What is Nordic interior design? What does Nordic style mean?

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Timeless since the 1950s, Scandinavian design (Nordic interior design) stands out from other styles of interior decoration with its sleek, functional and timeless design.

The use of natural materials and soft colors creates bright, inviting and comfortable interiors.

What Is The Scandinavian Style (Nordic interior design)?

The Scandinavian style is characterized by furniture and objects with clean lines, a look without artifice or frills, the use of natural materials such as wood, light colors as well as open and bright rooms.

The ergonomics, comfort, and usefulness of objects are ubiquitous concepts in Scandinavian design. We, therefore, look for functionality, such as furniture with large storage spaces, reliability, and durability.

The wood, especially hue clear, is the star of the Scandinavian style (Nordic interior design). It is preferred for furniture, but also for floors. There are also wool, leather, and furs.

The use of light colors, mainly white, contributes to creating a bright and warm atmosphere. We add some modern accessories and designs, like a copper floor lamp for example, and voila!

 Scandinavian Style (Nordic interior design), with wooden furniture and dark fabric.

The Furniture

Scandinavian style furniture combines comfort, ergonomics, and aesthetics. Their functionality is essential. The furniture is elegant and sober, without unnecessary frills. To recreate this style at home, we prioritize furniture in light wood, leather or with fabrics such as linen or cotton. Think of sofas in graphic fabrics and wooden furniture in light tint, painted in white or in pastel color.

The lighting is another feature of Scandinavian style Nordic interior design),, a return to the 1950s stools, chair, sofa fabric in a geometric pattern, coffee table and row are examples of furniture that can be found in pieces of this style.

Scandinavian style living and dining room with white furniture and light wood floor

Colors

In terms of colors, white predominates in several variations, followed by different shades of gray, beige, sky blue and pastel colors.

In order to add a little dynamism to the decor, we can add touches of more vivid and bright colors with accessories, cushions, and rugs.

To give a more chic side to a room, you can go with darker colors like black or gray.

White Scandinavian style desk with geometric pattern carpet and colorful cushions
Scandinavian style living room with yellow and blue furniture and coffee table with compass legs.

The grounds are also an important part of Scandinavian design. There are prints with geometric shapes on carpets and wallpapers, but also designs that recall nature: leaves, forests and Nordic animals such as reindeer.

The brightness is very important in the Scandinavian style (Nordic interior design),. We try to leave plenty of room for both natural light and interior lighting. Thus, the curtains are not opaque, but rather light to let the light through. We choose colors like bright white to reflect it and we put on lamps, lights, and candles to light up the interiors.

The Accessories

On the decoration side, the slogan being refined, we avoid overloading. With accessories such as cushions, blankets and candle holders, we add a little color to add a touch of sparkle to the sober decor.

For the warm atmosphere, accessories in faux fur, throws, sheepskin, and wool blankets complete the set.

The walls are adorned with paintings or posters, sometimes graphic and colorful, other times more discreet or with retro looks. We sometimes find blankets or patterned carpets hanging on the walls for more colors and warmth.

Other materials are added to the Scandinavian style accessories such as metal, copper, and brass. We can complete with lamps of geometric shapes in copper or ball shapes.

Scandinavian style living room with cushions of different patterns and posters on the wall
Scandinavian style living room with carpet and blankets on the fur chairs and posters on the wall

The Origins Of The Scandinavian Style

The Scandinavian style first appeared in the 1950s in Scandinavian countries, including Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.

Its main inspiration is modernism, a current that translates the desire to create objects and furniture to meet the needs of people. We simplify the forms to focus on functionality and uses. The Scandinavians will be inspired by this current to imagine functional and beautiful furniture, but will also draw their ideas from nature, hence the use of materials such as wood and leather. Over the years, the Scandinavian style (Nordic interior design),has become widely democratized. Furniture and accessories are often sold at reasonable prices, especially through furniture chains like IKEA.

Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen, Borge Mogensen, Hans J. Wegner, and Verner Panton are some of the creators of this style. Several achievements in Scandinavian design are still famous today, including the famous Ant chair imagined by Arne Jacobsen.

A Scandinavian style chair, the Ant chair created by Arne Jacobsen

The Hygge Decoration

A new variant of the Scandinavian style is the hygge decoration. Coming from Denmark, hygge is above all a way of life. There are no equivalent terms in French, but the Hygge could be close to cocooning by also encompassing the concepts of sweetness and delicacy, taking the time to savor the simple moments of life with loved ones and The well-being.

In decoration, the Hygge also results in an intimate and soft atmosphere, conducive to relaxation. We replace the brightly colored touches with pastel, powder pink or soft green colors, and we favor rounded shapes. To the Scandinavian decor are added candles to illuminate the room with soft light, a fireplace, blankets in fur or wool, rugs for more comfort, a cup of hot tea and plants.

Scandinavian style living room with a hygge touch with the use of pastel colors, flowers, candles

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