For a while now, the styles of the north of Europe have been a huge influence on interior design, adopted by homeowners, hospitality establishments, offices, etc. The most appealing thing about the Scandinavian style is probably the inviting atmosphere it creates. With its minimalism and subtility, it invokes a feeling of relaxation and harmony, and more than anything, it creates a feeling of wideness, openness and warmth. And, on top of that, a perfect combination of comfort, beauty and functionality – it’s the perfect style for all kinds of spaces, regardless of their size or purpose.
Art and Décor
With minimalism being one of the main characteristics of the Scandi style, the opportunities for decorating are incredibly vast. The most frequent treats of the style, including the use of neutral colours of the furniture, the huge presence of white surfaces, the use of natural materials for the furniture, the simple patterns, and so on, always leave a lot of space for getting creative with the decorations and artwork you use. As a matter of fact, in rooms decorated in this lovely and very popular style, artworks and decorations are extremely important.
Interior designers and homeowners often use art to enhance the style of any place, add interest, add colour or tie other colours together. There are many types of artworks that you can use to decorate Scandinavian style. You can choose a Scandinavian poster, wall art print, a painting, a photograph, or wall decoration of any kind. As long as you make sure that it stands out in a nice way, without breaking the harmony of the space, or in other words without feeling like it’s out of place, you can go for anything. With the help of geometric shapes, abstract prints, nature themes, portraits, and so on, you can easily achieve any effect you want.
As we said, Scandinavian art is characterised by simplicity, geometric forms, restrained colours. As such, even if your home is designed in another style, you can use it to bring the subtle beauty typical of this relaxing Nordic style to any room. In fact, the Scandi style is often used in a combination with other styles. Some of the most beautiful homes are designed in mixtures of minimalistic styles, such as Scandi-boho, Scandi-industrial, coastal Scandi, Scandifornian style, and so on.
When you are choosing the decoration for your home in this style, it’s important to remember it needs to be simple, subtle and practical. Think straight lines, clear space, open floor, subtle architectural details, elements stripped off of unnecessary embellishments, combined with artworks and decorations in subtle, non-vibrant colours – because, above all, this style celebrates harmony.
Colours and Lights
The way you use colours in your home will play a huge role in the overall look. To achieve a Scandi style, you should always play with bright, neutral, pastel, restrained colours. Moreover, you should make sure that you create layers of colours by the use of different tones of the same colours. Bright colours, along with the overall minimalistic vibe of the style, will help you make your room appear bigger and brighter.
Keep in mind that pure white is really important to this style. However, this doesn’t mean that all of your walls have to be white. You can create a feature wall with a lovely Scandinavian poster, with contemporary art prints, or with contemporary wallpaper. Moreover, white gives you the perfect opportunity to create contrasts and make your artworks and other decorations stand out.
Another important thing to achieve this style is illumination, and a good combination of natural and artificial light is crucial. Rooms with big windows and a lot of natural light coming in are ideal for this style. However, this doesn’t mean that if your room doesn’t get as much light, you shouldn’t go for Scandi style.
First of all, you should make sure that you let the natural light from outside pass through. This means that you should eliminate unnecessary barriers, like dark and thick curtains, that can stop it. Moreover, regardless of how much natural light you are getting in the room, you should also make sure that you take advantage of artificial light.
One of the most important things when it comes to artificial light is to make layers. Install different types of light fixtures – pendants, flush and semi-flush lights, floor lamps, and so on. This way, you will make your space bright, but it will still look natural and warm.
Textures
Another way to make your Scandi style even more appealing is to mix textures. By combining different materials in the same space, you can add interest, but for this style, you need to keep it calm in terms of colours. As we mentioned Scandi can blend in with other styles perfectly, and this can give you the right opportunity for adding more texture.
For instance, you can mix some industrial style furniture pieces, light fixtures or decorations, made of exposed metal or other raw-looking materials such as concrete, or you can use a brick wall wallpaper. the cold vibe of the industrial style is the perfect contrast to the warmth of the materials in neutral and pastel colours with subtle patterns and textures of this Nordic style.