THESE MODERN NORDIC SCHEMES ELEVATE THE COSY, INTIMATE IDEAS OF HYGGE TO NEW HEIGHTS.
Scandinavian Bedroom Textures
When the Danish concept of Hygge came into the zeitgeist a few years ago, it was easy to interpret into an interior style that was a little too much ‘cabin in the Scandinavian woods’. Hygge is actually all about creating a connection to a space, no matter the style. A key part of this connection is creating a cosiness and sense of comfort in simply existing within a room, and this can easily be achieved by adding texture. ‘A well-considered scheme will have elements that are to be discovered,’ explains Justin Marr, brand manager at Zinc Textiles. ‘Textures create a visual and tactile experience and have the ability to add a significant dimension to any room.’ Thinking of a room as an experience is a great way to foster this connection, and a tactile journey through a room, a bedroom in particular, can be drawn from a clever use of fabrics, from light, airy linens and cottons, to plush, comfortable velvets, wool and sheepskin.
Opposites Attract
Linen and velvet seem like the antithesis of one another when it comes to fabric, but that doesn’t mean they don’t layer well to enrich a bed. Image and products from INGREDIENTS LDN.
Flock Together
Tactile textures that make you want to reach out and touch are key to creating an experiential space. Image and products from INGREDIENTS LDN.
Scandinavian Bedroom Colours
Much of the time, the typical interior design of a region comes tied to the environment in which it exists. Scandinavian homes, which we associate with bright white spaces, are no exception. ‘The scant daylight during the winter is the main reason why Scandinavians seek light, brightness and warmth,’ explains Antonia af Petersens, author of New Nordic Colour. ‘However, in recent years something has changed. The Nordic colour palette is slowly moving away from cool whites and pale greys, and stronger, bolder hues are making an appearance in native homes.’ Where the use of colour best preserves the pared-back Scandinavian sensibilities is in these schemes that push just beyond a neutral colour palette, with the trend towards warmer tones apparent. Swapping that brilliant, light catching white for something more warming changes the background of the Scandinavianinspired home, while richer browns, oranges and yellows still sit beautifully alongside pale blonde wood, offering more of the sought-after hygge cosiness.
Off White
A warm-toned neutral colour offers a sense of Hygge, while still giving you a blank canvas for sleek design pieces to silhouette against.
Earthy Delights
The bedrooms of The Audo – a hybrid building in Copenhagen that combines a hotel, restaurant, co-working space and concept store – capture a minimalist Nordic style, but with rich, enshrouding terracotta tones in the lower-light attic.
Scandinavian Bedroom Materials
When the purpose of your interior is to evoke a feeling when living in it, as is the aim of Hygge, then the choice of materials – and what they bring to a room – is important. Christine Thorsteinsson, product and expression manager at BoConcept, describes their ‘New Neutral’ look for Nordic design lovers as ‘fresh minimalism inspired by yearning for the basic and natural and counter-balancing tech-filled lives’. This back-to-basics mantra and connection to nature informs much of the materials that make up the Nordic bedroom, even down to white marble, concrete and clay. Of course, wood is a dominant feature of both classic and contemporary interior design, and from a hygge perspective, its value is in the way it improves with age. As interior stylist Hans Blomquist puts it in his new book Inspired by Nature: Creating a Personal and Natural Interior, ‘wood is a material that lasts forever, and the more you use it and let it age over time, the more beautiful it will become’.
Mixing Styles
Modern man-made materials, such as concrete and ceramic, have a place in a Nordic scheme when in balance with natural wood that brings back a connection to nature.
