Scandinavian design is maybe one of the most sought-after designs. It became popular in the early 20s mainly in the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland, and in the 50s it already became popular around the world. With its clean and simple lines, light neutral colours and materials, Scandinavian design is known as being minimalistic and functional.
Scandinavian living rooms are all about being clutter-free, aesthetically appealing and practical. By using the right furniture and décor pieces, you can turn your home brighter even on the gloomiest winter days.
Let Natural Light Come In
Lighting is one of the most important things for a living room, especially when styled the Scandinavian way. Letting natural light come into your living room is of vital importance and to do that you should keep your windows and windowsills as clean as possible. Usually, Scandinavian homes have no curtains, drapes or sheers as they interfere with natural light from entering your home. However, if you simply can’t accept this open concept of living where everybody from the outside can see what’s going on in your home, you can simply install shutters and use them at night for instance. If planning on adding some kind of curtains, consider adding sheers since they are almost transparent, allowing daylight to come into your home.
When it comes to choosing artificial lights, make sure not to rely on the light from a single central light solely. Instead, make sure to add floor and table lamps since they’ll give your living room the needed soft light at night.
Focus on the Floor
Unlike modern and traditional floors, the Scandinavian ones are all about the use of pale-coloured wooden floors. Usually, pine and birch are among the most commonly used types of floors, however, seeing them painted white is also an option since this can make your living room look bigger. But aside from the actual floor, you also shouldn’t forget about the rug. Unlike many homes in the world, fitted carpets are rarely seen in Scandinavian homes. Instead, this style is all about the use of rugs – woven rugs in particular.
In combination with a wooden floor, a woven rug can add style and warmth to your living room without breaking the concept of minimalism and simplicity. Being mainly made from natural materials, these rugs are extremely soft and comfortable. Once you step on a rug like that, you can literally feel its silkiness, softness and warmth so there’s no doubt that a natural woven rug can also add a luxurious comfort to your living room.
Usually, these rugs are hand-woven which speaks a lot about their quality, durability and longevity. A woven textured rug is naturally beautiful and eye-catching, and can easily become the focal point of the room, especially when placed under the coffee table. Scandinavian weave rugs are all about finding balance among designs, colours and textures. Just like the entire Scandinavian style, the rugs should also convey simplicity and minimalism, so make sure to go gentle when choosing the rug’s colours and designs.
Can You Wash Woven Rugs?
Yes, you can unless the tag states otherwise. Usually, you can wash weave rugs regardless of their material (natural or synthetic) and if the rug is quite small, you can even toss it in the washing machine. However, if the rug cannot be washed, you can take it to dry cleaning and have it cleaned professionally and properly.
Choose Functional Furniture
The key to having your living room successfully styled the Scandinavian way lies in following the rule ‘Less is more’. You don’t want furniture that’s going to fill the entire living room, instead, you want simpler furniture with cleaner lines. This style is all about clean lines and airiness so make sure to choose smaller but functional furniture pieces.
Scandinavian home furniture is timeless, it’s where elegance meets nature. The design of home furniture is minimalistic, featuring natural materials. Generally speaking, Scandinavian furniture is made from wood usually teak since it has unique colour and design. This wood has natural oils on its own that protect it from everything which is the reason for its use for outdoor furniture as well.
Regarding the colours, just like the rest of the design, Scandinavian furniture comes in neutral and muted tones where shades of white, tan and light grey are among the most commonly used colours. However, for those of you who want to go bolder with the colours, you can break up the dullness and add an accent of crimson, blue and rosewood through furniture or rugs.
One of the most crucial things to have into account is the furniture’s clean lines and geometric shapes. That being said, you should stick to choosing sofas, tables and chairs with firm and straight legs and clean lines, but most importantly, the chosen furniture pieces should be comfortable and functional.
Given the fact that organisation is key in Scandinavian homes, it’s of vital importance to keep your living room clutter-free. Adding a simple shelf where you can store books, magazines and some décor pieces can certainly free up your living, but aside from this, you can also choose furniture pieces like coffee tables and ottomans that have storage space.
Jazz Up the Walls with Wall Art
Even though the Scandinavian style is all about keeping things simple, still wall artworks are quite common in Scandinavian-style homes, especially in living rooms. The truth is, wall artworks can improve the room’s ambience and aesthetic appeal by adding texture, visual interest and colour to it. Instead of adding numerous wall art pieces, you can stick to one that has the ability to transform the look of your living room.
The choice of wall art is huge and Scandinavian folk art contains intricate patterns, vibrant colours and imaginative themes that usually feature animals, nature and folklore. However, if you aren’t into Scandinavian folklore and Scandinavian folk art, you can always choose Scandinavian art and stick to animals and nature. Usually, Scandinavian art includes several styles and movements from modern and contemporary to traditional fine art.
Scandinavian folk art can also include some other elements like geometric designs and patterns, circles, stars, dots, diamonds, etc. It can also contain bright and contrasting colours, so you have all the freedom in the world to choose a one-of-a-kind art piece that will elevate the look of your living room.
Regardless of the type of art piece you choose, practice shows that hanging it over the sofa is the ideal place for a wall art piece of any kind. However, you can always hang it somewhere else, on any blank wall that needs a little brightening. Regarding the frame, you should keep things simple by choosing a simpler and thinner frame. The frame colour should depend on the rest of the room’s décor and used colours.
When buying Scandinavian art, make sure to go online, browse and compare different art pieces. Stay open-minded and give yourself the chance to look at different kinds of art because sometimes you can find beauty in unexpected things.
