For housewives who do not like the clutter of furniture and decor, who prefer well-lit kitchens, environmentally friendly natural materials, cotton tablecloths, and towels, the Scandinavian style fits perfectly.
Living room kitchen in Scandinavian style: design in the interior of the kitchen-living room, table in Norwegian or Finnish design, do-it-yourself repair
It originated in northern Europe. Norway, Finland, and Sweden, as well as Denmark and Iceland, were the countries in which it was formed.
Scandinavian style design
The Scandinavian style, despite the abundance of white, is very warm, thanks to the use of natural materials.
Many styles, such as Provence and country, Mediterranean style in the interior of the kitchen, and the design of English cuisine, have absorbed the traditions of the places where they appeared. Scandinavian is also one of them. The transparent sky, the dark waters of the cold northern sea, the greenery of the fields, the gray stone of the rocks—all this was embodied in the interiors of this style. See also information about country-style cuisine.
Peculiarities
The main feature is the synthesis of traditions and modernity.
There are two color options for these kitchens:
- rural;
- Gustavian (named after King Gustav).
In any case, the main color in such kitchens is white. So that the interior does not look too sterile, they take not white, but its various shades: milky, creamy, cream, the color of natural wool. Or shades: grayish, bluish, weak coffee with milk.
Furniture and most interior details are made of wood. It has always been valued in Scandinavia. There are many forests, and people feel the soul of the tree well.
In the rural version, all colors and shades are clear, transparent, resonant, and in the Gustavian version with some patina, muted and soft.
Advantages and disadvantages
Scandinavian cuisine is not necessarily white, it can be pastel shades.
Main advantages:
- abundance of light and air;
- freedom of space;
- the ability to arrange such an interior in a small kitchen;
- no need to hide kitchen appliances.
There are also disadvantages:
- when decorating, you can go too far with white and bring the kitchen to the level of an operating room;
- few opportunities for creativity of the hostess: there are few decorative elements;
- many do not like small curtains, especially the complete absence of them.
Combined space
The Scandinavian-style living room kitchen looks impeccable.
The living room kitchen in this style is a single room, visually not delimited by anything.
- in this case, the kitchen set is pulled along one wall, it is better if a stove with a sink fits in the same place;
- the rest of the space is given over to the living room;
- the only thing that can separate the two zones is a table in the form of a bar counter.
The living room can be separated by a brick bar – it looks very stylish
Furniture for the living room kitchen is large comfortable sofas and armchairs (two sofas and two or three armchairs are possible if the room allows). Here they put both soft cushion chairs and multifunctional tables that can be easily moved around the room. Sofa upholstery can be of any color, but not defiantly bright, in addition, upholstered furniture can have different upholstery, but such that the room does not look colorful.
Small kitchen
For a small kitchen, Scandinavian style is the best solution. This kitchen looks much more spacious.
Scandinavian style is ideal for a small Khrushchev kitchen. Light colors visually expand a small space, fill it with light. The lack of frills in the decor helps to freely arrange the necessary utensils. Open shelves are placed high under the ceiling, where various decorative items are placed.
A small crystal chandelier looks good here, effectively refracting and scattering light.
How to make repairs with your own hands
The combination of brown shades of wood and a snow-white kitchen looks especially elegant.
Wall and ceiling decoration
There are a huge number of ideas for repairing the kitchen with your own hands.
The walls are even, most often painted in light colors with water-based or acrylic paint, except for all white options, light blue, light green, light purple colors are allowed.
Ceilings do not differ in variety. They are always white, bleached.
Scandinavian cuisine is always white ceilings
The walls are glued with wallpaper with a simple discreet ornament, you can simply emboss on plain light wallpaper.
More often, the walls are sheathed with wooden light panels or also painted in light colors.
Floor
Everyone’s favorite checkerboard looks great on the Scandinavian Kuna
The floor is covered with wooden boards, laid out with tiles or stone.
White and black tiles laid out in a checkerboard pattern look spectacular.
In the budget version, they are lined with laminate and linoleum with a wood pattern. In modern Scandinavian kitchens, both tiles and porcelain stoneware are used for the floor.
Scandinavian cuisine evokes the idea of a cold winter when there is so little heat, which is why underfloor heating is a great solution.
Lighting
Lighting for the kitchen is always important – pay special attention to it
The Scandinavian peninsula is in the north, there is little light here for most of the year, so natural light is very much appreciated. If light curtains are still hung on large windows, then small ones do not close at all, trying to open access to light and the desired sun.
It is clear that natural lighting, especially in winter, is not enough, so it is supplemented with artificial. For this purpose, table kitchen lamps are installed and ceiling lamps are mounted. They arrange the illumination of the zone of the stove and the working surface, where it is better to put lamps with round shades.
In modern kitchens, spotlights are used everywhere.
A multi-track chandelier would be appropriate above the table. Lamps, except for spotlights, are hung low.
In Scandinavia, you can often see simple light bulbs without a shade, hanging on an electric wire.
How to choose furniture
Furniture should be at least
There is little furniture in this style of kitchen. It is finished with wicker, glass, metal elements, all very roomy, functional.
Here they put only the most necessary: cabinets and cabinets for dishes and food storage.
The basis is a wooden furniture set, most often made of bleached wood or painted with white paint, glossy, shiny. There is no decor on the facades, even the handles are usually made as less noticeable as possible. Cabinets have a regular rectangular shape.
The countertop of the work surface is most often made in the color of dark wood (more details here), thus shading light furniture.
The dining table does not have to be large, it rather resembles a small table from the tiny kitchens of old Soviet five-story buildings.
There are many open shelves on the walls. It is on them that a small number of decorative trinkets are placed.
Household appliances are in full view, they look great here, casting glare from metal surfaces.
You can read about how to choose a sofa for a small kitchen in the article.
Decor
Even colored chairs can be an interesting accent for a monochromatic kitchen.
- from textiles for kitchen decor, it is worth buying napkins, towels and tablecloths made of light plain linen;
- it is better to put covers on chairs;
- in addition to plain fabrics in such kitchens, there may be textiles in a cage or peas;
- in these interiors, such colors will look original;
- homespun or roughly knitted rugs, colorful or striped, are placed on the floor, they “hook” the eye, dilute the monotonous bright space.
- for the same purpose, they put bright green, flowering, indoor plants in bright clay pots or small wooden boxes on the windows;
- if there is a desire to put flowers in a vase, then you need to choose the simplest and most discreet, ceramic or transparent glass. There can’t be many flowers in it either: often it’s just one bright flower that focuses attention;
- it is good to put a wicker basket or a ceramic plate with juicy fruits on a table or shelf;
- one or two beautiful paintings, watches of interesting design should be hung on the wall;
- A poster or a group of photographs can add a certain “youthful” touch to such an interior, and all this should be black and white;
- The apron is most often also white or very light. But sometimes it also happens to be a dark tile, which sets off all the rest of the light decoration;
- traditionally, brickwork is made in place of the apron or tiles imitating white brick are glued;
- apron – it can be a glass wall panel or smalt mosaic tiles, and wood.
- dishes can be either soft colors that do not stand out in the interior, or bright: yellow, brown, purple. But it should not be colorful;
- colored glass bottles are often used as vases.
Scandinavian style kitchen
Scandinavian cuisine is always refined, stylish, and discreet.
- Whitewashed ceiling;
- the walls are painted light blue;
- the kitchen is corner, there are two windows on which there are small white curtains reaching the windowsill;
- on it stands a white-painted wooden box with three small blooming balsams;
- under the second window there is a pedestal, on which is a lamp with a blue cap and a decorative wicker basket with fruit, on the edge is a small transparent glass vase with one gerbera;
- on the wall in the corner there is a wall cabinet-showcase filled with blue diverse dishes;
- further on there is a second window, on the windowsill of which there is a light ceramic pot with nephrolepsis and the second ─ in the form of a jug with nightshade strewn with berries.
- along the next wall there is a kitchen set without upper cabinets, instead of which there are open shelves with various containers.
- against the wall next to the door is a small bookcase filled with kitchen appliances; a small table stands in the middle, around four chairs, on the floor by the table is a homemade, crocheted, thick blue-black carpet.
View photo ideas for a small kitchen, maybe something will come in handy.
By the way, this is the only style in which plastic, wood, and metal are appropriate.
The Scandinavian style began to take shape already in the 18th century and was then called Gustavian, after the name of King Gustav, the Scandinavians did not strive for luxury, and even the empire style that appeared and flourished in Europe became here not a palace, but a purely domestic direction in decoration, moreover, quite modest. True, along with it, curved legs and carved elements of furniture appeared.
Very often the Scandinavian style is combined with a loft, chalet, or Provence.
Long winters forced people to build warm houses and fill them with light. Hence the white color and love for wood.
Stone is not alien to Scandinavian cuisine
Now the style has two directions:
- traditional, in the interiors of which the unchanged white color and heavy solid wooden furniture are preserved;
- modern, where softer tones are used: beige, cream and so on, furniture, while maintaining its functionality, is already lighter, more open, and there is a lot of artificial light.
Use light wood finishes to bring sunshine to the kitchen
White cabinets in the kitchen have long been a classic
The combination of beige and chocolate looks original
The traditional style is confidence, rigor, prosperity. Modern – softness, comfort, simplicity.