Importing interior design ideas from foreign shores is nothing new to British homes. In recent years, for example, we’ve seen an American retro diner vibe running through our house styling, and before that, we saw French country installations.
One of the more enduring trends, though, has been Scandinavian cool, a design ideal which emphasises simplicity, function and the cleanest of lines. The warmth and cosy feel that is produced by this design feel is further enhance in the colder months when your heating adds an extra element of heat. It is important that whilst we are in the warmer summer time that you think about utilising the service of a Boiler Installation Forest Of Dean company if you are looking to upgrade your system at the same time as redecorating. Green Planet Heating provide boiler installation in the forest of dean and can help with any queries you have about the best boiler system for your home and family requirements.
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Solid and Unfussy
As an article in the Guardian once put it, there is something solid and unpretentious about Scandinavian design. The distaste for the overblown and excessive is palpable. But how do you go about recreating the Nordic effect in your own home?
Walls and Soft Furnishings
Colours are subdued, with soft creams, cool greys, light blues and beiges being preferred to louder, more jarring shades. Textures, however, are more varied. Wood cladding, for instance, will frequently be fitted on to walls. Hessians, canvases and high-quality cottons are often used for soft furnishings, again in muted hues wherever possible. This approach to home styling sounds austere – to say the least – but the real point is that Scandinavians dislike dissonance, and any splashes of bright primary colour found in their home will be expertly judged to complement rather than contrast.
Furniture
Comfort and function are the watchwords when it comes to choosing furniture for the Scandinavian residence. Clean lines, practicality and comfort are inherent in the design of settees, chairs, beds and storage units, whether you are looking at furnishings available from Denmark’s Muuto, Sweden’s Spring or even IKEA. Furnishings and appliances from this part of the world are renowned for durability and quality – think, for example, of Bang & Olufsen – and they don’t come cheap.
Floors
Wall-to-wall carpeting has never really been embraced by Scandinavians, who much prefer hard – preferably wood – floors. If you opt to stick with carpeting, it goes without saying that you should stick to neutral shades. Should you decide to go for strict authenticity, though, it’s now relatively easy to source wood flooring.
Gardens
Nordic gardens are chiefly characterised by their tidiness and symmetry. The random frivolity (and indeed eccentricity) of the English garden is seldom replicated in Scandinavian properties. Buildings and furniture selections follow the same principles of design as we’ve seen elsewhere in the home: simplicity, functionality and balance.
