The Obsession With Scandinavian Style

Filed under: Your Home, Design, etc, Architecture, News & Trends

The clean, cool style of Scandinavia is wildly popular -- and not just because of a certain big, blue store.

For a cluster of countries with a relatively small population, Scandinavia certainly looms large in the design world. In fact, it often seems that the whole design community is Scandinavia obsessed. While we too agree that the designs of this northern region are appealing, ShelterPop wanted to get to the bottom of the trend.

To better understand the rage for all things Scandi, I spoke with Sara Norrman, contributing editor to the book Simply Scandinavian and managing editor at Living Etc., (which happens to be one of my favorite magazines) about the popularity of Scandinavian style. Here are the reasons why Scandinavian style looms large -- and no, it's not just thanks to IKEA, but their cheap-chic designs don't hurt the style's popularity either.

1. It's democratic.
"Scandinavian style is very now because it's a very democratic kind of style," says Normann, "Especially coming form shops like IKEA and Ilva, you have design that's available to everyone." Scandinavian style is egalitarian in that it's very affordable, -- and it always has been. Unlike other European styles that look towards the rich for inspiration, like Baroque and Rococo styles, Scandinavian style comes from a grassroots level. "It's about living well with what you've got," says Normann.

2. It's full of light.
Who doesn't love a bright, sunny space? In Northern Europe people crave light, and as a result Scandinavians have designed to capture as much light as possible. Whether it's in architecture, furniture design or materials, light is at the core of this style of design. Love of light can mean natural light, big windows and no heavy curtains to get the last dregs of light, but it can also mean love of interior light like candles and fire -- Scandinavia is obsessed with any kind of open flame in the home.

3. It's versatile.
Scandi style is popular because you can use it anywhere in the world. "There are aspects to Scandinavian style that are versatile and all encompassing," says Normann. "It's a very easy style to live with whether you live in Nairobi or Oslo." She also notes that far-flung Japanese interiors are fairly similar to the modern, Scandinavian style.

4. It embraces nature.
"Scandinavian style stems from using materials for your home that grow outside your window," says Normann. The houses of Norway, Sweden and Finland were built from wood, not with bricks or stones, and inside you'd find wood walls, wooden furniture and even bark accessories. The love of natural materials: Wood, wool, felt and raw metals is easy to understand and almost universally appealing.

Two iconic examples of Scandinavian design. Photos: Room & Board (left) and MoMA Design Store (right) 5. It's practical.
When it comes to design, Scandinavia embraces usefulness; Normann explains, "Whether it's a Wishone chair by Hans Wegner or anything by Alvo Aalto, [an object] can't just be a pretty thing, it must work -- and work really well." Plus, this northern style is about function rather than catching up with other people, says Normann. Above: Hans Wegner's Wishbone Chair in oak ($960, Room & Board) and Alvar Aalto's famous 1936 design, the Aalto Vase ($105 to $145, MoMA Design Store).

6. It's timeless.
Scandinavian is a style that's a very lasting style -- designs from half a century ago look as modern today as they did when they were first designed. Plus, in today's climate with the recession, "people want to pare back, instead of going all-out-glam," says Normann, "People want to have a simple approach, calming woods and homes that are light and bright." All interior room shots from the book Simply Scandinavian. (Contributing Editor Sara Norrman. Ryland Peters & Small, $29.95; rylandpeters.com)

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments