The overall cold color scheme of the living room looks cozy due to the abundance of lighting, textiles, and decorative elements.
At the first thought of Scandinavia, the image of invincible Vikings dressed in bearskins and horned helmets is born. A proudly flying boat on the north sea takes the proud conquerors to new adventures. And how did they live? What was used in everyday life? Wooden huts, a black fireplace, and lamps with seal oil?
The four modern Scandinavian countries, led by prosperous Sweden, have long broken into stereotypes about the brutality of their ancestors, preferring everything functional and concise. Now the Scandinavian style in the interior is copied everywhere, however, before proceeding to its implementation, it is worth understanding all its subtleties.
Laconic and characteristic of the Scandinavian style interior: maximum light, natural floorboard, wooden window, furniture in the style of minimalism, and bright accents in the form of accessories.
Natural materials in a modern living room of the Scandinavian style: wood, linen, copper.
Bright living room with floor lamps and original geometric furniture for the recreation area.
Where is such popularity?
The whole secret is in the exquisite conciseness, the play of natural light, and the feeling of the vast expanse of a one-room apartment, a hostel, or a family estate. Throughout the year, the climate of Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden remains uncompromisingly harsh, so the Scandinavians decided to revive the solar heat in the interior of their homes. And let the canons of style are not so diverse, but they create an amazing harmony and simplicity in everyday life.
The secret is in the exquisite conciseness and a sense of immense space.
Color palette
Scandinavian style in the interior is, first of all, the maximum of light. Here there is peace and comfort. The walls and ceiling are reflected in the gray waters of the Baltic Sea in the likeness of fluffy snow-white clouds. There may be fog and the naturalness of the stone shores. All colors are natural and contain maximum light. Sometimes white monochrome jumps into sand and summer motifs, immersing the interior in a scarce warm environment. With such a monotonous fill from floor to ceiling, a feeling of solidity without a single seam is created.
The main rule is naturalness and maximum light.
A small apartment with comfortable zoning in a cold Scandinavian style.
A sustained color scheme in a Scandinavian interior combined with wicker chairs and accessories.
Frame chairs, sofa cushions, an abstract panel above the sofa – elements that contrast with the monochrome color scheme of the living room.
A modern white bathroom with wood elements.
Floor covering
The floor covering should have high-quality characteristics for light reflection. Often it is a natural floorboard, painted with stable reflective paint.
To give contrast, bright spots are highlighted in the form of blue, red, black furniture, sofa cushions, a yellow floor lamp, and small shelf decor. An analogy can be drawn with the colorful stars in the Scandinavian sky or the rich underwater flora and fauna of the Baltic coast.
Bright decorative elements against the background of a light-reflecting floor covering are compared to multi-colored stars in the Scandinavian sky.
Natural flooring with a reflective effect is a classic of the Scandinavian style in interior design.
Scandinavian style in the kitchen interior.
Wall decoration
If you want to recreate the original traditions of Scandinavia in your interior, you will have to refresh the plain walls with national patterns and drawings. Sometimes the ivory wall is divided by meter-high wooden panels. But today, the traditional style has already reached retirement age and is inferior to the young and strict modernity.
Today, national drawings as wall decorations give way to strict modernity.
Wallpaper-a newspaper, an aged bedside table, wicker decor elements-the features of a simple but cozy Scandinavian style.
Wooden windows
The countries of Scandinavia are a place where metal-plastic has lost the battle to wood, as the main material of window frames. The windows are painted with facade paint to match the floor with an original system of window shutters that allow natural sunlight to pass through them in great abundance. In order, God forbid, not to miss at least one ray, the curtains are made in the form of light transparent cotton or linen, or there are no curtains at all.
There are plenty of artificial lighting devices here, as in no other style. Chandeliers, lamps, lights in various form factors.
Preference is given to large wooden windows painted to match the floor.
A spacious, bright kitchen with a traditional wooden window.
White walls, wooden floor, a window without curtains for better light penetration, artificial lighting sources, and an abundance of natural textile materials – all this is in the Scandinavian spirit.
Furniture in Scandinavian interior design
Scandinavian homes are not spoiled by large dimensions. From folding sofas or beds are hidden in a niche to console tables and folding chairs. Continuing the natural motifs, preference is given to natural wood made of oak, beech, pine. Shelled veneer and vine are also popular. For upholstery, you can choose leather, textiles, cotton, or suede. All the furniture elements are airy, original, and have amazing comfort, quite in the spirit of IKEA. Since there is something of high-tech in the Scandinavian style, light structures made of plastic and metal have organically taken root in the interior.
In a modern Scandinavian style, there is undoubtedly something of high-tech.
Furniture in the style of minimalism of the popular IKEA brand.
A bright work area with furniture in the style of minimalism.
A massive dining table in the Scandinavian spirit.
Leather upholstered chairs, an eclectic textile sofa, and an abundance of wood in the interior of the Scandinavian style.
Decorative elements
The strict features of brutal Scandinavia dilute the restrained accessories, creating a completely European comfort.
Home photos in thin frames, bright napkins, handmade crafts (dolls, boxes, figurines, pipes, wicker baskets), bed linen, and rugs in the bathroom with a large bright cage.
The paintings on the maritime theme convey the color of Northern Europe: ships, the life of the underwater world, the frozen sea element.
A large assortment of glass or crystal surfaces (vases, jugs) is not only a beautiful decorative move but also a subtle system of refraction of the sun’s rays (the cult of light has penetrated even here).
And every descendant of the Vikings is convinced that living plants in the house are the key to a healthy climate and interior sophistication.
Accessories are necessary to dilute the strict features of Scandinavia and give the interior a real European comfort and cozy.
Scandinavian ornaments on textiles, an electric fireplace, and natural wood in the interior design.
An interesting solution for a Scandinavian-style bedroom wall.
Glass elements in a bright modern living room.
A Scandinavian-style living room filled with light with thematic attributes: a fireplace, fur, wicker poufs, etc.
Hand-painted dishes by Scandinavian masters, a landscape on the wall and patterned wood carving are colorful decorative elements.
A Scandinavian kitchen with a feature in the form of a large glass vase with live green plants.
Natural materials in the interior design and many sources of artificial lighting.
A colorful Scandinavian-style living room with a voluminous brick fireplace, an abundance of textiles and paintings on the walls.
The Scandinavian style is not for radical people. Moderation and harmony with the harsh nature of the North, functionality, and smoothness, reaching a corrosive perfectionism – this is the philosophy of modern Vikings.