No doubt on this, Scandinavians are the best when talking about how to style an interior properly. Visiting the Stockholm Design Week is always to me a great chance to see beautiful interiors you would not see in person, yet to find out some tips and inspirations to bring back in our homes. I collected in these article 7 tips to style a Scandinavian home according to the latest trends. Most of the images you will find here have been shot from the beautiful exhibit called “The Sculptor’s residence“, designed by Norm Architects in collaboration with Swedish brands Menu and DUX.

7 Scandinavian decorating tips

according to the latest Scandinavian decor trends

How to style a Scandinavian home : 1/ Colours

Decorating an interior in Scandinavian style is about balancing soft and warm colors to give a cozy feel to the space. Starting from light wooden floors, on a white (or almost white) background. Then, playing with layers of elements in other soft colors, like beiges, terracotta, warm grays. Anyway, Scandinavian interiors are not only about neutral colors: you can add also some pops of colors, for example choosing yellows, greens, blues, burgundy. Last, not only about bright and light colors: to add more interest to a space, you could underline some areas of the home (ex. the entry hall) with a dark paint, even in black.

Scandinavian decorating tips : 2 / Layout

Decorating an interior in Scandinavian style is also about creating welcoming and pleasant corners inside home. Place furniture in order to create conversational corners, small relax and reading corners, without forgetting secondary pieces such as stools, small coffe and side tables, and a rug to define the different areas.

How to style a Scandinavian home : 3/ Lighting

One element that is absolutely essential when talking about Scandinavian interiors is lighting. Since in winter time days can be particularly dark and short, Scandinavians have developed a special sensitivity towards lighting design. Inside Scandinavian homes, you will find many different lighting sources combined together. Ceiling lights, floor lamps, small table lamps, lights on the window sills, together giving that typical Scandinavian cosy feeling.

How to style a Scandinavian home : 4/ Decorating elements

Moreover, what makes the difference inside a Scandinavian interior, is how small objects are matched together in a casual way adding that special mood. Books, small sculptures, vases, boxes, everything can help in making the space cozier and more beautiful.

Tip : the latest decorating element I spotted in Stockholm? Brushes! Collect them into small vases, maybe glazed ones. In fact, it’s an easy and fast way to add a small decorating element into your home interior.

How to style a Scandinavian home : 5/ Fabrics

As already said, styling a Scandinavian interior is all about creating a minimalist, yet cosy and casual feeling. In order to achieve this, it’s crucial to work with different layers of textures, considering also the tactile feel of materials. The easier way to achieve this is to work with different fabrics. For example, for your bedroom choose natural fibers with a soft and tactile look and work with different layers.

How to style a Scandinavian home : 6/ Plants and Flowers

Last but not least, don’t forget to add some natural element inside your home. Choose only real green plants, but you could also go for small dried branches or branches with flowers. See below for example how a simple flower branch on a transparent vase can immediately become a beautiful decorating element.

7/ Don’t forget to be eco-friendly!

Above all, from Scandinavian interiors we can learn to have a more eco-friendly approach in our own homes. By choosing local design, for example, we are giving a small help in reducing carbon footprints; by choosing sustainable materials, we are giving a small help to our environment.