SCANDINAVIAN STYLE COLOR PALETTE - 50 SHADES OF WHITE

DECORATING YOUR HOUSE IN SCANDINAVIAN STYLE?

HERE IS HOW TO CHOOSE SCANDINAVIAN DECOR COLORS

Scandinavian design is to interior decorating what the little black dress is to fashion. The Scandinavian style is a synonym to timeless and simple elegance in home decoration, just like the little black dress  represents simplicity, quality and style in clothing design. There is a sense of minimalism that makes Scandinavian design style so appealing, yet simplicity is harder to create than it seems. 

Scandinavian interior design is characterized by simplicity that comes from the harmony of colors, materials, accessories. Sometimes it is easier to be a maximalist and just stuff rooms with what catches your eyes, what you buy online, what you bring home from the shops and markets. Without having a guiding, underlying concept behind the decoration rooms can soon start to look overwhelmed, stuffed, disorganized even with the most selected, quality pieces. 

The 50 Shades of White in Scandinavian Design 

Color is one of the main elements of interior design that can create harmony or disharmony. For the Scandinavian look it is quite easy to create this harmony because there is not much color variation going on. White predominates everything. White walls, white curtains, white furniture, white accessories. Through color, you can create a Scandinavian look that has harmony and creates visual relationships between the textiles, draperies, furniture pieces, sofas, walls, flooring. 

The 60-30-10 Color Rule in Scandinavian Design

This rule is one of the basic interior design rules and it refers to the percentage of using color when creating an interior design plan.

60% - Primary Color - the prominent color for creating a Scandinavian style in your house is definitely white. That is the basic. Generally the walls are white so when recreating the Scandinavian style it is safe to go with all white walls. White walls are ideal to create a bright, clean backdrop for the interior decoration. This means that 60 % of all colors in the house should be white. It is not just about the walls. It includes furniture, draperies, area rugs, kitchen cabinets, etc. 

30% - Secondary Colors - choose a toned down version of your favorite grey to create depth and interest. The best is to use only the  natural, neutral hues. Grey is the most often used secondary color but it can be some natural wood imitating brown too. 

10% - Accent color - this is typically black, green, blue or lately orange in case of Scandinavian design. Accent is used to create interest and contrast but pops of color are scarce in Scandinavian style. Even accent colors tend to be pastels.  All white rooms could become cold and not friendly, but that is not the intent of the Scandinavian décor. Scandinavian décor highlights the concept of hygge, which means something like “coziness.”

Scandinavian style decoration wants to create friendly, welcoming, warm places and it is all about feeling good at home, being cozy and comfortable. Accent colors and minimal use of patterns bring Scandinavian spaces to life and make them welcoming, friendly and elegant homes.

Scandinavian bedroom decoration with white walls . photo: Coco Lapine  

The 6 most used Scandinavian Colors

Scandinavian design is about embracing all things natural, so it's no surprise that the color palette used in Scandinavian interior decorating is also inspired by nature. 

While white predominates the wall colors it isn't the only choice. If you feel more creative you can mix it with touches of blush, pale gray, light cappuccino browns, pastel greens and soft hues of blues occasionally. For this colorful Scandinavian look it is best to choose one color, like pastel green, and use different shades and hues of that color to add interest and variation. 

The most common contrast pairs for the white backgrounds are classic black, charcoal blacks and dark greys.  Pale grey, cream, beige is used to add interest to neutrality of the white walls. Accent colors used are colors that can be found a lot in nature too. Accessories, little decoration pieces, pillows, mugs, vases, pots can be green, natural blue or lately it is typical to use some toned down orange, pink, amber or blush.

Scandinavian color palette. Photo: mycolortopia

1. White - is by far the most common color used in Scandinavian décor. White and cream are the characteristic colors for the walls in Scandinavia. Other colors are mostly used for accents and accessories. beside walls, white is used for almost everything, furniture, rugs, kitchen cabinets, doors and so on. 

2. Grey - grey is an elegant color and it is mostly used to create a calm, quality atmosphere. Grey adds color to a space without making it too dark or gloomy so it is often used for creating monochrome, neutral Scandinavian spaces. Grey is used for sofas, kitchen cabinetry and blankets in Scandinavian interiors. 

Typical Scandinavian style room with toned down colors and lots of comforter cushions. photo H&G

3. Brown - warm wood and earth tones are used to add a natural feel to the space and make the rooms feel more cozy and natural. Most Scandinavian homes use wood to create warmth in the space. In spaces where natural wood wasn't used it is easy to create the warmness with the use of browns. White interiors can look a little too Spartan and cold and so either natural light wood, pale browns or a pale orange color is used to offset the iciness of white walls.  The earth tones give the room a friendly, warm feeling. 

4. Black - the use of black is limited and introduced in Scandinavian interiors mostly for contrast. Black accents add an effortless coolness to interiors, however it is good to note that in the Nordic styles it is used only mildly. In recent years there has been a surge in black accent walls even in Scandinavia but it is still more typical to use black only for small furniture, coffee tables, accessories or accent pieces. 

5. Green - green is associated with nature, so all natural shades of green can be traced in the nature friendly Scandinavian homes to a larger or smaller extent. Dark green foliage plants are usually present adding color and liveliness to the interiors. Greens are used for accent walls, but can be the color of an armchair, pillows, vases, books, throw pillows and paintings.

6. Blue - is the color of the sky and the sea and brings a sense of calmness in the homes. Muted shades of blue are not just aesthetically pleasing but can become a non harsh focal point of an all white room. Blue is a chic and stylish color that is often found in modern Scandinavian homes. Pale blue sofas, armchairs, dark blue furniture, pillows, bed sheets are common in the Nordic inspired rooms. 

Blue and grey textiles, white walls, large foliage plants, black accent pieces, wood furniture are characteristic for the traditional Scandinavian style. There is a variety in tastes everywhere so even famous Scandinavian designers are using more than the traditional Scandinavian color palette. In some homes, brighter pops of color like yellow and orange are also found but it is not typical. 

The Scandinavian decoration color palette vs Mid-Century Modern

The use of color is what differentiates Scandinavian design from Mid-Century Modern design the most. There is a great similarity between these styles mainly in furniture design, but there is a definite difference in the color palette when it comes to interior decorating. 

Color plays an important part in both of these interior decorating styles but the typical mid-century modern design favors darker hues and strong accents, whereas Scandinavian style favors lightness and airiness. The Scandinavian style is about creating a clean look for a well lighted interior, so it uses strong lights, very limited colors and a neutral, monochrome palette. The mid-century modern uses dark accent walls, medium dark hues for furniture and uses lots of light sources that are preferably dim lights. 

The newest trends in the New Nordic type Scandinavian decorating is to use all white walls and than add an odd, dark colored accent wall. Colors like lemon zest yellow, pink and orange are used in some modern New Nordic interiors. 

Benefits of neutral color palette

An all-neutral color scheme makes the rooms feel clean, airy and acts much like a canvas to a painting. In Scandinavian design the interior is like a white canvas whit neutral colored walls, light floors and clean lines. The home in the North is viewed as a welcoming and stress-free place. Due to harsh weather conditions people spend quite a lot of time inside. White walls, lots of light and light colored minimalist decoration allow the space to be bright and clean and lets the owners personality and lifestyle add the color to the home. 

The all-neutral palette used in Scandinavian design together with the prominently white oriented color scheme makes the décor look as a cohesive whole, a well-integrated home design. When put together accessories, textiles and furniture can easily look like it's too much chaos. That feeling of "too much" is usually caused by the color disharmony between the elements. 

Mixing and matching colors can become quite confusing and the Scandinavians solved this problem with ease by using mostly white. Thanks to this simplicity in the color scheme the Scandinavian design is an easy to recreate style. White predominates in all design and decoration elements creating a string that ties the interior together. It's possible to use many elements in one room if the colors add up into a well-organized color palette.

• For some more interesting background info on Scandinavian design check out:

Scandinavian Interior Design Characteristics 

What is Scandinavian Design 

Why is it so Popular?

The 10 Main Features of Scandinavian Home Decorating