how to decorate Scandi style

Scandinavian interior design incorporates two key and seemingly opposing characteristics. One is the sense of a light and airy openness, with clean lines and minimal styling. And the other is the feeling of a cosy, snuggly retreat, with soft textures and geometric patterns. Scandinavian winters see very few daylight hours, meaning much of the day is spent in darkness.

It soon becomes clear that, by combining these two traits, Scandi style gives equal thought to both enhancing the light of day, and coping with the dark of night.

While the rest of the world may see more daylight hours, the notions of boosting natural light and keeping snug and cosy are ones that we all desire. So it’s no wonder the style has developed and spread into a worldwide trend. Have a quick flick through

Instagram or Pinterest and you’ll find heaps of Scandi-style interiors that make you feel calm, even by looking at them through a screen. But we’re here to give you the lowdown on every step of your decorating process. From deciding on floor types to choosing the perfect mugs, follow this simple guide and prepare to create the Scandi-style home of your dreams.

a bright and neutral blank canvas

When it comes to painting your walls for a Scandi-style space, the message is simple: white, pale grey, warm beige and more white. Scandinavian winters see few daylight hours, and even in the summer, the light is softer and weaker than in most other parts of the world. Studies have shown that people who receive more natural light tend to feel happier and less stressed than those who receive less. As Scandinavian people have often been voted the happiest in the world, it’s no surprise that they’ve found a way to minimise the effects of their limited light. While dark shades absorb more light, white reflects it, so pale walls go a long way in maximising whatever natural light there is, creating the impression of more space. Many of us crave a larger home, which could explain why the Scandi colour palette is so widely adopted.

A key part of Scandi decorating is the concept of creating layers, and that applies to paint too. While the colour palette is minimal, you can add interest and texture by varying the type of paint that you use. High gloss paint is the most reflective, creating an almost mirror-like shine that will bounce light around the room to make your space feel brighter. Rather than using this for all four walls, it can also be used in specific areas, such as shelves, coving, door handles, or even the recesses of walls, to add a little shine and interest. There are many textured paints on the market, such as limewash, plaster effect, concrete effect, and even suede effect, which, when used alongside your standard matte emulsion in the same shade, can really elevate the scheme and bring a feeling of depth and cosiness.

Wall texture can be added in other ways too. Be it through painting an exposed brick wall the same neutral shade as your other walls, or through incorporating wall cladding or panelling into your scheme. Wall cladding brings that ultra-cosy log-cabin feel, whether you leave the timber grain exposed or paint it neutral. In the kitchen and bathroom especially, stone or stone-effect wall tiles can add another element of interest. Limestone, travertine or a delicately veined marble are classic and commonly used examples. Large format tiles tend to make a space feel bigger, promoting that streamlined, minimalist look.

choose pale woods underfoot

While flooring can sometimes be an afterthought in decorating, it sets the scene for the atmosphere and ambiance we are trying to create. Light wood floors, such as very pale timbers or white-washed floorboards, are typical of Scandi-style interiors, bringing that lightness and airiness to the entire space. For true

welcome in a plant family

Scandi style is all about embracing and using nature, so no home is complete without an array of house plants. Their curved leaves and organic forms fit in perfectly with the scheme, while their vibrant green leaves bring a burst of colour. Not only this, but the act of nurturing your plants and watching the fruits of your labour develop has a huge positive impact on your wellbeing. It allows you to connect to nature, and become aware of the ebb and flow of the seasons without even stepping outside your front door. There’s nothing quite like the joy of watching a new leaf uncurl or a new flower blossom, so rather than simply adding to your Scandi decorating scheme, house plants really do add a new element to your life, and one that is wholly positive.

Plants take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen, so when inside your home, they will naturally help to improve air quality. Certain plants can also bring particular benefits to specific rooms. For example, the areca palm and the gardenia are best suited to the bedroom. This is because the areca palm emits oxygen at night time, rather than during the day, which can improve air quality while you sleep, while the gardenia gives off a sleep-enticing scent. So ensure you do your research and plan your positioning before adopting your first plant baby, and you’ll create a happier and healthier home.

authenticity, real wood brings that natural warmth and charming grain that you know has uniquely grown into place over thousands of years. But real wood will require regular upkeep, such as sanding and sealing for protection, as it could warp when wet or expand when hot.

Wood-effect laminate flooring is a more practical, and often less expensive option. The latest technology means that tiles replicate the natural grain of wood in a more realistic way than ever before. Even when touching, it can be almost impossible to tell the difference between real wood and laminate. But be warmed, you really do get what you pay for, so be cautious about buying wood-effect flooring online without seeing it in real life first. As a happy medium, veneer flooring is made up of layers of ply, topped off with solid wood, enabling you to get the best of both worlds.

To get the Scandi look spot on, choose long, wide planks and lay them along the length of the room to visually lengthen the space. While Scandi-style furniture is polished and pristine, you can go a little more rustic with your flooring. For an authentic feel, embrace nature’s imperfections, or indeed our replications

Hints of geometric patterns bring definition and interest to a living room

of them, by choosing designs with a harsh, bold grain and exposed knots or shading. This enhances the notion of bringing the outside in, and prevents a white space from appearing clinical, as that’s the last thing we want.

If you decide to paint your wooden flooring white to lift your space further, remember to choose specialist floor paint, as this will have anti-slip qualities. While it’s ideal to choose a paint that enhances, rather than hides the wood grain, especially dark or small rooms may benefit from a gloss paint to bounce light back up into the space.

In Scandinavia, wall-to-wall carpets are rarely used. Wooden or stone floors with plenty of scattered rugs are widely preferred instead. But, if your heart is set on the warmth and comfort of carpet, choose natural fibres such as sisal, seagrass, jute or coir. Not only are these sustainable and eco-friendly options, but they inject nature and all its positive benefits into your home as well. Sisal carpets, for example, are great for allergy sufferers as they’re hypoallergenic.

let in natural light

At the heart of every Scandi design choice is the goal of letting as much natural light flood into your home as possible. Scandinavia’s sunlight is ‘greyer’ than the more vibrant light of lower latitudes, making it all the more important to maximise what light they do have. The best way to do this is to install large, south-facing windows and roof lights, but if that isn’t an option for your home, you can amplify the light that your home receives with some clever tips and tricks.

Your window dressings should be minimal. Heavily draped curtains and chunky, fixed plantation shutters are absolute no gos, as they will inevitably block out the light. It’s all about striking the balance between letting in natural light and maintaining privacy, so your decision should come down to how overlooked your room is, and how much light you require. If choosing a Roman blind, go for pale, natural, light materials such as linen or cotton to reflect the light and fit in with your scheme. Bamboo or wicker roller blinds bring a warm textural element to your space, and when rolled up can mimic the look of traditional wooden beams. Either way, ensure your blinds are fitted perfectly to enable maximum light to enter. If your window is particularly small and overlooked, you could maximise light with a window film. This is a translucent sticker that you attach to you window pane, giving you privacy while still enabling plenty of light to shine through.

Before you begin decorating your room, it’s worth noting its direction in relation to the sun. North-facing rooms will be darker, and so will benefit from warmer colours such as soft beiges and creams. Whereas south-facing rooms will be much brighter, so they’ll be able to take pale greys and cool whites. These colours will work to balance out the natural light that your room receives to achieve a pleasant ambience at all points in the day.

illuminate your space

Throughout winter, many parts of Scandinavia only receive around six hours of daylight each day. This means that artificial lighting is essential for everyday tasks to a much larger extent than anywhere else in the world. It’s important that lighting is carefully considered to meet your exact needs and preferences. ‘Everything in a home is secondary to the importance of lighting’, Danish designer Poul Henningsen once wrote – it really is a key aspect of design, and getting it right will have a significant positive impact in your home.

As we’ve discussed, a key theme in Scandi-style decorating is layering, and that is essential when it comes to lighting. In every space, you should have at least two layers of lighting: task and ambient. Task lighting, such as pendant lights or LED spotlights,

make an entrance

When decorating our homes, our hallways are often overlooked and under-loved. But as the first thing you see when you walk through the door, they set the tone for the rest of your space, so it’s important that you get them right. In a Scandi-style home, hallways should be light, airy, inviting and, most importantly, impeccably organised. When you walk through the door after a long day at work, you want to be greeted with something that makes you smile, and certainly not a cluttered mountain of coats and shoes. Yes, we have all been there, and no, that is not the Scandi way.

As well as an entrance, your hallway is also the link between your rooms, so adopt neutral colours and natural materials here too, for a home that flows cohesively. Decorate your hallway with a few carefully selected items. This can be a beautiful piece of artwork, or a slimline console table with your favourite vase of fresh flowers. Round mirrors are a great way to enhance the feeling of light and space in a narrow hallway, and are handy for a final check on your appearance before you head outside too.

Decorate your hallway in a calming, neutral palette for a soothing welcome home

provides a bright light for practical purposes, such as cooking, working, or getting ready in the mornings. Ambient lighting, such as table lamps, floor lamps and wall lights, provides a softer glow for relaxing, socialising or winding down for bed. Of course, dimmer switches can be used to alter a light’s intensity, so it’s the ability to manipulate your lighting to suit your needs that is key. There’s nothing worse than a too–bright, glaring light while eating dinner, or a dull glow that means you can barely see your face in the bathroom mirror.

Scandi-style lights are function driven, with the aim of emitting the right amount of light taking priority over decorative details or finishes. Therefore they’re often simple and organic in shape, with curved edges, light colours and natural materials such as wood, bamboo and even paper.

One of the most iconic Scandi lights is the PH 5 pendant light by Poul Henningsen. Having relished the cosy ambience made by oil lamps in his childhood, Henningsen wanted to replicate that feeling with modern technology. He designed an innovative

take it slow

Take your time to select well-made accessories that you really love How you approach your decorating scheme can have a huge impact on the final result. Scandi-style design exemplifies the mantras of ‘quality over quantity’ and ‘less is more’. When a style is blessed with mantras such as these, we are granted permission to take our time, to become perfectionists, and to splurge. When buying fewer items, you can be extra fussy about those that you do buy. So don’t rush. See your decorating scheme as an entity that can slowly evolve over time, rather than a project that needs to be complete before you can see its full beauty.

It’s worth taking the time to save up your money and buy a more expensive item that you adore, than to immediately rush to buy a less expensive item that you love a little less and will last half as long. Every accessory in your home has to earn its place, so there should be no compromises. Before buying, ask yourself these four key questions. Do you love it? Does it complement your scheme? Will it last? Is it environmentally friendly? Ensure every piece fits this criteria and you’ll be on your way to a streamlined, sustainable and well-crafted Scandi-style home.

three-tier system, which enables the majority of light to be emitted downwards and then back onto itself. This creates a 100% glare-free light, for a cosy ambience and a contemporary feature all at once. This design, along with his PH Artichoke pendant, has been replicated across the globe.

The final flourish to your lighting scheme brings a sense of cosiness that can’t be replicated artificially: candles. Whether it’s a dining table centrepiece, additions to your fireplace, or a single flicker at your bedside table, the naked flame of candles brings out a primal feeling of comfort and warmth. Gifting our homes with delicious and calming scents, they are a key piece of the jigsaw required to achieve the notion of hygge.

embrace all things soft and cosy

Where your pale surfaces and slimline furniture work to brighten and enlarge your space, it’s the cushions, throws, rugs and bed linen that bring the cosy vibes we’re all after. The first thing to note is your materials. The textures you choose should be natural, and they should reflect the season you’re in. While your furniture, wall coverings and floorings are long-term fixtures, you should swap your accessories twice a year to suit the seasons. This refresh helps to keep you aligned with nature and ensures that your home has the means to comfort you in the best way possible.

In summer, choose cushions and throws in cottons and linens, as well as cotton bed linen with a high thread count. These bring a lightness and breathability to the space, that enables you to snuggle up into the softness without feeling too warm. Whereas in winter, when the notion of hygge really comes into play, choose warm wools, chunky knits, faux fur and suede. Nothing beats the feeling of being cocooned inside a heavy throw when it’s freezingcold outside, and resting your head on a fluffy cushion is just the icing on the cake. For your bed linen, choose a soft brushed cotton – you’ll be surprised at what a difference a heavier duvet cover can make. But be warned, a super-soft design will make it even harder to get out of bed on those dark winter mornings!

Be it summer or winter, layer up your cushions and throws to the max – you don’t need matching prints, matching materials, or even matching sizes; it’s all about a layering up of differences. You could try a chunky, cable knit throw with a faux fur cushion and a cashmere blanket, or a striped linen cushion with a geometric cushion and a cotton throw. Combine, contrast and layer up your soft accessories for a space that beckons you to dive in and snuggle up to experience the textural delight.

We’ve already discussed that a quintessential Scandi-style floor consists of pale wooden planks, but the look isn’t complete without a scattering, or indeed a layering, of thick, soft, natural rugs. While many of us would choose one rug per room at most, Scandinavians prioritise comfort and warmth by positioning them wherever they feel they’re needed. Be it beneath an armchair so its sitter can keep their toes cosy, or by the fire so they can hunker down in prime position on snowy days – when it comes to rugs, throw symmetry and focal points out the window.

In winter, choose chunky knit throws to cocoon from the cold

It’s how your space feels that really counts, so position your rugs where you’ll feel them. You can always reposition them as the seasons change, or whenever you fancy a bit of a refresh.

To maintain that calming and bright feel, keep your fabrics’ colours predominantly neutral and light. The most common injections of colour in Scandi-style interiors are blush pink and deep blue, and your soft furnishings are the perfect place to introduce them subtly. This goes for patterns too. Scandinavian countries have a rich history of weaving and embroidery, and even its earliest examples boast bold geometric, pictorial and botanical designs. Hence, cushions and throws are often patterned with repeated, symmetrical shapes or simple flowers. The Finnish textile design company Marimekko makes many great, striking examples of this.

don’t forget the finishing touches

So far, you can be forgiven for thinking that Scandi-style décor holds an abundance of specific traits, which could lead to lots of homes all looking the same. But it’s the finishing touches where your personality can really shine through. While Scandi style is often described as ‘minimal’, this does not mean that you can’t have things out on display. What it does mean, though, is that you should only be displaying things that you really love and that bring a benefit to your environment. Think quality over quantity. A key example of this is art prints and paintings. While a colourful floor-to-ceiling gallery wall would be a sensory overload, a few carefully selected, cherished designs will bring visual interest, a focal point and personality to a space. If you’re hankering for a little more definition, thin black frames create a crisp contrast against white walls. This is a very on-trend and popular combination, but we would suggest warming and softening it up with earthy, organic prints.

Vases and plant pots are essential items in any Scandi-style home, as they are an easy means of bringing nature indoors. That said, no longer are these items simply vessels for beauty, but they themselves have become the beauty too. Part of the Scandi design ethos is that everything should be simple, authentic and well made. This increasing appreciation of well crafted items is one of the reasons why small independent businesses, including ceramicists, potters and glass blowers, are growing in success. Our Instagram feeds are full of makers sharing their creations. Owning items that you know were made with love, care and hard-earned skill, brings a sense of joy and peace that’s unreachable on the mass market. It also adds a uniqueness to your home, while being more eco-friendly too. More and more, we’re seeing beautiful, shapely glazed vases left empty, as they, in themselves, are just enough.

The same applies to your kitchenware. The feeling of hygge won’t be reached if, when you drink that hot chocolate by the fire after a cold walk, your mug is just too small, or chipped, or you can’t fully fit your hand around the tiny handle. Invest in solid, well-made crockery that’s just the right size and shape for you and your family. As a loyal companion to many important moments – from family meals, to lunches with friends and quiet morning coffees by yourself – your crockery sees a lot, so it’s worth spending a little extra for durable designs that you’ll enjoy using for many years to come.

Now that we’ve covered the key elements of neutral walls and floors, clever uses of light, seasonal textures and well-crafted ceramics, you’re all set for a Scandi-style home that’s refreshing and comforting. Whether you’re brunching with friends round a sunshine-soaked dining table, or cosying up beneath a cashmere blanket on a dreary Tuesday night, devour every aspect of your home. And remember to notice how it makes you feel, because that, after all, is what matters the most.

Layer up blankets and cushions for a cosy night’s sleep