How to Decorate in an Scandinavian Style
Scandinavian design is all about being calm, simple, pure and yet being fully functional. Scandinavian design emerged in the 1950s and became popular again from the 1990s. It is characterized by simple design, minimalism, functionality, and generally low-cost mass production as evident by the huge superstores in IKEA.
One of the principle tenets of Scandinavian design is that of symmetry. The informality occurs with the simplicity of the furniture and the sparseness of the look but symmetry is also important, but as simple as two candleholders put side by side or two chairs, either side of a chest of drawers or writing bureau. Painted furniture is central to this design so purchasing a couple of chairs at auction and applying a couple of coats of paint and you will be well on your way to creating this look within your home decor.
White is one of the key colours for Scandinavian Design, it is not all about blue and white stripes. However, it is becoming more popular now to add in injections of colour - be it black, grey, yellow, or injections of any colour - it is the whole simplicity of the design that makes it succeed as a Scandinavian look. Bare wood is important to the Scandinavian look, as is paint.
Texture is also important and you can achieve this with chunky knitted cushions in plain earthy colours.
To add interest to the walls, wallpaper panel pieces depicting Norwegian scenes are perfect for bringing Scandinavia right into your home decor, they bring the cleanliness, the freshness, the whiteness, the flora and fauna of the Scandinavian countries right into your home. As they can be used singly or with other panel pieces, you can add as few or as many to your interior as you wish. They range from simple woodland scenes to scenes including magpies and even a play on the domestic dog with 'slipper wolf'. You can also inject colour into a white scheme with the coloured geometric designs.
And remember, Scandinavian design is not just about the home decor, it is also a way of life that exemplifies simplicity and efficiency. Tidiness is key but if your interior decorating follows the William Morris rule 'Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, nor believe to be beautiful', you will be living an uncluttered life. Each piece in Scandinavian design should be there for a reason and should add to the whole style of the room.
