scandinavian style guide
This is the first in a series of Style Guide posts that I’m THRILLED to be sharing. As a wholly untrained third party to interior design, I (an average person!!!) will be breaking down what each style means, things that belong to it, the general feel, and where to get it.
ON STYLE: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Style is a funny, elusive thing. People are pretty able to identify when styles differ, but not necessarily put a name to it. This isn’t JUST interior design - it’s fashion, makeup, graphic design, photography, art, literature. It’s Kate Middleton versus Lady Gaga, Justina Blakeney versus Joanna Gaines…all extremely stylish, all VERY DIFFERENT.
“i’m thinking just a simple white dress” (sources: left | right )
But why does it matter if you know what you like when you see it? Can’t you just pick pieces that you like and throw it together? Maybe. Could be disastrous though. Ask my early 20’s.
Part of the problem in a fast-fashion, free shipping, online shopping world is that everything is suddenly very accessible and very on display in social media. That can make it difficult to choose pieces that are truly your style, to the effect of “it looked good on Instagram but looks like a thrift shop here”. Hooray!
One of my key beliefs is that design for normal people isn’t usually executed all at once. Most of us shuffle from one household to the next taking our most select or essential belongings, adding in what we need, then one day we’re 37 and realize the living room could really use some help. While it’s WONDERFUL and even ideal to be able to pull together an entire-room “mood board”, you’re often starting with at least one or two pieces somewhere (mood boards can still be helpful here). And even when we are just re-working one room, you still have THE REST OF THE HOUSE to consider. You don’t want the kitchen to be completely modern farmhouse with your living room screaming Art Deco next door. It will feel…jarring.
Putting your finger on the style(s) that consistently speak to you can help you filter what to bring into your home, as well as decide what needs to go. YES, color palette is important, but it can help tremendously to be able to have a guiding style so you can select pieces that will mesh well together. This cohesiveness - along with a color palette!!! - is the “je ne sais quoi” that will really make it feel like home, not a magazine spread or a boutique hotel. It is YOUR unique mix of styles. Also, if you decide to work with a designer, they will undoubtedly start by asking you what styles you like. The less guidance you give in this area, the less your home will feel like yours. It will be like a stranger dressing you - you might look objectively good, but you will feel a little out of place. Imagine Kate Middleton ending up in Gaga’s dress. Whoops.
There are three essential aspects to a style: color palette, materials, and design (the shape, profile, or features). The beauty of mixing is that you can choose the aspects that appeal to you most. Maybe you really like traditional furniture, but you are all about a funky eclectic print that you select for the upholstery. Maybe you love coastal blues and natural materials, but you like the edginess of modern industrial. That back-and-forth pull in the room is what will make it interesting and YOURS.
INTRO TO SCANDI STYLE
We usually consider Scandinavia to be Denmark, Norway and Sweden, though if you were to ask me I would’ve thrown in Finland by accident. In general, it’s cold, winters are dark, and homes are smaller. People are probably very tall and VERY HAPPY with life. (What is going on in Finland?! I need to know.) Scandinavian style is clean, tidy, and uncluttered, while also being cozy and laid-back. It has minimalistic tendencies because things in small spaces need to be multifunctional, but it isn’t bare. It feels airy. You might have 17 hours of sunlight, but you also might only have 6, and by goodness you need to be comfortable at home.
that lived-in but uncluttered look is perfect for small, open concept spaces like the above
It crosses over quite a bit with “midcentury modern” given that famous Danish designers started to inspire American design in the post-WWII era when MCM was born. We’ll get into MCM later, but they do have their similarities (mostly in the profiles of their pieces) and mix beautifully. Overall, MCM will be a little heavier visually and Scandi will be lighter.
Scandi style maximizes that use of natural light, so you won’t find heavy curtains or ornate chandeliers anywhere. It’s all gauzy curtains (if any) and simply designed light fixtures. I think that’s one of the reasons it’s thriving on the “light and bright” trend in home design.
Sources: top left / top right / bottom right / bottom left
KEY #1: Colors & PATTERNS
White and light wood (which we’ll count as a color and material both) are the cornerstones. A truly Scandi room will fall at least 70% in this color palette. Color accents are ones you’d find in a snowy forest: greens, grays, and black.
Patterns are simple and graphic, high contrast in black and white. Zigzags, stripey elements, and triangles are your friends.
KEY #2: Materials
Natural materials such as light wood, paper cord, leather (especially black), bent plywood, and simple ceramics are the stars. Look for birch, white oak, unfinished pine, or “natural finish” woods, but not necessarily intentionally distressed or rustic. Plastic can be a very acceptable substitute for fiberglass or aluminum in this style, and all of these things tend to be very affordable.
But an essential part of Scandi is warmth and coziness through texture and nature, which means furs and sheepskins (faux please!), chunky knits, live plants, simple white candles, and cozy bed linens. A leaning wood ladder with throws on it is a slam dunk.
paper cord seats, white wood frames and an airy light fixture (source)
KEY #3: Design/shape
Basically, you should be able to draw it in an etch-a-sketch. Any curves are gradual; the rest of the lines are sharp and tidy. Simple (another reason it’s affordable) and functional and beautiful at at once. Nothing is ornate, and it doesn’t need to be because the textures provide all the movement in the room. Keep the frames on mirrors and artwork simple without any relief or carving.
Beautiful living room featuring a soft gray couch with simple lines, casual pillows and a simple natural wood leg (design by avenue lifestyle )
small space Swedish apartment with loads of natural light and classic spindle-back chairs (design by Alvhem)
CLASSICS
Many of these cornerstone pieces are now widely available in replica versions, and because of the simplicity of design and materials, they can be very affordable. If you can afford it, a quality piece will feel sturdier and hold up longer than its “fast fashion” equivalent.
Eames dining chairs are a classic choice and replicas are easy to find (source)
Tulip table (Eero Saarinen, 1957)
Eames chair or rocking chair (killer with a faux fur slung over top) (Charles and Ray Eames, 1950). We can argue all day about whether this is “Scandi” or “Mid Century Modern”. My feeling is that the black leather lounge chair leans more solidly MCM and the molded fiberglass chairs lean more Scandi. BUT, honestly, it really doesn’t matter as long as you bear in mind how visually heavy you want a piece to look.
Wishbone chairs “CH24” (Hans Wegner, 1949)
Egg chairs (Arne Jacobsen, 1958)
Artek “Stool 60” (Alvar Aalto, 1933)
Simple dome pendant lights
Airy pendant lights (any translucent white material)
Faux fur sheepskins
WHERE TO SHOP
Scandinavian Designs. Wow, that was easy.
IKEA! Our Swedish sweetheart! Tester of relationships with its flat-packs! While Ikea is known for inexpensive furnishings, if you’re truly a lover of Scandinavian style, it’s still a very good option because these materials actually fit with the style. A plastic chair or an aluminum pendant is not all that out of place (but you do want some real materials in there).
The Citizenry
Article
Etsy for vintage light fixtures
H&M Home (I had NO IDEA H&M was a Swedish company!), especially for affordable textiles
Room & Board and West Elm have a simple aesthetic that works nicely in this style. (West Elm is more dominantly Mid-Century Modern)
AllModern, Target, World Market, and Wayfair all carry Scandi pieces….along with like 40,000 other things. Include some of those “classic pieces” in your search and that will help narrow it down.
Design Within Reach, Danish Design Store, Carl Hansen, Herman Miller and Chairish for splashing out on authentic pieces
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TIPS ON USING THIS STYLE
If you aren’t careful, this can go a little bit “cold and hard”. YOU MUST HAVE TEXTURE! Get a faux fur rug, a soft throw, a woven basket, or add more wood (this brings warmth too). Otherwise you will be in a white box with white furniture, wondering why you’re in a dystopian novel.
This looks particularly at home in smaller spaces by nature of its simplicity, the scale of the pieces and using storage as decor.
It needs breathing room, but it shouldn’t necessarily look empty. That negative space should look (somewhat) intentional.
This mixes SO EASILY with so many other styles - these pieces are practically neutral.
I bet this type of person has just a few staples in their closet, but they’re all timeless and incredibly tasteful: the classiest blue jeans, the most perfectly fitted little black dress.
Search terms: hygge, Scandi, scandinavian, wishbone chair, Ray Eames, Hans Wegner, Carl Hansen, tulip table, Nordic style
What even IS hygge?! An article on appropriation.
stunning flat flooded with light, by Alvhem
And we’ll leave it there for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed some of these beautifully decorated spaces. Please resist the urge to obsessively declutter your entire home now.
until next time!
bisous
nicole
