Winter Wonderland, or Land of the Midnight Sun? Sweden is a classic centre for design style. Learn to use traditional or modern Swedish design looks in your home ...
Whether you are thinking of an ultra-modern look, or simple classic style, look to Swedish interior design styles for uncluttered, affordable elegance.
Swedish design styles have, naturally, developed and evolved over the years, so if you fancy a Swedish look, there will definitely be a style to suit your home. It is normal for Swedish interior design styles to be mixed and matched together, so pick the aspects of design which suit you best, to end up with your very own, unique and original, Swedish look.
Whichever Swedish design look you go for, Swedish styles are simple, uncluttered, ultra-stylish and very practical. Swedish designs tend to be designs for the people – so you will get an affordable look that is totally suitable for full-time living!
Swedish interior design looks have been rapidly gaining in popularity in recent times – whether the ultra-modern, sleek shapes and designs, or the more traditional, white painted, wooden look.
Walls and Color
To get the look, start by painting your walls white, off-white or grey. These are the basic colors to start your Swedish interior design scheme, and will give you a light, airy look in your room.
If you wish to add accents of other colors, for example; to feature walls, choose earthy, natural colors – browns, taupes, beiges and greens.
Inspiration from nature features strongly in Swedish style – in Summer, Sweden is the land of the midnight sun, and Swedes take full advantage of the wonderful landscape and natural experiences which abound in their country.
Other accent colors which you can also consider are reds, blues and navy. These are more ‘wintery’ style colors – bringing to mind the cosy knits necessary in this winter land of snow! They will really warm your look up and keep your room feeling snug!
Furniture
Furniture choices will help to define your Swedish interior design look…
Earlier Swedish designs dating from the 18th Century (often called ’Gustavian’ designs and styles) are very suitable for a more traditional home (or to add a touch of vintage nostalgia and style to a more modern scheme).
To achieve the Gustavian look in your Swedish style home, choose simple, traditional wooden furniture – ladder back or curved back chairs, tables with nicely turned legs, grandfather clocks, carved shelving and dressers. The furniture should be painted in white (or a pale grey) and you may also opt for a slightly distressed look.
There are plenty of stores around that sell white painted Gustavian style Swedish furniture – but it is just as easy to pick up traditional pine items yourself. Paint these in white emulsion to get the look. To get a distressed feel, rub a little wax on corners and edges (where the item would wear naturally) before you begin to paint. When the paint is thoroughly dry, rub these areas gently with a little sandpaper or wire wool to expose a little of the original wood.
It is also traditionally Swedish to choose these ‘traditional’ styles of furniture in darker woods, such as mahogany, or birch, alder and elm. These are a great choice, and the furniture is very beautiful, but the current trend for Swedish design does focus itself more on the white painted Swedish look.
If you wish to go for a more modern look in your home, choose more modern styles. Swedish design is well known throughout the world for providing an ultra-modern feel. Designs are simple, classic and focus on beautiful shapes and sweeping curves in furniture pieces – especially chairs. Natural wood finishes, chrome and neutral, pale upholstery are classic touches in modern Swedish design, which you should look out for.
Windows
Simple, uncluttered widows are best for Swedish inspired style. Go for simple, wood shutters, wooden-slatted blinds, plain, cream, tab-top curtains, or white, floaty, voiles.
Flooring
Look out for pine floorboards for authentic Swedish style. Wax or stain your floorboards, or paint them in a white, cream or grey – for the best look.
I advise you to use a specialist floor paint, but if you want a more authentic, distressed finish, you could use ordinary emulsion instead. This will wear quite quickly, but this will add to the distressed, rustic feel, and can be re-applied every few years as necessary.
For more modern rooms, dark, glossy wood or laminates will give a modern, clean and uncluttered feel.
Of course, fluffy or woolly rugs are an essential for the cold, Swedish winters. Or try woven cotton rugs or rag rugs to give a cosy look.
Fabrics
Use fabrics as throws, bedspreads, cushions and wall-hangings, to add interest to your very pale room.
Typical Swedish fabrics are rustic-style or vintage-style prints – checks, stripes and patterns inspired by nature – prints of leaves, or old fashioned style roses and flowers. This is a great way of getting a touch of color and pattern into your room.
Accessories
Choose Swedish inspired artwork for your walls –botanical prints and inspirations from nature, photos of snowy scenes or beautiful, tundra landscapes are ideal – or choose authentic Swedish folk art in brilliant blues, reds and white.
Also look to folk art for ornaments in your room. Look out for traditional wood carvings and figurines – very popular (and quintessentially Swedish) is the carved ’Dala’ wooden horse ornament – also other animals like roosters and pigs, and especially reindeer.
Add to the Swedish interior design feel, with rustic pottery (for everyday use or on display). You might also find Swedish glassware or crystal ware available.
Modern or traditional (or a mixture of both) make your lighting a true design feature in your room (this would have added importance in the dark winter months in Sweden where it barely gets light). Choose glass, ‘fishermen-style’ lights and lanterns, or ultra-modern glass lighting or white paper lampshades on sleek chrome fittings.
A great place to add to your Swedish interior design scheme is by looking on eBay for bargains and inspirations. Below is a live feed from eBay for your convenience. Just like eBay this is constantly updated. If you click on a product, it will take you through to the eBay site, where you can bid, buy, or just get more info about the product.
Hope you find loads of Swedish bargains – Happy Hunting!
If any of these recommended eBay auction products interest you, please support my website by using the links on this page to buy. The price to you is always the same, but I will earn a small commission. This allows me to continue to provide you with the information on this website, all for free.
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You should make sure you finish off your Swedish interior design scheme by bringing nature indoors – include rustic bundles of prettily tied twigs, collections of pine cones and, of course, plenty of vibrant, green plants.
If you would like to start your Swedish interior design and decorating straight away, then look at my checklist of interior design tips. Here you will be taken right through the interior design process – to ensure your project has a professional finish!
