From the sage green frontage of Blank Street Coffee to the minimal white of every Apple store ever, some interior designs are synonymous with today's digital world. But it seems there's a new(ish) aesthetic taking over the tech world right now.
The visual language of vertically slatted wood seems to be popping up everywhere at the moment. And whether you call it Japandi or sauna core, it's unavoidable. And, judging by the response on social media, it's unpopular too.
I will not elaborate further. https://t.co/Ngua5ECO5d pic.twitter.com/MrOr70wHy6June 29, 2026
Infographics experts US Graphic Company recently shared four examples of the trend on social media. The shots depict a screenshot from a ChatGPT 5 keynote, the inside of an Nvidia box and the frontage of a Hermes store. And they seem to be touching a nerve.
"One of the worst trends in modern architecture, and that is saying a lot. Completely bland, most times the "wood" used screams cheap," one X user comments, while another adds, "The "wooden lines" aesthetic will be remembered as the worst visual element of the 2020s. Soulless. Low effort."
My theory is this look minimizes labor and material costs while looking decent, as the thin wooden strips are cheap and mostly fabbed off-site. I think this is also why wholecut slab tabletops are so common: little woodworking skill required but flashy compared to traditional… https://t.co/ngP0odfUmz pic.twitter.com/2jgjEgQ7VYJune 29, 2026
'Japandi', a visual style that combines Japanese aesthetics and Scandinavian design has been around for a while. But 'sauna core' seems to be a specifically corporate mutation devoid of the cosy 'hygge' touches that make up Japandi. There are no rugs, throws or candles here.
Of course, there's a reason brands keep reaching for the look. The warm timber tones arguably soften the clinical feel of contemporary tech – and in today's world of AI, 'humanising' tech is all the rage. Just look at all those serif fonts the AI brands are obsessed with.
But as with every dominant design trend, overexposure may be its downfall. What began as an antidote to sterile minimalism is already edging towards cliché, and social media is rarely forgiving once an aesthetic reaches ubiquity. 'Sauna core' might not disappear overnight, but if the internet has its way, the wooden slat could soon join millennial pink and corporate Memphis illustration as another unmistakable (and badly aged) timestamp of the decade.
