Building your own home?
Congratulations! It’s no easy or affordable route, but it can lead to a design specifically catered to your family and needs.
If you’re building your dream house, one of the first details to work on is a theme. A good choice is to go for a Nordic look. The aesthetic existed since post-World War II, but it received a recent popularity spike due to a lot of reasons.
Chief among this is their clean, defined lines, chic minimalism, and the airy feel. With that, it isn’t that difficult to see why a lot of people want a Scandinavian feel to their interior design. In this guide, you’ll learn how to re-create this style in your home.
Read on and learn more!
1. Choose Subdued Colors
Defining any design style will start with your color choice. It will function as a backdrop for the rest of the design, helping bring each element together. With the right color option, you will make all of these cohesive.
Most people compare the Nordic look to mid-century modern. It’s noticeable since the former tend to borrow a lot of details from the latter. The main difference between the two is their choice of color palettes.
Mid-century modern living spaces will often have dark, rich colors. As for Scandinavian interiors, it will focus on making everything have a bright, light, and airy feel. To achieve the latter, you’ll need to choose more subdued colors.
It means you need to stick to pastel colors and make it neutral-heavy. Icy blues or Millennial Pink are great hues if you’d like to add more vibrant colors.
2. Pick Furniture with Form and Function
Scandinavian furniture pieces have a distinct style: beautiful shapes and simple lines. Take note, Nordic people put high regard to comfort and function. That means they’re unlikely to make furniture with inconvenient designs.
The best part is that the furniture is still beautiful. For example, they’ll design the chairs to be comfortable while sliding easily under tables. It will have the perfect height for sitting and maintain a simple, artful form.
If you’re interested in shopping for Nordic furniture, try this modern furniture showroom.
3. Add Warmth Using Accents
A major difference between Nordic design and most other minimalist spaces is the amount of comfort. The latter often have this stark, cold feeling for their interiors. As for Scandinavian spaces, they’re intended to exude warmth.
Nordic countries have this concept called “hygge.” It’s pronounced as “hoo-gah,” meaning comfort in Danish. It’s a major principle used in most Northern European interior designs.
Your textile choice also determines how comfortable a room is. That means you’ll need to add a lot of pillows and blankets. To top everything off, you’ll need a plush throw rug.
4. Use Organic Patterns
Another recognizable feature of Scandinavian style is their penchant for botanical and organic designs. Often, it will have simple plant forms that come in a lot of different colors. Always keep in mind that the plant designs should only have simple lines.
An alternative way to achieve a Nordic design is to feature characters. You can go for a doodle-y, whimsical, and fun design instead. The number of interesting patterns you can use from Scandinavian art can make a drab room look quirky and fun.
5. Try a Wood and Metal Finish
Scandinavian interior design will always use natural elements as the cornerstone of its design concept. The objective is to make your living spaces look more organic. This isn’t limited to the flooring or walls—it also applies to furniture and other fixtures.
A Nordic house will often have a wooden coffee table and chairs. But a newer trend in this style is to combine wooden elements in the room then use metallic finishes. For example, you can use copper sconces and brass pendants to a wooden ceiling.
Doing this will add some glimmer and make the entire room look shiny. To pair with reclaimed wooden flooring, you need to get a stainless chair leg. A good alternative is to use a silver-colored rug.
6. Pick the Right Flooring
To achieve a Scandinavian-themed flooring, you’ll need light hardwood material. It doesn’t matter whether it’s its natural color or it’s painted in subdued hues. You don’t need to stick to pale brown wood colors like pine to achieve the right Scandinavian flooring feel.
You can also try using laminated light flooring. With this, your room can look more spacious and brighter. You’ll achieve this while maintaining a clean and inviting atmosphere.
You can apply this type of flooring in the bathroom with the use of heating tiles underfoot. It’s important especially during the cold winter season. Either way, it’s going to help make your feet feel great despite the weather.
7. Go with Low-Hanging Lights
The Nordic design will often have low-hanging lights that can come with a lot of different styles. But keep in mind that simplicity is always the centerpiece of this theme. In some cases, a cluster of lights can hang low together, but it’s always better to have a singular light instead.
The light color also matters since it can help enhance the cozy feeling. Avoid using pale white since it will make the room gray and boring. Go for warmer light colors to give the room more accent.
Try a Nordic Look Today!
It isn’t easy, achieving a true Nordic look for your home. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your best to exude its warm, inviting atmosphere. Use the tips above and get started with your Nordic interior design efforts.
Don’t hesitate, and start working toward this goal. You can start with furniture and work toward replacing your current flooring and walls to fit this design theme.
Did you find this guide helpful? If so, we encourage you to read more of our posts within the same category.
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