“Scandinavian design, I would say, goes right down the middle stylistically, ” says Galloway. “If you’re not sure what end of the spectrum you prefer, whether it’s really minimal style or actually crazy design, it’s a palatable middle ground. One of the easiest ways of bringing Scandi style principles into your space is to lighten up your walls with a soft off-white or cream tone. “No matter what budget you’re working on, or if it’s a small house or even big house, go in and if the particular walls are dark, you lighten up those walls. ”
Add textiles
A Nordic design–inspired space is incomplete without textiles, regardless of whether they’re within the form of the chunky knit blanket or an area rug. “It’s amazing what just a few accessories can do in a fairly minimal space to make it feel warm and cozy, ” Blood says. “Like a throw blanket, a couple throw pillows on the couch, or even maybe a few layers of rugs, a rug over a rug, really helps [to warm up a space]. ” Pieces that are handmade, or at least appear to be handmade, suit the signature Scandi style best.
Consider your natural light sources
“Ultimately Scandinavian design will be centered around the Scandinavian way of life, ” says Kennedy. “In that part of the world, there are very cool, dark winters and so they focus a lot on sun light, which is a very simple thing that people can start to identify. Which rooms within your home get the most light? How can you accentuate that? ” While there’s little a person can do to bring additional natural light in, understanding and accentuating the particular sun light your space gets is essential. In a living room that doesn’t get much natural light, center the natural light it does receive plus keep the colors otherwise light.
Refine your own color scheme
One thing Scandinavian interior design is not is usually maximalist . With that in mind, keep your color scheme limited to a few colors—if you want one of them to be a bright or bold shade you can certainly create that work, but you shouldn’t have too many tones at play in one room and the most devout Scandi-style spaces stick to light neutrals. “A gentle color palette is used in order to kind of maintain with that lighting, bright, airy sort of feeling for the particular cold and the dark, ” Kennedy notes. “Keeping it all neutral plus monochromatic we like to, in this case especially, play with the textures and patterns. That doesn’t mean that they have to be different colors at all, they could simply all be white or tan and it just adds that will layer associated with coziness. ”
Look for heirloom quality pieces
Scandinavian interior design prioritizes quality craftsmanship, so when you are able to, invest within well-made items that will last for years. Within spare spaces, small details in high quality matter the majority of.
Add wood furniture
Scandinavian furniture tends toward organic materials plus wood many of almost all. Whether you are into modern furniture or vintage, wooden furniture can help set that Nordic design strengthen. “[Go for] a lot of natural wood, ” Galloway suggests. “What really makes [something feel like] Scandinavian design versus just contemporary design is definitely those natural wood elements that are usually brought in. That will can become on furniture, on the arms of furnishings, it can be upon beams on the ceiling, but definitely that influx [of wood] is really a big piece of it. ” If your space has wood flooring, make sure to keep some of it visible in order to tie into other wooden elements in the area (rather than covering this entirely with an area rug).
Pare down your belongings
This could be the simplest or the most difficult step to creating Scandinavian design–inspired interiors, depending on how inclined you are toward sentimentality. Naturally, having less clutter around is an important step to creating a living space devoted to thoughtful simplicity. While you don’t need to purge everything to create your room, you should carefully curate the particular belongings that are out in the open to keep that calm mood intact.