Perfecting the art of Scandi interior design

Scandinavians are known around the world for many things – including their peaceful attitudes, their love of simplicity, and their interior design. Scandi interior design is a trend that has been around for several years, and with good reason – it appeals to all the senses and can make a room feel full of life with minimal furniture and decoration.

Let us take you through the concept of Scandinavian interior design and what it is, as well as some of the ways you can replicate Scandi interiors in your own spaces, from décor to flooring and colour palettes that will bring hygge, the Danish concept of cosiness and comfort, into your home.

What is Scandinavian interior design?

The Scandinavian interior design style is one you probably already recognise from Ikea, or minimalist blogs, or the living room of your favourite celebrity. It’s incredibly popular because of all the emotions that it invokes – calming, inviting, and cosy, just the feelings we want to have when we come home after a busy day. Scandinavian interior design does this by blending textures and soft hues to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. It emphasizes functional, beautiful, and cosy furnishings with clean lines, utility, and simplicity.

Some of the key features of Scandi style include quality craftsmanship, minimalism, and neutral colours as a base for every space. There is also a lot of emphasis on bringing nature into the home through different elements and designs, such as incorporating a lot of natural, local materials like wood, slate, or stone. So how can you apply the key design principles of Scandinavian design to your home?

How to replicate Scandi interiors

The best way to begin replicating Scandinavian interior design is to understand the emphasis and emotion that is the key to this entire style – one of relaxation, easy movement, and practicality. Once you begin to adopt that feeling in your own design decisions, you’ll see how easy it is to gravitate towards Scandinavian design choices. Some of the best places to start, though, are with your flooring and the colours you want to use in your space.

Scandi style flooring

Scandi interior design has a lot of focus on light, bright spaces, and especially natural materials that can help to bring the emotions and effects of the outside world into your home. This typically means flooring that looks natural, so opt for wooden flooring like engineered wood or laminate in an illuminating colour like pale brown, cream or white, which can make a space look bigger and brighter - take a look at our white and cream bedroom design ideas guide, for more inspiration!

Comfort and cosiness are also key facets of Scandi interiors, so carpet is another great choice for flooring in a Scandi interior. A cream carpet will do a great job of making your space look lighter and bigger, while a darker neutral colour will make your space feel cosy and welcoming.

In your kitchen, you’ll want a practical option – and practicality is a major component of Scandi interior design. For the everyday kitchen filled with family fun, cooking, and living, vinyl and luxury vinyl tiles are a great choice, because they can withstand all the organised chaos of everyday life at home, and can also be water-resistant and stain-resistant, making them really easy to keep clean and looking good for many years.

Scandi style colour palettes

The standard colour palettes that are associated with Scandinavian interior design are predominantly neutrals. Greys, creams, whites, and browns are all classic Scandi design colours, and they do feature more prominently than other colours (for more inspiration, discover our ideas on grey living room interior design, or white kitchen decor ideas). However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t bring some of your favourite shades into the mix. If you’re a lover of jewel tones, maybe opt for a neutral-coloured rug with a line of your favourite sapphire or emerald colour running through it. Our carpet whipping service is a great way to create a rug from your favourite carpet.

Alternatively, add some black accents using dark picture frames and black accents in places like your fireplace or cushions to add some moodiness as a contrast to all those bright, light colours. It’s good to play with your colour palette until you feel like it looks like an honest reflection of yourself and your style, because you’ll want to live with it every day and feel at your calmest and most relaxed in that space.

Soft colours like sage and apricot are another favourite in Scandi interior design for their warmth and cleanliness – they are still very light, but can bring some much needed warmth into a room that has white walls or furniture. It can also make the space feel more natural by bringing in those soft pinks and greens, colours we recognise in the lakes and sunsets of Northern Europe. If you prefer pops of pastel, then the Danish pastel trend might be more suited for your home.

Scandi home décor

Scandi home décor tends towards the minimal side – you won’t often find clutter in a Scandinavian interior. Lighting is one of the most important décor elements to consider in Scandi design, because Scandinavian countries get so little light in the winter months that they really need to bring natural warmth and light sources into their homes. Distinctive lamp designs are a fun way of injecting personality into this style. A top tip is to try to avoid direct light glare – soft lighting is best and is more encouraging of relaxation.

Candles and candleholders are a staple of hygge style and Scandinavian home décor for this exact reason – they encourage soft, romantic lighting that encourages us to relax and wind down, and they just happen to look good, too! Curtains are another way to keep your space cosy, and if you like to invest in more unusual artwork, why not look into hanging a rug on your wall? We’ve got a great guide to help you with how to hang a rug on the wall with easy to follow steps.

Create your own Scandinavian interior

Whether you’re looking to add some Scandi interior design into your home or looking for a little refresh to your interiors, why not pop down to your local Tapi store to speak to our floorologists. Alternatively, we can come to you! Our free home visit service is a great way to get professional advice on what flooring could work best in your home. We also have an Ideas Hub that’s bursting with lots of great style advice and DIY information you can use to refresh your home in lots of ways, including tips on a similar trend you might want to try - Japandi interior design.

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Published: 20-01-2023