Looking at implementing a Scandinavian style decor in your home? Scandinavians may be among the best kinds of people when it comes to talking about how to style an interior properly. Originating from Nordic origins, the Scandinavian style expresses a smooth, subdued interior palate. This style is most characterized by a sleek and elegant look with a modern and minimal overall feel. The Scandinavian style shies away from conventional styles’ richness and intricacies and focuses more on the modern elements.
The emphasis on functionality, pragmatism and clean, minimal aesthetics is a Scandivanian ideal. It tries to be as transparent and as clutter-free as possible. Its relative simplicity makes the Scandinavian style of the contemporary world a fashion darling. We’ll be looking at some elements below that make up the Scandinavian theme.
Scandinavian-style rooms deliver a mix of textures, contrasts, and soft hues to create a sleek, contemporary feel. The style of Lagom often follows the aesthetic. The philosophy of hygge, which implies creating a warm, balanced feeling in a room, is emphasized by this Swedish theory. The Scandinavian architecture incorporates a range of concepts and characteristics to strike a balance between simplicity, modernism, and comfort.
1. Put White on Everything for a Scandinavian Style Decor
Well, not exactly, but there will be no more than four main shades for an authentic Scandi palette and rely heavily on white and lighter hues because, well, for a lot of the year, it’s dark in Scandinavia! Plus, white colours and lighter colours better reflect the natural light. The colour palette is dominated by neutral colours. They are calm subdued white, grey, light green and pink tones.
White walls lend themselves well to the overall minimalist look that is so common in Scandinavian design, and they provide a great canvas to add a collage of walls, some open wall shelving, or to pop out a wall lamp statement. They also brighten up the room and allow as much natural light to fill your house, which during the long, dark winter months is something the Scandinavians are very aware of.
2. Light Wood Floors
In the Scandinavian style, floor-to-floor carpeting simply isn’t a thing. Ideally, soft hardwood floors are used everywhere except the bathroom interior. If you have darker wood floors, you can sand them down and re-oil them with white floor oil to lighten them up (without breaking the bank).
On her blog, Rikke from That Nordic Feeling has a fantastic tutorial. It’s a long process (not sure if I would have the patience for it) but, far and away, her floors are my favourite wood floors I’ve come across. White-washing is another choice. Mix water with paint, depending on the look you are aiming for, in whatever concentration you want. The more water you apply, the more the colour of the underlying wood can come through.
The Scandinavian interior design style is all about breezy, light spaces. So, this style includes the use of light-coloured wood applications to replicate that aesthetic in the floor design. Oakwood or ash wood floors are lined in most Scandinavian style interiors. These provide a qualitative visual dynamic against the rest of the interior’s otherwise minimal design.
3. Simple furniture
A major part of interior design is furniture. It needs to reflect the overall space theme and design. The Scandinavian style uses a sleek, modern style of furniture that is very aesthetically simple. This furniture, light in colour and texture, is used to present a balanced picture that blends seamlessly with the remainder of the interior treatment.
4. Greenery
To brighten up spaces and breathe life into a room, plants, flowers, and other botanical products are used. These living elements offer a pop of colour and add to the Scandinavian design’s natural, minimalist nature.
Last but not least, in your house, don’t forget to add a natural feature. Choose only real green plants, but you may as well go for tiny dried branches or flower branches. For example, see below how a simple flower branch on a transparent vase can become a beautiful decorating feature immediately.
5. Clutter-Free Spaces
Many Scandinavian homes were usually very small and did not allow for excessive quantities of material. The concept of maintaining a space free of clutter and mess has remained an essential feature of Scandinavian architecture, though homes are being designed larger now and there is more room for stuff.
6. Cozy Textiles
A lot of blankets or pillows may not be used to decorate Scandinavian design, but those that are included are sure to double as both a practical and cosy warmth provider, as well as a fashionable way to add texture when it is not being used.
Styling a Scandinavian interior, as already described, is all about creating a minimalist but cozy and casual feeling. It is important to work with various layers of textures to accomplish this, taking into account the tactile feel of materials as well. Working with various fabrics is a better way to do this. For instance, choose natural fibres with a soft and tactile appearance for your bedroom and work with different layers.
