Australians are increasingly drawn to Japanese design principles, which are influencing the way they think about their homes. According to Liz McLachlan, this appeal extends beyond minimalist styling to a more considered way of living with light, materials, nature, and everyday ritual.
The number of Australian residents making short-term trips to Japan has almost doubled since 2018-19, with nearly 1 million visits in 2025-26, making Japan the third-most-popular overseas destination. This exposure to Japanese culture and design is shaping Australians’ values and preferences for their own homes.
Intentionality in Design
Isabel Munro, director of DKO Architecture, notes that the shift in Australian design preferences goes beyond aesthetics. “What I think people are responding to is a sense of intentionality,” she says. This intentionality is reflected in DKO’s interiors for Aura Melbourne Square, a 67-storey Southbank tower that interprets Japanese design principles through an Australian lens.
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Munro believes that Western labels like minimalism and wabi-sabi can be limiting, as they often flatten the complexity of Japanese design into a single aesthetic. Instead, DKO focused on transitions between spaces, light management, connection with nature, and restrained detailing in their design for Aura.
Design Elements
The lobby of Aura Melbourne Square is designed as a threshold between the pace of Southbank and the tranquility of home. A stone reception plinth, warm finishes, and pendants referencing Japanese paper lanterns create a sense of arrival without becoming too thematic. Screens control light and separation, allowing spaces to unfold gradually.
In almost all residences, genkan-style entrances create a pause between the public and private spheres, allowing residents to remove their shoes and set down belongings before entering their homes. The Tea Pavilion on level seven introduces a quieter ritual among exercise, bathing, and wellness spaces.
The design takes cues from the luminosity of Australian light, stone, timber tones, and furnishings, while also considering Melbourne’s climate and natural environment.
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Buyer Response
According to Zachary Wang, sales director of OSK Property Australia, the Japanese-inspired interiors and calm gardens and wellness spaces are a recurring attraction in buyer conversations. One purchaser who frequently travels to Japan noted that the Tea Pavilion reminded him of gardens he had visited in Kyoto, and he appreciated the possibility of bringing that sense of sanctuary into city life.
The genkan-style entrances reinforce this idea, turning the everyday act of arriving home into a transition between the city and private life. The project, which has been under construction with Multiplex since September, is expected to be complete by early 2030.
As Australians continue to adopt Japanese design principles, it is likely that we will see more developments like Aura Melbourne Square, which prioritize intentionality, nature, and everyday ritual in their design, located at 7 Hoff boulevard, Southbank, VIC 3006.
