Key features of Scandinavian interior design

A lot of Scandinavian interior design excludes wall to wall carpets - some may even call it carpetal punishment. However, this takes away any potential messiness and makes your space much more functional. Although if you feel as if you are missing out and prefer more added comfort, (or as the Scandinavians would say, added hygge) incorporating a rug or two is also common. Textures are essential in Scandinavian design, and they tend to love symmetrical patterns and light colours (surprise surprise) but feel free to play around with your own personal style, too!

The use of a neutral and cool palette adds a heightened sophistication to the room. One of the huge benefits of the general use of light coloured walls and floors in Scandinavian design means that you are able to experiment with other elements. Using darker cool-toned shades means that playing around with contrasts etc gives you room to experiment! And as a plus, repeating the use of popular shades of greys, creams and blacks means that you can be assured that they won’t go out of season!

If anything, it’s sure that Scandinavians are huge wood enthusiasts. Vast landscapes of forest in Scandinavian countries means that the use of wood is a key element in interior design. This tends to be wood like birch, ash or pine which is light in colour, in order to compliment lighter colours used in interior design. Although mostly used for flooring, it’s also incorporated into furniture or ornaments, as it is extremely durable and gives that outside-is-indoor feel. 

Adding a bit of greenery to your indoor space can add a pop of colour and vibrancy to the home. It has been proven that adding greenery to your space is beneficial to your wellbeing and gives you a clearer state of mind! As well as adding to the bringing-the-outside-indoors along with the use of wood, the size of house plants are perfect to bring to your space to add some sculpture to your shelves. The Scandinavians are not at all shelf-ish with their use of space, they allocate lots of it to the plants. 😉

Lighting is sacred for Scandinavians! As they get around 60 days where the night is 24 hours long, (!) it’s important for them to make the most of the natural light they do have, and we can see this through their interior design. Although we recognise that not all of you are able to have humongous windows or ceiling to floor sliding glass doors, making the most of what light you do have can be emphasised through the use of simple mirrors or light colours in your space.