Your home should be designed to reflect your life. Nordic interior design may be the right style for people who need peaceful areas that are cosy and decluttered- ideal for the winter season. It primarily follows the "Less is More" philosophy. The two main principles are simplicity and utility. A minimal aesthetic, the use of organic materials, and strong, clear lines are all hallmarks of Nordic design. It uses furnishings that are easy to use, beautiful and warm. It is vastly influenced by conventional craftsmanship and crafts.
This style began to spread in the Nordic nations at the turn of the 20th century, and over the past few years, it has gained worldwide traction. It started to gain recognition around the time of the modern movement in Europe and North America. It evolved in the 1950s in the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The chilly, brief winter days of the Nordic region and the yearning for warm, cheerful interiors also had a significant impact on the style. Often times, a pop of colour is used to break up the bland tones.
Trying to create a space from scratch can be daunting and overwhelming. By using these fundamental aesthetic principles to create a Nordic-inspired space, you will achieve understated elegance and utility. Rooms are typically decorated with a few carefully selected furnishings and accessories, allowing each piece to stand out and make a statement.
Textures & Textiles
When it comes to achieving this aesthetic, one of the main ways is by introducing the appropriate textiles to your home's interior. Whether they come in the form of a patterned area rug or a chunky knit throw blanket, textiles are necessary to complete any space with this design aesthetic. Leather or fabrics like linen or cotton are the key essentials for recreating this style.
Colour Palette
The cohesiveness of a place entirely depends on the colour scheme you choose; it makes or breaks a place. When working on a Nordic-inspired project, limiting your colour palette to a few colours is the key to nailing the aesthetic. White, grey, blue, black, and cream are some of the core colours that are used extensively. Light-coloured walls and floors further enhance the brightness of the space, creating an airy and open atmosphere. Although, to break the monotony of the neutral tones, you can incorporate a vivid or daring colour, it's best to limit the number of tones in one space.
Wooden Accents
Using wooden accents across furniture, walls, and flooring can help set that Nordic design tone. Interior decorators often reach for light woods such as beech, ash, and pine to make the space look more spacious and airy.
Furniture
Another way to further enhance your space would be by adding relevant furniture. Small accent chairs can be placed near the fireplace to create a cosy ambiance. For the dining room, furniture is generally kept clean and basic; for instance, midcentury-style chairs and wooden tables. Multi-functional pieces are often favoured, such as storage solutions that serve as seating or tables with built-in shelves. The emphasis is on creating a space that is not only visually pleasing but also highly usable and adaptable to different needs.
Lighting
Lighting is always a crucial part of bringing life to a space. To further hone in on the Nordic essence, designers experiment with a lot of natural lighting. It vastly opens up a space and gives it more dimension. Additional lighting options include lamps in geometric or sphere-shaped designs. Adding accents of light wood to lighting fixtures works great to bring out the characteristics of a space. Another option could be to play with the textures of the ceiling fixtures, such as fur, to help make a powerful, dramatic statement.
Accessory Is The Key
Accessorising is the key to making any home feel complete. Keeping the fundamentals of Nordic interior design in mind, it’s ideal to keep the accessories to a minimum. The use of candle holders, cushions, and lighting can make a huge difference in bringing the Nordic aesthetic to life. The walls are decorated with paintings and frames, some of which are colourful and others more subdued. Nordic accessories can also encompass materials such as metal, copper, and brass. Nordic interior design places great importance on the connection with nature. Another way to decorate would be by adding succulent pots or other low-maintenance plants for a modest display.
When it comes to furnishing a house, the aim is to always make it feel like a sanctuary where, after a long day of work, you can relax in peace and enjoy your alone time, and this particular interior style will give you just that. Its calm, relaxing colour palette, along with warm accents of decor pieces that provide both functionality and comfort, achieves a sense of tranquility and timelessness that continues to inspire and influence the world of interior design.