Nordic countries, especially Sweden and its eclectic Swedish styles, are known for their particular interior design where white is all around and everything is perfectly placed without an unsettled line.
Swedish interior design always has an impressive effect on viewers and raise questions like how that white can be maintained so clear, so pure, so white.
In a simple room, Nordic-inspired even white painted, if you choose white furniture you’ll make it look noble. Playing with some colors and placing a pillow, a picture, a plant, or a chair with a vibrant color will change the entire aspect and make the Nordic look even better.
In my opinion, Scandinavian interior design offers a lesson of art and refined taste. The perfect and clear architecture seems cut from magazines.
A room like this is pure like a soft flower and even if it seems untouchable it is absolutely normal and ready to be inhabited. Being under the spell of Scandinavian design is a once-in-a-lifetime love story.
This nation should be an example for all of us for cleaning and orderliness regarding the interior design and we have to learn from the Swedish design about how to transform the simplicity of a space in a special one by adding some colors and stylish accessories.
The Scandinavian interior design was first and foremost inspired by nature and love for simplicity and aims to use interior decorations tips to improve the quality of everyday life.
The concept is not new – it was developed in the early 1930s, driven by a group of talented designers (Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen, Poul Henningsen, and Finn Juhl), who inspired generations of creative people to pursue and develop the Nordic style solutions.
Architects such as Jorn Utzon, Sverre Fehn, and Alvar Aalto reaffirmed the Nordic design position among top interior design destinations, and the tradition continues.
Some homeowners do the impossible to achieve that beautiful Scandinavian design, while others avoid it, but that doesn’t make Scandinavian style any less popular for modern homes solution.
Scandinavian interiors still stand as the cleanest and brightest one in terms of space management and use a variety of natural and eco-friendly materials.
If you like clean lines, simple and geometric forms, and access to natural light then Scandinavian designs might be the ideal solution for your place too.
In order to achieve a modern Scandinavian interior and replicate its clearness and beauty house decor styles, the best course of action is to use the same natural and earthy materials and to follow these basic steps to transform your entire home.
Use natural materials, wood in particular
The first elements that define Scandinavia we all remember about is their utmost admiration for nature and craftsmanship, which is why Scandinavian decor cannot exist without warm woods, pressed steel, and raw, enamel aluminum.
Compulsory wooden floors
Most people wouldn’t pay specific attention to the floors, but that’s a big mistake when it comes to the Scandinavian interior.
Instead of covering everything with a carpet, as we’re used nowadays, we should use a durable wooden floor instead, which by the way doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult to install.
Clean architecture lines
When the home is tagged as modern Scandinavian, it has to be minimal, but functional. As the homeowner of a Scandinavian house, you’re supposed to opt for clear and simple architecture and to do the same with your furniture.
Ornamentation and complex décor won’t really help for creating the final elegant touch.
Lighting
When it comes to Scandinavian home decor, lighting plays a core role. As we all know, Scandinavian countries lack natural light for long periods of time due to their geographic location, which is why they tried to create bright and warm interiors, making their homes more inviting at any price.
In order to do the same and follow the patterns of Nordic designs, we recommend you to add some mood lighting, including floor lamps, table lamps, or pendants for general lighting that spread the flow across the entire space.
This is valid even for kitchen decor.
Elegant light fixtures
The thing that makes Scandinavian style and homes so popular is that they combine function and style to obtain a practical, yet eye-catchy and powerful interior.
The same rule applies to every design aspect, especially the Scandinavian design furniture, but matters the most to light fixtures that have to make the most important statement.
In case you’re not really sure which ones to choose for creating your scandi living rooms, go for ‘rare diamonds’, namely uncommon designs and remarkable sizes.
Colors
The Scandinavian basic color scheme is not just simple, but absolutely white. In case you really need some diversity of your home interior designs, you can combine it with light grey.
What is indeed impressive about Scandinavian designers is that they perceive the walls, ceilings, and floors to be the canvas where art can be created, so it comes as no surprise that they use fixtures and sophisticated furniture pieces in extremely lively colors that make the Nordic living room so special.
Vibrant accents
The blueprint of Scandinavian design is contrast, and these designers are remarkably good at creating playful interiors on plain backgrounds.
The basic scheme may be white, but that doesn’t stop from splashing color on rugs, vases, throws, cushions, and decorative furniture.
For creating a typical Scandinavian interior, you can use any element you like – as long as it is bright and catchy, you’ve achieved the ultimate Scandinavian design goal. Most of the time, you’ll be expected to choose strong blues and cool grays, as if the natural northern surrounding has entered your home.
Layers and textures
Another aspect of Nordic decor made its way through their interior ideas, and that’s coldness.
Opposite to what someone would expect, Scandinavian people like to remember the sharp weather conditions they live in, which is why they bring a variety of natural materials inside their nordic style house.
Typically in a Nordic style living room, you can often find fur, leather, cotton, or linen, which look both warm and luxurious and make the place feel very comfortable.
The texture is another important element to be replicated by the modern Scandinavian design, which is why you can always think of luscious throws, knit, and sheepskin.
Minimal window treatments
As we already explained, natural light is critical to Scandinavian homes’ welcoming atmosphere, which is why they cover windows minimally, if covering them at all.
What is far more common is to leave them bare, or to use light fabrics that don’t obstruct sunlight from coming inside.
What is really specific is that they leave windows uncovered even during the night, and let their glow illuminate their Scandinavian living room and to make it breathtakingly beautiful.
Simplicity
We don’t even have to mention it, do we? Scandinavian homes are first and foremost simple, and you can’t find anything overdone there.
This doesn’t only refer to colors and layouts, but also to the number of accessories and furniture pieces present in the Scandinavian houses, which again has to be minimal.
Corner fireplaces
This is another very typical Scandinavian interior decorating tip: a cozy, corner fireplace that is both beautiful and practical. Holding to simplicity, Scandinavians try to avoid grandeur and over-decorated pieces, while striving to achieve the same focal effect with the size and material of their fireplace, an important element of the Scandinavian inspired living room.
Other commonly met focal elements are corner columns, part of the interior home designs since the early 19th century.
Airiness
‘Open’ is the most appropriate adjective you can use to describe Scandinavian living and interior home design ideas, and it is because they avoid small rooms and closed closets at any price.
Instead, it is much common for a Nordic-inspired living room to have open-floor plans, wall shelving, and open windows. To make matters even more interesting, a Scandinavian room do not have cabinets which could obstruct the airiness of their room and are willing to expose some of the ‘mess’ here and there.
Typographic and graphic prints
Try to remember a recent Scandinavian interior photo you’ve seen: There were prints, weren’t there?
Most of the time, they will be small and simple, leaning on a wall, or ‘floating’ in a less expected place, but as hidden as they are, they always give rooms a playful and entertaining atmosphere.
Another common approach is to use such prints on blankets, throws, and cushions.
Eco-friendliness
Another reason why natural elements are so common in the typical Scandinavian homes is that these nations have an incredible respect and admiration for nature.
As a result, Scandinavians make their homes as eco-friendly as possible, using for example for their interior homes design ideas double or triple window glazing, and paying incredible attention to the solid roof and wall isolation.
Botanicals and fresh flowers
With a plain color scheme and oversized furniture, one cannot help but wonder what makes Scandinavian homes as beautiful as they are.
It may not be visible at first sight, but the scandia designs are made of small and fresh details that contribute to the elegant picture, as Scandinavians perceive plants and fresh flowers to be an absolute necessity, rather than design elements.
More often than rare, we will see their sidewalls packed with colorful tulips, their tables decorated with neatly arranged bouquets, and their art inspired strictly and solely by nature.
The outdoors
After the long and exhausting winter, Scandinavians try to make the most of the summer and open up their houses completely to make the interior and exterior blend together. The Scandinavian designs are everything about being in a constant dialogue with nature and its elements.
For the purpose, the typical Scandinavian minimalist houses l have large terraces and gracious desks, suitable even for dining or cooking.
Practical and efficient
Functionality is a top priority for every Scandinavian nation, knowing how much time they spend inside, and how harsh their environment can be and this reflects perfectly in the various variants of design, such as Swedish home decor, Norwegian design or danish interior design.
Still, that doesn’t mean they are neglecting the playful side of living, which is why their homes are full of accessories and vivid colors.
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