Scandinavian style apartment design (75 photos)

Northern Europe is a mysterious place, known to most except for its harsh climate and sagas about the brave Viking warriors. The way of life of the Normans has long remained a mystery to foreigners, but with the spread of the Swedish furniture network IKEA around the world, interest in their unpretentious life flared up. With its simplicity and airiness, the Scandinavian style instantly gained immense popularity among designers and became one of the most relevant trends in the design of apartments. Basic characteristics and photos of such interiors are presented in this article.

Even a glance at any traditional interior is enough to determine in which area it was created. By furnishing housing, people, one way or another, repeat the landscapes, shades, and lines that surround their homes outside. Perhaps that is why every detail of the Nordic design is so reminiscent of the Scandinavian Peninsula with its rocky breaks, icy fjords and snowy shores.

The color palette here is limited to winter shades - white, gray, dusted blue occupy almost the entire space. And only in modest decor, furniture and textiles are interspersed with bright colors. As a rule, they are present on traditional carpets and embroidered patterns - these are red, burgundy, orange, blue and ocher-yellow threads with a natural admixture of gray.

Natural materials dominate the Scandinavian design, and wood plays the leading role. Its lively texture somewhat dilutes the severity of the achromatic setting, giving the rooms a more comfortable look. In the modern interpretation, unpainted boards are used mainly for flooring, while furniture is more often covered with snow-white enamel or laminated with glossy white film.

Wall and ceiling decoration standard for North European interiors is perfectly even and clean whitewashing (painting) of snow-white or gray color, less often - white brickwork, gray-blue wallpaper with geometric print or light wood panels. On the ceiling, there may occasionally be whitewashed beams - for example, if it is a country house, an attic or a tall room of an unusual layout.

Special attention should be paid to windows. Due to the short daylight hours and the lack of sun, the Scandinavians almost never cover them with either curtains or even light curtains. However, for those who still need privacy, in the evening and night you can use the opaque tulle or dense plain gray drapes. The window openings themselves are usually quite large, and frames with thin partitions are painted white.

Regardless of the area, the Scandinavian-style living room is always something spacious, bright and full of air. Snow-white finishes, warm wooden floors, comfortable furniture and high-quality textiles give even the smallest room a fresh and well-groomed look.

Good-quality fabrics made of wool, cotton and linen, sometimes with a small admixture of synthetics, are used for upholstering a sofa and soft chairs. It can be dense jacquard with rhomboid and triangular patterns, weaving, resembling burlap, different pile and velvety textures - velor, velvet, velveteen.

Given the cold climate, a carpet is often laid on the floor next to the sofa. The most appropriate are the monochromatic variants with a fluffy pile of medium height (imitating the skins of northern animals), as well as woven products with an ethnic Scandinavian ornament.Bright decorative pillows, large knitted blankets and other “warm” hand made will also be useful.

From the Scandinavian-style kitchen, it is clean and cool. Everywhere there are ideally smooth surfaces, facades sparkling with snow-white varnish, stone countertops, mirror steel of equipment and accessories, on the apron - brickwork or patchwork tiles.

Warm shades in a winter-like strict interior are added by light parquet or porcelain tiles resembling it in texture on the floor, wooden table, stools, hanging shelves. In order not to freeze while cooking, a woven path is often laid on the floor in a narrow kitchen, and in the dining area there is a small carpet with characteristic patterns.

The maximum of bright light in the Scandinavian kitchen is provided by a non-curtained window and numerous bulbs that hang everywhere without shades. For apartments in metropolitan areas, where the sun rarely peeks, this is really a great idea.

The spaciousness and openness characteristic of the Nordic interior is also reflected in the sleeping room. White walls, a glossy sliding wardrobe of the same color (or gray, like a rock), a simple bed with a low headboard and the complete absence of any frills are the best option for those who put convenience and practicality in the first place.

The atmosphere in this restrained achromatic bedroom is created by details - bleached boards and a fleecy carpet on the floor, light curtains falling in vertical folds, several thematic framed paintings, fresh linens, soft woolen bedspreads, and many pillows.

As a decor and at the same time romantic evening lighting for a Scandinavian-style bedroom, electric garlands with large bulbs hanging on the walls can be used. Preference should be given to the shade of “warm white” - so the room will look more comfortable and softer than when highlighting a cold or color scheme.

Making a nursery in the Scandinavian style is a universal option. It is equally suitable for both girls and boys, ideal for heterosexual children and does not lose its relevance as the inhabitants grow older. Such a basic, but at the same time good-quality design lends itself perfectly to all kinds of modifications and additions - just changing the curtains and adding a few new items, you can create a marine, puppet, fairy-tale style or equip a restrained room for high school students.

Natural materials in the decoration, the abundance of wood and white-gray interior paints allow you to show great ingenuity in the little things - to choose an individual decor, interesting textile elements (upholstery sofas, bedspreads, pillows). A slate board painted with a special dark gray paint section of the wall for chalk drawings, black-and-white wallpapers and pictures fits very well in a similar style.

The corridor of the Scandinavian-style apartment, as a rule, leaves a good impression with its cleanliness and accuracy. The snow-white background of the walls, ceiling, cabinets with black-and-white or gray splashes visually expands the space. Due to this design, the hallway looks quite large and bright.

As for the materials, the most practical solution for the floor is porcelain stoneware, gray stone tiles, checkerboard, in small diamonds, patchwork; on the walls - whitewash, white lining or brickwork of the same color, white matte ceiling.

Northern cleanliness and freshness - what could be better for the bathroom? In the room for water treatments, the Scandinavian style shows the best facets: it is here that the snow-white gloss of ceramics, surrounded by glass and wood, brilliantly conveys the features of the Nordic nature.

The walls in a stylized North European bathtub can be either white painted or lined with shiny tiles of the “boar” format (rectangular, imitating brick ledges) or tiles with soft ethnic patterns - “patchwork”. For the ceiling, it is best to choose a matte film - unlike painting, it is not afraid of moisture.

Furniture can be made of plastic, laminated under light wood, stone or white lacquer. This situation is well combined with all options for modern plumbing.

In the photo gallery you will find many interesting options for interior design of apartments in the Scandinavian style. The rooms, united by a common design idea, look modern and comfortable. At the same time, each of the functional areas - kitchen, living room, bedroom, nursery, bathroom - is slightly different in the details of the decor. The Scandinavian interior is ideal for both large and small apartments, as well as fashionable modern studios - any premises in this design will appear visually wider, lighter and more spacious.