Creative Home Decorating Ideas From Scandinavia
Easy Ways to Create Simple Scandinavian Style Living Room Decor
Sep 18, 2009
The landscape and climate of a country are often mirrored in the traditional home decor. A hot country will use vivid colours with perhaps touches of white as a contrast, such as those in Moroccan style home decorating.
In the cooler Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Denmark, the colours are frosty pastels with a touch of red, royal blue or bright green.
Scandinavian Style Living Room Wall Decor
A lot of natural wood is used in traditional Scandinavian homes. This can be tongue and groove wood panelling which looks best if taken about a third of the way up the wall to dado level. If the wood is a pale pine or similar it could be left in its natural colour and simply varnished.
Alternatively, paint it in a colour from the Scandinavian palette. This would be light blue (imagine milky skies) silver grey, sage green or chalky white. If the wood panelling is painted pale blue, have the walls above it in white.
Stencilling is a traditional wall decor in some Scandinavian areas. It is often used as a frieze along the top of the wall or just above the skirting boards. On a plain wall without the wooden panelling, try painting the wall silver grey and then using a stencil of a flowing design of leaves and ribbons. Use only one colour for the stencil, in this case sage green would work well. Limiting the wall decor to two colours keeps it light and creates a sense of space.
Painted Rug in the Living Room
To achieve a traditional Scandinavian look, floors should be light coloured too. Many floors are painted with a design that looks like a rug. It is easy enough to do and very effective.
Leave wooden floorboards a pale natural colour. Draw a line about 10 inches in from each of the walls, as if it was the edge of a carpet or rug. Paint inside the lines with a pale cream paint. When it is dry, go for those pale colours again and create a deep border of diamond or chevron shapes.
A stencil really is easier than trying to draw it with a pencil and ruler. The finished painted rug will be more effective if the design is regular and neat! Choose either walls or floor for stencilling. A painted rug and stencilled walls could be be too much in one room. For a more modern look, treat the floorboards with a light stain and then varnish to create a warm glow.
Scandinavian Lighting Decor
Lighting is very important in Scandinavia because of the long dark winters. Small chandeliers in wrought iron or a more reflective metal with holders for real candles can be a stunning addition to the living room.
Other options include:
- wall lights with mirrored backs
- silver or brass candlesticks
- lamps with wooden or metal bases
Look for lampshades in checked fabrics in bright red, blue or green, to give contrast to the pastel walls.
Scandinavian Ideas for the Living Room Furniture
Go for clean lines like a sofa with a wooden frame and fitted cushions in charcoal or blue checks. Look for elegant wooden tables, again in a light wood. Wooden window shutters would be effective, or floaty white light curtains hanging from a wooden pole and drifting to the floor.
Experiment with the pale colours and keep everything simple and light to acheive this look.
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