Scandinavia inspires new spring décor
Perhaps to alleviate the dreariness of long northern winters, Scandinavian style tends toward folk-art florals, crisp checks, plaids and stripes, and wood furniture left natural or painted in colors that evoke the region’s natural beauty.
The look is casual and easy, with playful touches, simple yet refined. If all that sounds appealing, you’ll find many pretty, Scandinavianinspired décor options for spring.
Scandinavian style is typically anchored by whites and creams, which provide a light-filled canvas on which berry red, sky blue, forest green and ochre offer pops of cheerful color.
Black sometimes provides a dramatic canvas, especially on a rug. But there are also soothing faded pinks, soft stone grays and dusky purples in the palette.
This spring, Ikea honors its Scandinavian roots with an extensive collection including designer Eva Lundgreen’s Akerkulla floral motif curtains and rug. The Hemnes furniture collection really nails the Swedish look with a linen cabinet in a deep red, a bed frame in gray and a shelving unit in blue.
An airy, pared-down version of neoclassical design was the hallmark of 18th-century Gustavian design, which has become popular outside of Sweden in the past 20 years. Ikea’s Isala side table is a great example, in clean white or forget-me-not blue. (ikea.com)
Anthropologie’s light and airy Speckled Blooms cotton curtain features a hyacinth repeat in blue and green on white.
Pair it with painted furniture pieces and a striped rag rug in similar hues, and you’re off to a great Scandinavian-style start. (anthropologie.com)