Time For a New Look
So you want to update the look of your living space, but you’re not sure where to start or what style you want to incorporate.
Maybe you need new furniture. You’ll have to decide between fabric and leather, or something more minimal.
Are you interested in updating your color schemes? What do you want to convey? Most people want to go with a neutral color scheme, something that isn’t too jarring. Here’s a hint, Light Blue is a great contrasting color to go with this season.
Beyond color schemes and furniture, you also need to figure out what kind of ambiance you want your environment to have. Some families are opting to make their living rooms tech-free and others want the most minimalist furniture possible (even getting rid of furniture completely).
A quick search for “interior design ideas” could cause anxiety for anyone — ideas and options are near endless. But for our tastes and interests, we love the design, styling, and aesthetics of Scandinavian design.
What is Scandinavian Design
Scandinavian interior design has been a popular and influential part of design since the early 1900s. Unique design ideas and trends still come from that Nordic region of the world and change the ways that rooms across the world are decorated.
Here are just a few of those Scandinavian interior, decor, and furniture trends you might expect in 2020 and beyond.
LAGOM
One thing that is common in most design trends is having a “balanced” lifestyle. This is something that is stressed over when redesigning any room, in Sweden, they do it naturally.
But what, exactly is lagom? Well, lagom means “finding just the right amount,” which is an approach to life. Basically, it means not too little and not too much — “just right.”
This means living a lifestyle free from clutter but not so much so that you feel you absolutely have to get rid of something. The point is for it to feel right and balanced to you.
Incorporate Storage Into Your Decorating
Another wonderful design trend out of Scandinavia is the use of storage furniture as a focal point of your design scheme. Under normal circumstances, these pieces of furniture are a bit boring, but with a little ingenuity, you are able to make anyone want to copy your style. You can use anything from what was once a boring clothing basket to clothing racks in order to add some functional design to your living spaces.
Accenting With Bold Blue Colors
What is the perfect accent color? Well, a favorite from Scandinavia is blue. A bright blue is often used in order to stand out in a brilliant way. A monochromatic scheme is fine, but throwing in that bright blue rug to contrast the white walls could be a wonderful addition.
Leather
Leather is a classic material, and a great Scandinavian trend is worn leather. Many Nordic interiors are transitioning to using worn leather. One great thing about worn leather is that it gives your home a wonderfully rustic feel, all without having that stuffy antique feel.
Feathers
Feathers have been catching on a little in the United States for a while, but they are also trending in Sweden. Everything from feather motifs to wall hanging decorations adds that nice texture to your home. You can work it into anything from your tabletop decorations to your wallpaper and even into your bedding. There is a definite trend of nature-inspired elements into any and every room.
Using Gray Colors for Your Walls
Grayscale has always held a special place in Scandinavian decorating. You are sure to have seen the black and white color scheme done many times before and may have been overdone. It’s a great thing, then, that grey walls are coming back into popularity. This is a great way to get the same appeal that comes with monochromatic design schemes without such stark contrast.
There is something about grey walls, white floors, and and black furniture to create a balanced monochromatic look. Choosing a perfect area rug will really finalize the look and bring the room together.
Going Tech-Free
Nowadays, people are really concerned with going tech-free. Some family vacations are even centered around this fact, getting away from the technology and reconnecting with loved ones. This is also a way to balance yourself, just like the previously mentioned lagom lifestyle.
Having areas of the house, even if it’s just one room, designated as tech-free is a great way to get the same effect in your own home. This allows you to create a space that is truly customized for you. By removing the distractions of computers, phones, and television you are able to make the environment more warm and welcoming. These make for great spaces to unwind after a long day in a frenetic, tech-heavy world. You don’t have to stick with just one room either, we recommend making the bedroom as tech free as possible as well. Several studies show technology in the bedroom robs you of sleep, affects weight gain, affects your love life, and more.
Cottage, Finland Style
Most Scandinavian design revolves around Sweden and Norway, but Finland styles are beginning to trend just as much. Finland, said to be one of the happiest countries on the planet, has trending designs that focus on the outdoors. They have what has been referred to as “cottage culture.”
A lot of these designs incorporate communal living and eating spaces. They also utilize lights to simulate natural lighting. As stated, much of Nordic design takes a minimalist approach to everything, this includes tableware and decorations.
Whimsical Lighting Fixtures
Another popular trending coming out of Scandinavia is the use of whimsical and fanciful lighting. Asian light fixtures, like the giant paper lanterns, inspire many of these. My favorite place for these is around the dining table. These make for a lighter and happier atmosphere for family dinners.
Loving the Wood Slats
You can line one of your walls with wood slats in order to give it a subtle serene feel. A great example of this is the Finnish Dream Hotel. They give of a wonderful ambiance that fans of Scandinavian design would love. This design doesn’t have to be overdone — it only takes one wall to change the entire feel of a room.
Tent Beds
Tent beds aren’t just for your little princess anymore. Kids and adults love falling asleep beneath one of those cute wood-stick tents that are coming out of Scandinavia. You can get this in many different styles and color schemes, but I’m particularly fond of the monochrome design schemes.
Graphic Calendars
You wouldn’t think it, but those over-sized Helvetica calendars are beginning to trend in a big way.
Highly customizable and easily affordable, these make for wonderful additions to living rooms, as well as for any kids room. First: they are functional — if you can’t remember if you have plans the next day, just glance at your calendar. These calendars can also double as “artwork” on the wall. Why would you ever deal with your standard phone calendar app when you could have a customized calendar sitting in front of you that brings real character to your living spaces.
Simple Art
We have already mentioned how monochrome color schemes and simplistic styling is used in Scandinavian decor and artwork is no different. Monochrome artwork has been on the rise, in both Scandinavian and American designs. Picking the right wall art is a conundrum for most amateur designers, but you can’t go wrong with black and white photography and monochrome images.
Scandinavian design has long been trendsetting, paving the way for many designers. Whether you want all of your furniture and decorations to be monochrome or you want to throw in one of those bright blue area rugs, you can’t go wrong with these Scandinavian interior design trends for the upcoming year.
