IntroductionWith the continuous progress of social civilization and people's pursuit of high-quality life, various furniture styles mix, creating different forms and values ​​providing people more diversified choices. Modern society works too fast. People pursue a simple and casual lifestyle and want to use furniture as a simple and casual living concept. Therefore, Nordic and Japanese minimalist furniture represented by IKEA and MUJI are popular in the Eastern and Western markets. Although everyone is trying to create a "simple" theme, it shows two different artistic conceptions. This article will compare two different minimalist styles and then explain the similarities and differences between the two to solve the confusion of people in the East and West when choosing furniture. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayDesign conceptIKEA is a representative brand of Nordic design and was born in Sweden in 1943. The founders follow the design philosophy of functionalization, life, convenience and democratization. MUJI was born in Japan and the design concept originated from Japanese style. “The Birth of MUJI” was founded in 1980 by the original researcher, Naoki Naoto, and Koike Aiko. (Julian Holloway and Sheila Hones,2007,p.557) Its design philosophy is "from nothing", in a minimalist form, simple and natural design, service and life. “Kristoffersson contextualizes the concept of Scandinavian design historically and contemporarily. “（Sjögren H, 2015）. IKEA's design is based on Scandinavian style, which is more lively and colorful than MUJI. At the same time, MUJI design style is derived from Japanese "Zen", which is simpler than IKEA and reduces brand awareness. Minimalism in Nordic and Japanese Styles Minimalist art arose in the mid-20th century and is a movement of reduction. Minimalism is a design style, and it is also a lifestyle attitude, which requires that the character of the product is expressed in a limited design element, in the simplicity of the form and in the richness of the connotation. The contemporary minimalist style, in addition to the German Bauhaus supported by "less is more" and "functionalism"（William Smock,2009）, the Nordic and Japanese ones are also unique. Likewise, the Nordic representative of IKEA and the Japanese MUJI share their minimalist style. IKEA product design is a function following form () that reduces unnecessary interference with personal factors in the design. However, Japanese style minimalism is more about people's use, its design is simple but functional. Material DifferenceMUJI and IKEA prefer to use natural products. Most of MUJI uses natural materials such as cotton, linen, wood and rattan. Therefore MUJI places emphasis on ecological awareness, “recycling and reusability”, it is “based on a clear vision of what are desirable lifestyles for the future” (Julian Holloway and Sheila Hones,2007,p.559) . Because MUJI pays attention to simple, environmentally friendly and simple design concepts, it uses only minimal processing of natural materials and conforms to Zen thoughts. In contrast, 71% of IKEA products are made from recyclable materials, using materials such as glass and stainless steel. For example, the IKEA table will match the wooden top with the steel frame legs, but the MUJI table is mainly made of wood. Color Difference IKEA furniture is brightly colored and uses a variety of neutral colors for transition. In contrast, MUJI products are designed to avoid high purity colors and the products use.