhands and greenery throughout.

Overlapping textures play an important role in the living room with “rust upholstery fabric, and marble, paired with wood details,” Rioux says.

The homeowners are plant lovers (they have more than 400 plants in their Hong Kong apartment), and so it was important to weave greenery throughout their Calgary home. The custom wooden table from Out of the Woodwork and rattan fringe light from Hudson Valley Lighting blends with the greenery and brings warmth to the kitchen.

More photos from the home: