The 5 Basic Scandinavian Rules Applied to Your Home Décor

The Scandinavian interior design is the most prominent modern design in today’s world. It emerged in the early 1920s, but it didn’t gain much popularity until the 1950s. Since then, it’s been one of the favourite design styles of people throughout the world. What makes this design so popular, and what are some of the key characteristics of Scandinavian decor?

The Scandinavian design promotes minimalism and clutter-free spaces based on three main design principles – simplicity, functionality, and craftsmanship. It’s modern yet cosy, emphasising airy spaces, natural light and clean lines. This design encourages cosiness and contentment and is based on a mindful and joyful lifestyle. These are some reasons why Scandinavian continues to be the most loved and desired design for years now.

This may sound appealing to you if you’re all about clean and spacious. Before you go and buy a bunch of stuff to incorporate this style in your home, make sure you learn more about the basic rules of Scandinavian design. With less is being more for Scandinavians, you probably don’t need to do a whole makeover project. Instead, you can apply these five basic rules to your home décor and turn your house into a home.

1. Minimal and Open

Scandinavian design is based on the Nordic culture of living in small rural communities. Many Scandinavian homes were built small and didn’t allow for extra storage space. While modern homes are bigger now, the basic principles stay the same. This means the idea of keeping the home clutter-free is an important aspect of the Scandinavian design, as clutter has no place in it. Keeping furniture and décor items to the minimum allows you to achieve this.

However, being minimal and open doesn’t mean cold and uninviting. Some of the handmade interior decorations can be minimalistic and prevent clutter. At the same time, they can make the home warm and alive. Think large natural concrete tray as the only coffee table decoration base to put things like cups on it. It helps you organise your coffee table look while the concrete adds to the natural, cosy look.

If you’re unsure what goes and what doesn’t or need some inspiration, you can search for wholesale home decor online to buy more of the pieces you love at lower prices. You can find a variety of timeless and contemporary home décor pieces that will adorn the look of your home and make a Scandinavian feel.

2. Flexible Functionality

Each piece of Scandinavian furniture and décor is designed with having functionality and minimal in mind, without sacrificing beauty. Heavy focus on functionality means making each piece a multi-purpose item. You can do that by creating multi-tasking furniture pieces, like a coffee table with hidden storage space.

Combining form with function is also one of the main décor rules for open and spacious Scandinavian living space. You can take boring storage pieces and make them a design focal point. For example, you can take a large wooden box and turn it into a bench by throwing a sitting pillow on it. Using minimalistic home décor you can make function, individual form and aesthetics work seamlessly together.

The flexibility of the Scandinavian furniture and home décor also comes from the fact that it blends well into any home design. That means don’t worry if you can’t make your home look like a page from an interior design catalogue. Basic rules can be applied to any existing home décor and improve your lifestyle in general.

3. Inspired by Light and Nature

Coming from a culture of living in isolated places, this design required Scandinavians to rely on natural materials. Light coloured woods like oak, teal and ash are used for furniture and flooring. This perfectly complements the open and minimal approach, as the light wood greatly reflects light. It also warms the whole look with its different textures, grain and tone. Home décor made from light wood can have the same effect on the design.

While stone, marble, concrete and other materials like brass and silver are unlikely to be used in furniture, they make great material for home décor. When looking for wholesale home décor online, you can specifically search for handmade items made out of these materials. This will make the Scandinavian design implementation much easier for you.

4. Contrast Is Key

Light has a great say for the colour scheme in Scandinavian design. The colour palette is mainly inspired by nature. Its neutral scheme includes creams, forest greens, browns and pale ice blues. This doesn’t mean you should make your home look single coloured, as contrast has a very specific visual role in this design style.

Black and white make the desired contrast, but you shouldn’t stop there. Nowadays, the Scandinavian design seems to lean towards introducing an accent colour such as blue, red, yellow or even brown for making a sense of calm and relaxation throughout the home.

While colour is the key feature for creating contrast, it isn’t the only one. Contrast means different textures, like plush textured next to smooth wood. Wall prints and wall décor in different sizes or frames in a specific colour can help you contrast without making clutter. You can mix and match décor pieces like pillows and different colours or use wallpaper for a pop of colour on your walls.

5. Hygge

The concept of hygge promotes the feeling of cosy contentment and well-being that comes from enjoying the simple things in life. The Danes try to incorporate it into every aspect of their lives, including their home design. This means using unique home décor items such as fuzzy sheepskin, smooth leather rugs and cable knit throw blankets to add texture and warmth.

The Takeaway

Think of other ways that will make you and your family feel more comfortable in your home. Mixing comfort with clean lines and functionality is the key to creating the Scandinavian design. Avoid a massive home makeover by making simple changes in your home décor to make your home the cosy place of your dreams.

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