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The difference among Nordic styles

Scandinavian Style Decoded

What all Nordic countries traditionally have in common is that their designers honour the idea of creating functional, durable and cost-efficient design based on a need. If people need something, they will buy it and if they don’t, it will not exist on the market in the first place. However, this functionalistic ideal is always paired with the idea of making beautiful things for everyday use. So beauty goes hand in hand with practicality. The interpretation of these principles, though, is slightly diff erent in each Nordic country. To many outside of the Nordic countries, the modern Scandinavian style is one and the same. It’s associated with white and bright interiors, filled with light wood in softly bent curves, alternatively teak wood or even curvy plastic by Eero Arnio or Verner Panton. Always light, crisp and clean looking. When seeing a Scandinavian interior, many will refer to this as such. However, if you’d ask for example a Dane to identify which country the same interior is from, most likely she or he will be able to say if it’s from Denmark or Sweden for example. How come? Let us give you the low-down on how to identify the different regions.

Finnish form

A modern Finnish interior will often have a white base paired with light wood and crisp clear colours. The lines are slightly curvy, but there’s no fuss to them. Patterns are simple, but bold, large and graphic or take their inspiration from fairy tales with intricate details. Even though all modern Scandinavian styles are considered straightforward and “honest”, it’s the Finnish, which really represents “what you see is what you get”.

Danish design

In Denmark, a modern home has a light or dark base paired with neutrals such as grey or brown and soft colours with lots of grey in them. The use of exclusive materials and darker woods is more common and smaller patterns as well as more metal in the interior is preferred. The Danish aesthetic is the one which most clearly displays understated elegance with a luxurious flair and probably the most widely recognised Scandinavian style when people refer to mid-century modernism.

Swedish style

In Sweden, a modern interior will usually have more of a mix of colours, woods, patterns and “styles” in favour of comfort and cosiness. A modern style home in Sweden is also more likely to have wallpaper or painted walls and curtains as well as carpets that will often carry patterns. But the most apparent evidence will be the odd cushion with a Josef Frank pattern on it.