SCANDINAVIAN DECOR & DESIGN IDEAS
Looking for Scandinavian decor? Scandinavian design is easy to live with, whether you opt for its soft, romantic, rumpled personality, or embrace its opposite face, linear and hard-edge, with few soft, natural touches. We’ve assembled all the essentials Scandinavian decor items, to help you achieve a Scandinavian style home of your own. From Nordic inspired dining room chairs, to leather furniture, creamy white lines, chunky blankets and monochromatic art.
BUYER SELECT SCANDINAVIAN DECOR
Whatever elements you pick from the basket of Scandinavian decor & design, they are likely to mix easily with others. Hang a simple copper globe as a stunning chandelier, then ground the look with lots of light shining through bare windows, a pale wood or bamboo floor and soft grey painted walls. Set simple white leather sofas on a clear blue area rug in a sparsely accessorized room. Or fill the walls with graphic black and white art, but add a pair of lounge chairs in burnished saddle tan leather. Here’s a few tips on how to integrate Scandinavian Decor:
- Pair simple, sculptural dining chairs with a white or black-painted dining table, or group simple wood chairs around a classic round Saarinen tulip table.
- Add natural wood elements throughout your home to lend warmth.
- Add a tanned leather pouf for an exotic touch in a black and white living room.
- Place a painted wood spindle-back chair or loveseat at the foot of a bed dressed in creamy white linens.
- Place a treasured painted antique chest in front of a chrome-leg modern sectional.
- Include classic Scandinavian decor such as copper lights, folding wood chairs, chunky blankets, big paper lanterns, graphic calendars and cacti.
- Hang monochromatic artwork on walls.
- Scandinavia’s favorite accent color is blue. Add bright blue décor that will stand out against the black, white and wood.
- Scandinavian design incorporates a simple, neutral color palette, but it works well to layer complementary colors to create interest and depth.
- Plants work well with Scandinavian decor as they add color and texture and bring interest to the space.
- Use natural textures, from unfinished wooden pieces, to throw pillows, fur rugs, elegant ceramic vases and linen bedding.
- Using lighting well is paramount to Scandinavian style design – from modern lighting fixtures to candles and Danish design pendant lights.
- Furniture lines should be clean, and items should be carefully selected for innovation and functional design to keep the space clutter free.
Scandinavian Decorating Ideas
A Neutral Color Palette – Color can be welcome in Scandinavian design, but it usually appears in small doses in today’s interiors. Prevailing interior colors are apt to be pale. White and black, shades of grey, and carefully selected accents that add interest but do not disrupt. Scandinavian interiors do not shout or “make statements.” Instead, they wrap inhabitants in style, offering tranquility and a sense that “all is right with the world.”
Warm & Cozy Textiles – Accessorize with warm textiles in the form of pillows, throws, and area rugs made from wool, faux fur, sheepskin, or mohair.
Celebrate the Unexpected – Scandinavian design celebrates the unexpected: Black and white stripes are attention-getting, but use their graphic contrast in small doses, for accent value as simple mattress-ticking curtains, a single accent pillow, the contrast of black and white matting on framed art. Homespun textiles, knitted throws, fur rugs, leather and chrome, copper and black iron, soft and hard, shiny and weathered, rustic and modern, worn stone and artistic glass, antique, and high-tech. It all works.
Simple Decorative Accents – From elegant ceramic vases to artwork with geometric prints
Proper Lighting – A combination of modern lighting with an industrial design works perfectly in a Scandinavian style home. Add candles and candelabras to make the room feel warm, cozy, and romantic.
Clean Lines – Furniture in Scandinavian design is typically modern with clean lines. This style is characterized by its innovative use of space, and so the use of multi-leveled wall shelving is common.
How to Know if Scandinavian Design is Your Style
Your design style is all about minimalism, simplicity, and functionality. You prefer to live in a sleek and modern home that has no unnecessary clutter and highly organized storage spaces. Here there is no room for ornate or excessive detailing. To you, less is more, and order and structure are golden.
You are drawn to bright and spacious rooms that provide an inviting and welcoming atmosphere. Visually relaxing spaces with clean lines, organic shapes, light wood flooring, and natural materials hold great appeal.
You like your home to reflect a connection to nature in a subtle way with carefully chosen plants. Although Scandinavian design is clean and minimalistic, it can be made cozy with the use of warm and cozy textiles. Wood flooring can be softened with rugs and sheepskins.
Read the full article on Scandinavian Interior Design featured on the Buyer Select Blog
FEATURED SCANDINAVIAN DECOR
Hanging Rattan Chair
Inspired by a Scandinavian design from the 60s, the sculptural frame is hand made of bent rattan with a scooped seat that cradles you as you float. The chair hangs by a heavy-duty loop and rope, so it’s super sturdy. Add a pillow in one of our signature fabrics for a pop of color and cushion.
Zonda Duvet Cover
Metallic embellishments line the soft, slubbed cotton of this Scandinavian neutral bed topper.
Scandinavian Modern Bed
Inspired by Scandinavian modernism, this Modern Bed marries a simple upholstered headboard with playfully angled legs in a warm pecan finish. The result? A streamlined piece that’s easy on the eyes.
Huntington Baskets
More than just colorful catchalls, these are vibrant designs with a purpose – they’re woven entirely by hand to support a women’s collective in India. Substantial and sturdy, this collection is available in 3 sizes, all with cutout leather handles and each with a slightly different pattern. We love them grouped together or sprinkled wherever extra storage is needed, from the closet to the playroom.
Farmhouse Pottery Cheese Stone
From Farmhouse Pottery in Woodstock, Vermont, this is a great little tool to have in your cupboards. Store it in the freezer to keep cheeses cool, heat it in the oven to warm up a soft cheese or keep pizzas and small bites from cooling off too quickly. Beautifully crafted by a husband-and-wife team, each piece is entirely handmade using a special stoneware recipe they formulated themselves. Put this in the microwave, the oven, the dishwasher – it’s remarkably durable and absolutely lead-free. A hand-dipped glaze keeps it free from scratches. No two pieces are alike, making each all the more unique.
Sheepskin Throw
We love the way this throw makes a space feel rustic and elevated all at once. Made in Iceland of soft, fluffy wool, it also cozies up a room in no time flat – not to mention keeps you warm on cooler nights.
Striped La Jolla Baskets
A bright, beachy take on a classic look. Beautifully handmade, these lidded baskets are a fun and textural way to store everything from toys to craft supplies, linens to laundry. Strips of recycled plastic are wrapped around coils of seagrass to create bold patterns. Due to the hand-crafted nature, no two are exactly alike.
Woven Baskets with Hairpin Stand
Inspired by lofted planters, these lidded baskets are handwoven of 100% rattan peel and raised on removable hairpin legs. This rustic and refined storage comes in two sizes so you can choose the look that’s right for your space.
Metallic Belly Baskets
The shape of a water vessel from Indonesia inspired these nesting baskets. Designed to be unstructured, they conquer clutter with a charming, carefree vibe. A mix of materials – seagrass on top, and pliable plastic on the bottom – provide interesting visual contrast.
Harper Mirror
Mirrors have long been considered a decorator’s best friend, and for good reason: They add artistry to your walls and brighten the room in one fell swoop. With its chic shape, glossy finish, and detailed grooves that draw the eye, Harper is no exception. A hint of contrast color along the innermost edge makes us love it all the more.
Riviera Armchair
The classic 1930s European bistro chair, reinterpreted. Handcrafted of lightweight rattan and woven plastic seats, this take is fabulously family-friendly and great for the kitchen or the patio. (Just remember to store it indoors when the rains come.) Following a time-honored technique perfected by the French, they’ve stretched and shaped the frame by hand, creating subtle organic marks on the natural rattan. For added versatility, a slight variation in how the colors are woven make the entire Riviera Collection prime for mixing and matching – pair different silhouettes for a fun and lively look. Want Riviera chic year-round? Give the Outdoor Riviera a try.