Scandinavian design has been popular around anyone who loves decorating their house for far longer than IKEA has existed. Scandinavians are just known to have a good eye for design. With a focus on simplicity and functionality, they especially made a name for themselves in the 1950's and are still very popular to this day. I just love love love this design style and wanted to share the most important design features with you, so you can apply it in your own home. Here is how to get the look:
Let’s start simple, because that’s what Scandinavian design is all about! When it comes to the walls and flooring we need to remember that up north the days are not quite as long as they are farther south. So inviting as much light in as you can is important. That’s why they keep their walls often simple white or work with statement walls in nude colors or light grey. For the floor, carpets are not meant to go wall to wall! Traditionally there will be hardwood floors in a natural color.
Did you know that daylight is only available for as little as seven hours during wintertime, up north? That’s why Scandinavians are very eager to create different moods with their lights. Lighting is essential to not fall into depression during those long and dark months. They especially love modern and industrial looking light fixtures, as much as sprinkling little glow spots around the interior with candles and string lights.
Color Palette
When you think of Scandinavian design, I bet you already got a color palette stuck in your head. Nudes, greys, browns and many different shades of white are used to create a clean look that doesn't keep your eyes too busy. But also a few pop colors like dusty rose or various greens are amazing to use to create little accents. These colors change every season as a new dusty shade will get thrown out there and become popular, Simplicity is used to allow the focus on artwork or accent furniture.
Have you ever seen a Scandinavian home without some kind of houseplant or fresh flowers? Probably not. Plants are amazing accents and bring a piece of nature into your home. Using the right plants will also give you a list of health benefits you might not have even known.
Clean and Organized
Jup, they have it figured out. I’m talking about the function part! Every space needs to be well used, from their cabinet storage solutions to shelving systems that keeps the cludder away. To make sure the decorative elements are not taking over and their interior stays visually relaxing, their motto is: less is more.
Materials
Scandinavian Design loves natural colors, so it might seem obvious that their first choice of materials is wood. Wood flooring, wooden furniture such as coffee tables. They also like to use metals for their light fixtures or just to set an accent. Steal and copper fits right in with those clean lines.
Decorations
The Scandinavian countries are pretty far up north, that's why their choice of textiles and decorations are not surprising. Soft cotton throws and sheep skins make the clean and elegant spaces cozy and homey. It also adds some texture to it. By keeping the colors fairly nude, they won’t distract the clean look but make for a warm overall feel. Other accents that get you the Scandinavian looks are things like elegant ceramic vases, framed artwork and throw pillows with geometric forms. Love them!
Well, I hope this will give you an overall feeling of how you can get the look for your own home. What are your favorite Scandinavian features? Did you apply some of these to your home already? I would love to know, so feel free to leave me a comment. See you next time! Teresa

I love the simple, clean lines of Scandinavian design. More often than not, I am going with a less is more decorating style, I find it calming as well as welcoming in our home.
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