The Nordic style is one of the most enduring interior design trends. And it’s hardly a surprise: No other design makes a home feel as warm and cosy as this tidy, casual interior decor style. Light, friendly colours meet carefully placed accents made of natural materials like wood, rattan, linen or leather.
Simple, but not spartan. Affordable, but high-quality. Calming, but still full of life. These are just a few features of the Nordic style. It has its roots in the barren vastness and functional houses of Scandinavia. Be like the Danes, Norwegians, Swedes or Finns: Bring the light-heartedness and joy of the far north into your home with the Scandinavian design trend.
The focus is on functionality, natural materials and a whole lot of light. Light is vital: it gives the clarity of the understated walls the chance to shine, and the contrasting accessories are displayed to full effect.
You can bring the Nordic style into your home with minimal effort and cost – from the kitchen and dining area, to the living room. White interior accessories like vases, tea light holders or baskets don’t cost much and lend every room the air of freshness and openness we’ve come to love from places like Sweden. If you have a dark wood table, you can use a light tablecloth to give it a Nordic flair. Pale curtains made of light materials that have either a rough texture or a delicate pattern will turn heads in darker rooms.
You should pay special attention to the walls: they don’t necessarily need to be painted white, but they should be a light colour. How about an understated shade of grey, or a subtle blue? Striped wallpaper with a charming, not-too-garish variety of hues can be an excellent fit for the Nordic style. Installing panels or even wood flooring on some parts of the wall can also be a visual highlight.
If you invite the Scandinavian design philosophy into your living room, sufficient light isn’t the only important factor: The design should also centre around a white element. It could be a rustic antique apothecary cabinet, a modern sideboard or a couch (if you have a dark couch, try a light-coloured cover). White furniture opens up a room and makes it look more spacious – make sure not to include too many dark elements in a small room, as they will make it appear smaller. Combine your light-coloured couch with contrasting throw pillows. But make sure not to use too many different accessories – functionality and a certain degree of harmony are part of the Nordic style, after all.
Round off the look with little details made of natural materials, such as a wooden side table, an acoustic guitar hung on the wall or a rattan rocking chair. It’s OK for the furniture and accessories to look as though they’ve been gently used: ‘Patina’ is the key word here. After all, space for real living is also an important part of the Nordic style, so the odd scuff or scratch just adds more character to the look.
A few carefully placed house plants can further heighten the vitality of the Nordic style (don’t forget to put them in white pots!). Lots of greenery is important here, so plants that are easy to care for – like cacti or the resilient sansevieria (colloquially known as bow string hemp) – are the best choice. Colourful bouquets of flowers are distracting. The right flooring can create an even more Scandinavian ambience: Lindura wood flooring in clay grey, for example, or the somewhat more rustic Laminat LD 200 laminate flooring in a cashmere spruce wood effect. If you’re looking for a lighter colour, try Lindura wood flooring in white washed rustic oak. All three flooring options embody the natural Nordic style, and they are easy to maintain and made from the highest quality materials. Nordic-style flooring is truly the foundation of any house or apartment.
The Nordic style is also a perfect fit for a study, office or reading nook. After all, the friendly atmosphere has a calming effect – perfect for a stressful working day – and its natural elements remind us to think about what’s really important in life.
Bildnachweise: ©Becca Tapert (unsplash.com), ©FollowTheFlow (fotolia.de)