Interior Tips for the Popular Nordic Scandi Style

Scandinavians are famous for their interior design style. But what exactly makes the famous Nordic Scandi style? GrownGraceful looks behind the scenes and shows how you can bring the look home.

Scandi Style – what is it?

Scandi style or Scandi chic is the name given to the interior style prevalent in Scandinavia, which is characterized by simplicity and functionality, but at the same time radiates coziness and warmth. Scandi style is dominated by clear lines, muted colors, and a calm, harmonious overall appearance.

For the Scandinavians, less is more, so kitsch has absolutely no place here. Instead, the basic framework is made up of lots of white and other light colors, natural wood, and furniture in a minimalist design. Cozy textiles made of linen or cotton, green houseplants, and a few carefully selected accessories complete the look.

Scandi Interior Design Style, Hygge and Lagom

Two terms, in particular, come up again and again in connection with the Scandinavian style: Hygge and Lagom. The Danish word hygge describes a pleasant feeling of contentment, security, and coziness that can be felt especially in the small moments of happiness in everyday life.

The term lagom, on the other hand, comes from Sweden and refers to the ideal of balance and equilibrium. When translated, lagom means “just right” and therefore represents a countermovement to everything excessive.

In themselves, hygge and lagom are more general concepts or philosophies of life. Nevertheless, both can also be found in the Scandinavian style. While the focus of a hygge interior is more on coziness, Lagom fans pay particular attention to conscious and harmonious furnishings.

How did the Scandi style come about?

Although the Scandi style is extremely popular these days, it is by no means a new trend. On the contrary, the Scandinavian style has been a fixture in interior design since the 1930s. It was initiated by the architects and designers Alvar Aalto and Arne Jacobsen, who designed the famous Egg Chair. In the 50s, a specifically Scandinavian living and furnishing style emerged. Many renowned designers and labels such as Georg Jensen and BoConcept Royal Copenhagen come from this time.

But one brand in particular made the Scandi style famous: Ikea. The Swedish furniture giant was founded in 1943 and turned the entire industry on its head. Ikea was the first brand to not show furniture individually in its catalogs, but instead showed it as part of a fully furnished room. The focus on functionality and aesthetics at affordable costs that still exists today was also a cornerstone of Ikea back then. “Why are beautiful products only made for a few buyers?” asked founder Ingvar Kamprad. “It must be possible to offer beautiful design and good functionality at low prices.” This democratization of design and the concept of functionalism are deeply rooted in Scandinavian society and culture – and therefore typical of the Scandi style.

3 Tips for Scandi Style

But how can we bring the style from the far north to America? It’s easier than you think. The Growngracegul explains which three elements are essential for the Scandi style.

#01. Bright colors

The Scandinavian winter is characterized by long nights and a lot of darkness. This makes it all the more important for Northern Europeans to make their homes as bright as possible. That’s why the Scandi style contains a lot of white. Walls are usually painted plain white, furniture is also often white and Scandinavians also prefer bed linen – that’s right, white. Of course, that doesn’t mean that a Scandi-style room looks sterile or dazzles the eyes with pure all-over white. Rather, the white forms a flat base – and thus a bright backdrop for the furnishings. It is often combined with parquet or laminate floors and other wooden elements.

The rest of the Scandi-style color palette also consists of light colors and can be characterized as natural, calm, and harmonious. Typical examples are cream, off-white, grey, beige, greige, or taupe. Pastel colors are also possible, but then in soft, muted shades.

If you want to furnish a new apartment or house in Scandi style, you can pay attention to high ceilings, open rooms, and windows that are as large as possible, ideally floor-to-ceiling, when viewing potential properties. This ensures a light-flooded home and perfectly complements the bright, Scandinavian look.

Also important: sufficient light sources. The Nordic winter offers only a few hours of sunshine. That’s why the Scandinavians take precautions and always use several light sources in each room. Floor lamps, hanging lights, spotlights, table lamps, fairy lights, or lanterns can be combined. The only important thing is that the design of the lamps is simple, that the individual lights fit together, and that they do not overload the room.

But be careful – a lot of light does not mean aggressive light. For coziness and a gentle room atmosphere, Scandinavians prefer to use indirect light sources. For example, tripods with wooden legs and paper lampshades in off-white go perfectly with the Scandi style.

#02. No frills

Scandinavians shy away from pomp, kitsch, and opulence like cats shy away from water. Instead, the Scandi style impresses with its calm simplicity and clear, reduced design language. Nordic-style rooms usually appear tidy because there is no clutter and overstuffed shelves and shelves. You’ll also look in vain for ornaments and knick-knacks when it comes to Scandi style. Organic shapes, calm lines, and a harmonious overall picture dominate. Purism and simplicity are important principles.

#03. In harmony with nature

Anyone who has ever traveled through Sweden’s forests or Norway’s fjords will understand why Scandinavians love nature. Their closeness to nature is also expressed, among other things, in the concept of slow living. This attitude to life focuses on values ​​such as deceleration and mindfulness. For the interior, this means above all minimalism and conscious furnishing.

Of course, living in harmony with nature is also reflected in the choice of material. In Scandi style, this should also be as natural as possible. Light solid wood from Nordic forests such as spruce or birch is one of the favorites. It is complemented by materials such as raffia and rattan or natural textiles such as linen, cotton or lambskin.