Scandinavian-inspired design creates a cozy Christmas
Few places in the world encapsulate the spirit of the holiday season quite like Scandinavia. It brings the scenery you’ll find on your favorite Christmas cards to life: ice and snow, roaring fires and beautiful homey spaces that encompass the spirit of hygge.
A finalist for the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2016 word of the year, hygge is a Danish term defined as a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or wellbeing, and in recent years it has taken the interior design world by storm.
Pronounced “hyoo-guh,” the word is said to have no direct translation in English, though “cozy” comes close. And this Christmas look follows suit.
Simply Scandi is a Christmas design that pays homage to the Scandinavian roots on my dad’s side of the family, while still maintaining that new traditional style we are known for (more is more, after all!).
Trimming the tree
In most Nordic countries, people put up their Christmas trees a couple of days before the big event and decorate them with flowers like a poinsettia. White amaryllis and red tulips are also popular, and they are the color inspiration for the Simply Scandi color palette.
The first thing that strikes me when looking at the Simply Scandi tree is the various textures at play that make the design feel inviting and warm. I love the addition of handmade-looking elements to a design, and this style has many to choose from. Felt, wood, woven, hand-painted, this tree is a symphony of artisan craftsmanship. Bright red, creams and neutrals are the shining stars in this minimalist albeit striking look.
Although there are many differences between a commercial tree and a tree you might trim yourself, this look might be the closest to a traditional tree you might find in someone’s home. And it can be scaled back without losing its impact. When building at home, start by layering in lots of picks throughout the tree. Red berries bring cheer to this design.
Group collections of ornaments in twos and threes nestled in and among the branches — not just the tips — to highlight different textures. We use zip ties to secure these to the tree. This gives us better control over the presentation of the ornament on the branch instead of simply hanging them. Cascades of red ribbon are snuggled up among the details, their white snowflakes adding to the thematic design.
Decking the halls
Scandinavian homes are often well-decorated for Christmas, with shiny baubles, candles and various other shimmering objects. Although this design doesn’t include straw, a common Scandinavian ornament material, we did take a nod from the Nordic and left no space untouched as we piled on the holiday decor. Featured in this design are a cacophony of bells suspended from birch logs fashioned to the ceiling, the decor spilling into your line of sight.
Decorating a tabletop
Many Nordic countries celebrate with an elaborate Christmas Eve dinner, which usually includes dry-cured lamb ribs, ham, goose or cod fish cured in lye (lutefisk, anyone?). Boards full of these foods are passed around the table. Glogg, a mulled wine into which you can dip cookies, is a popular drink of choice across Scandinavia at Christmastime.
Scandinavian style is really known for its simplicity, and we played that up in this tablescape. An ornament plays double duty and acts as a napkin ring, holding a candy canestriped napkin atop stacks of cheery red and white dishes. The dishes themselves are simple in design, but the alternating colors give each place setting some additional dimension.
A wintry green is a welcome addition to the centerpiece, making the dishes at each place pop even more.