Scandinavian home style

Why has Scandinavian home style been so popular for decades?

Where is the origin of the Scandinavian style of living?

Only 120 years ago, life in the Nordic regions was different: the largely agrarian society had harsh conditions due to the long winters and thus ehr low financial resources available. Their houses were accordingly simple and functional, decorations were simply not in.

Time for change

The designers of the 20th century wanted to improve the lives of Scandinavians with high-quality products from the region, especially because they had to spend much more time in their homes than we Germans because of the cold and dark winter months. In addition, social democratic policies allowed a lot of new architecture and the population was taught: Everyone has the right to good design, not just the rich! Thus, all the people of the Nordic countries have contributed to the development of the Scandinavian home style.

The reason for the international interest in the Scandinavian style of living

Despite the fact that the weather in other regions of the world is quite different, so many people choose the look of Scandinavia. Where does this great popularity for simplicity and naturalness come from? By being more restrained in its form, the room gives the occupant free space. He can express himself and the focus is on the person. Another advantage is that the style can be easily combined with other styles, and the high-quality workmanship of the furniture provides a good basis.

How can you recognize a room decorated in Scandinavian style?

Hygge

The word of the headline is Danish and can be used for us in the meaning of security. This is the central goal of Nordic furnishings and is quite in contrast to the hectic everyday life of our modern world. When you come home, you want to retreat and reflect back on yourself. Activities such as eating with the family or reading in front of the fireplace create a feeling of home-like familiarity, and the Nordic home is designed to create the ideal conditions for this. A “hyggeliges” home evenly!

The mix makes it

The room itself does not contain a lot of furniture or decoration, many walls are left empty and not every square meter of space is exploited. Tranquility and simplicity are the keywords that matter in the Scandinavian style of living. Nothing should look cluttered, but simple, orderly and clear. But then how does it come to the homeliness mentioned in the previous paragraph? The Scandinavians make use of home textiles, preferably in shades of cream or white, to ensure coziness.

Connection with nature

Light oak floors are often chosen to give character to the room in contrast to the bare walls, but also to bring a piece of nature into the house. People in the north are very close to nature and let’s face it, the Scandinavian landscape is a true natural beauty with its endless forests. And if you furnish just inspired at the nature, it does not need much more. It is enough if the naturalness stands for itself.

What materials are used?

Natural materials are typical for the Skandi style. Domestic trees such as spruce, birch pine and ash are very popular and often stand raw as a material in itself. The light wood inserts give counterpoint in the dark season and give the home a cozy atmosphere. To create even more coziness natural fabrics are added. Fur, felt, linen or even cotton knits provide cozy warmth.

Colors and patterns

Gladly for cream or white is decided with the color choice, whereby also pastel tones or strong colors are used as eyecatcher accentuated, main thing a harmonious overall picture remains. Often one connects with the Scandinavian style also geometric patterns in black and white. These create with their straightforwardness a beautiful contrast to the natural atmosphere.

Scandinavian design – everything only IKEA?

Now comes the word that has certainly been waiting for the whole article: IKEA. The Swedish furniture store has been instrumental in spreading the Scandinavian home style, as IKEA stores can be found in almost every country, with over 50 in Germany alone. Beautiful design for affordable prices is a winning strategy that has conquered the world. Nevertheless, Scandinavian interior design does not only consist of IKEA.

Scandinavian designers

Numerous classics by designers from the region, such as Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen or Verner Panton, are still admired in homes every day. They are all characterized by their reduced simplicity and manage to bring function and sculpturality in relation to each other. It is important to Scandinavian designers to create something timeless that can still be called modern decades from now. Again, the design is often inspired by nature. For example, many of you will be familiar with the leafy hanging people Norm 69 by Simon Karkov, which can create a real eye-catcher above the dining table, in contrast to the straight-lined furniture. Lamps are used a lot as subtle sources of light, again to give the room more coziness.

How do I bring Scandinavian flair into my own home?

Basics Scandinavian home style of living

When I say they need to combine the country style with minimalism and take the Nordic nature as a model, it helps only the experts of you something. Because in order to harmonize all that has been listed in the previous paragraphs, a certain eye for Scandinavian design is necessary. You can’t just buy a complete set of Scandi furniture and put it in the room and hope for the Nordic feeling. Although: You can do that but whether it achieves the desired effect is questionable. Therefore, following these words is a kind of checklist to help you get the Nordic flair from Scandinavia to yourself in the apartment. Quite easy, just as it should be the Scandinavian furnishings, if you have understood it in essence.

Rest for the eye

Look around once in their four walls: Is there something different to discover in every corner? Is design highlight lined up with design highlight? If so, it’s too restless for Scandinavian style, which aims to have just a few objects in the room, if not just one, that stand out. The rest of the room allows these few objects to stand out for it, but in no way steals the show from them. This creates that certain harmony without making the room look boring.

Furniture choice

Scandinavian style is also characterized by its lightness. Accordingly, for example, sofas or armchairs with longer wooden legs are popular, or meanwhile hanging chairs. However, in order not to make the whole look too sterile, elements should also be incorporated into the room that provide heaviness and ground the room. For example, a fur rug can fulfill this task.

Gradations

To furnish a room even more naturally, in line with the Scandinavian Home style, you can make sure to use different shades that come from the same color family. Different shades of white and gray will no longer make your room look flat and will give it more depth. Especially with textiles, this can be implemented very well. Try it!

Individuality

We humans feel most comfortable in an informal, free atmosphere where nothing constricts us. This is also the goal of Nordic design, which means that our home cannot be a copy of an advertisement of a (certain) furniture store, but it should fit us individually. Only in this way the feeling of familiarity arises and our place becomes our personal retreat. But how do I achieve this individuality?

Personal story

A good way to start is not to buy a complete line of Scandinavian furniture right away, so that the table, chairs and cabinets fit together, but to start with one piece and then collect similar pieces to it. You can look that certain commonalities exist, so that everything remains harmonious, but still, only they put together this combination so. And even more authoritative: you have consciously chosen all the pieces of furniture and perhaps a different (shopping) story to each. So you can let your room grow from time to time and perhaps recognize their very special preferences for the Scandinavian style of living, which includes so much.

A little decoration may be then nevertheless

That the Scandinavian style of living is purist and simple, we have now often noted, but is then no decoration allowed? Of course, it has changed in the last 120 years already so far that now also money can be spent for decoration purposes, however, the same principle applies to it as in the room: the decorative objects, such as a candlestick, either fit into the overall picture of the room or are deliberately staged, so that they can work for themselves.

Scandinavian living space

The individual pieces are chosen purposefully and must fit into the room, complement it, so that overall you do not need much decoration. Because the room in itself is just enough decoration. The simple walls and also the fact that so much emphasis is placed on the materials already radiates something and contributes to the character of the room. And still important: the living environment must still leave enough space for the person who lives in it to be able to develop himself, just as we can in nature.