Scandinavian style was spawned in the 30’s based on functionality and simplicity within the countries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. Many mid-century design pieces can happily live in the same room together and that’s because it really peaked in that period. The original colour pallette is white, blues and greys, which extended to a mad colour revival in the 50’s and 60’s but black and white, pastel and muted tones are trending now in Australia.
Timber Floors
Blonde or light coloured timber floors are a must have feature of any Scandi room. This is a perfect base for our pine or Tasmanian oak floorboards in Australia. Timber can seem a little cold in some parts of the southern states so to warm them up, look for a rug with a load of texture like a thick knit, a flat weave wool, a plush or a cow hide. In coastal areas, a seagrass or jute rug is more practical if you tend to trudge in sand.
Nostalgic vintage furniture
There is a lot of mid-century furniture in stores at the moment, for instance, Freedom is chock full of it. Ikea always has a good selection (duh!) and local retail giants are filtering through the goodies all the time. Think clean lined, long rectangular sofas with short turned timber or steel legs. Feature arm chairs from the period such as the Butterfly chair, the Cuba, or the Wishbone chair works very well, Armchair 42 is a classic…CH44..the list goes on (what am I talking about, is this some kind of secret code?!!). You are basically looking for a vintage upholstered chair with a straight or curved back or maybe something looking like a directors chair with a thin upholstered seat or your grandmother’s favourite reading chair that looks like a fancy deck chair with an upholstered back and seat. The Salvo’s thrift shops have lots of these vintage pieces and are no longer at the daggy end of design.
Relaxed, low-line cabinetry with shelving systems
Cabinetry is often smooth and sleek either low-line or built-in with hidden or integrated handles and hardware. Floating shelves, wall shelving systems and ladder bookshelves work wonders in this style. For entry ways, the Muuto dot coat racks are very hot at the moment for entry ways.
Warm ambient lighting
Lighting is a very fun part of Scandi design I think. You can choose designs such as large dome pendants, Caravaggio which looks like a rounded cow bell to me, or anything that resembles these shapes. Look for basic smooth shapes with slender spaghetti steel or square set timber stands for lamps. Beacon Lighting is beaming with such designs in both timber, concrete and metallic finishes. If you are adding to an existing scheme, choose warm globes for night time ambiance.
Geometric Pattern//
Patterns that work great with this style are chevrons, crosses, triangles, spots and mixed geometric as well as natural themes like forests, geometric florals and forest animals. These types of prints are exploding in children’s rooms and nurseries. We can’t get enough of them! Hunt around for these patterns in cushions, throws, rugs and vases.
These Scandinavian style elements can be easily added to any Australian home. You might even have some of the furniture already. What do you love about Scandi style?
