Scandinavian interior – timeless elegance

scandinavian interior
The Scandinavian interior is a phrase that is often seen in different interior blogs and magazine articles. So, what is the Scandinavian interior? If you are still unsure about its meaning, we recommend you continue reading this article.

Taking all in from the light

One of the biggest advantages of the Scandinavian interior is the way it exploits light. The Scandinavian interiors often feature light-toned colors and clear lines that enhance the light to spread around in the space as far away as possible. One of the many other advantages of the Scandinavian interior is that it is suitable for smaller and bigger spaces, modern and new buildings to older and more traditional ones.

Colors in Scandinavian style

With the Scandinavian interior, the inspiration of materials comes often from nature: stone, wood, wool, cotton, and linen. Furniture with reflecting and shiny materials are used less. However, mixing up soft and hard materials in moderate amounts is also seen when some contrast to the entirety is wished for. Softness is brought up by decorative pillows, rugs, curtains, or even rya rugs on the wall. Not to forget different baskets, functional decorative items, and pretentious collective items around the room.

When talking about the Scandinavian interior, different shades of colors are usually in a harmony. However, this does not mean you are only allowed to use tones of black and white. With broken tones, different shades of pastels, and colors of brown and grey that can be seen also in nature, you can create a beautiful vibrancy to space. With indoor plants, you can create more liveliness and its own kind atmosphere to space.

You can use decorative pieces

The Scandinavian interior does not absolutely mean the same thing as minimalism, but they do share elements. Rather than having shelves filled up with different decorative items, the Scandinavian interior knows how to embrace also empty spaces.

For example, pretentious candle holders on the shelf are powerful eye-catchers, meaning it does not need anything else around it. Another great example is using mirrors as a decorative element. Furthermore, they are great to boost the amount of natural light in the room if placed correctly.

The Scandinavian interior and furniture

The Scandinavian interior is not tied up on specific styled furniture enabling a lot of freedom while choosing furniture. However, it is always good to choose furniture that is suitable for space. In a small apartment, a massive kitchen table or a dark couch might not be the best choice, especially if the amount of light in the space is minimal.

With the Scandinavian interior, less is more. Instead of having that couch that eats up all the floor space, consider a smaller couch and one or two armchairs next to it. If the room is small or you want to embrace minimalism a step further, you might want to look for multi-functional furniture to ease your everyday life.

Tablebed, multi-functional and space-saving furniture, is a great way to maximize the use of space with the Scandinavian style. In ten seconds, your dining table for six people can be transformed into a two people’s bed.

What the Scandinavian interior is not?

The Scandinavian interior does not really include the use of ruffle, lace, complex shapes, bright colors, or extraordinary color combinations. For example, bright-colored painted walls and bright patterned wallpapers are rarely seen in homes with the Scandinavian interior.

Naturally, the Scandinavian interior is often associated with Nordic countries but it does not mean it could not be used as an interior style anywhere else. For example, the Scandinavian interior would be a great interior style to boost the natural light in the Mediterranean countries all year round. The same applies to vacation homes in other Southern European countries such as Spain.

Do you want to read more about the interior? Read an article about the interior trends of 2021.