The Scandinavian style, as the name implies, is an adaptation of the interiors of most houses in Scandinavian countries – Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland.
Overall, it is associated to an all-white walls, light wood furniture, and some indoor plants. They needed bright rooms to make their houses warmer especially during winter, and they bring in the outdoors through plants that can survive inside. Their furniture are often of light wood color, defined by simple, clean lines.
Such simplicity coupled with functionality is the main reason why IKEA is often the source of everything Scandinavian. IKEA was founded in Sweden, so it is legit Scandinavian.
For a typical Filipino home, we seldom see white walls. We don’t need bright rooms with lots of sunlight because we do not want to let in more heat to our already very hot environment. But if we want to create an Scandinavian vibe in our homes, there are ways on how to achieve that.
1. Paint your walls white. That is the first obvious step. If a washed-out wall makes you feel sad, you can always add colors later on using furniture and accessories. Light gray will also be an option if you do not want every wall to be white.
2. Light wood. Raise your hand if you have a dark wood furniture in your homes. We have abundance of trees in the Philippines (or at least we use to), and our folks loved their Narras and Mahoganys.
But an Scandinavian furniture, if not white, is light wood. Furniture made of Pine wood is close.
3. Simple lines. Think IKEA again, an Scandinavian furniture doesn’t have lots of ornate or patterns. It’s very minimalist but functional, like they’ve been practicing “Less is More” way before the concept was even articulated.
4. Plants. Thankfully, it is not very difficult to grow plants in the Philippines. Most indoor plants are native to tropical, humid surroundings which is what our weather is like. Your green plants, when viewed over a white background that is your wall, look fresh.
5. Colors. Yes, you can add colors. If you’re used to living with yellow, beige, pink, blue, or green walls and suddenly turned them to white, choose your favorite colors when decorating. But limit those colors to your curtains, throw pillows, rugs, and other accessories. Remember to keep things minimal.
6. Go Tropical-Scandinavian. If you really can’t help it, a Tropical-Scandinavian theme could be what you’re looking for. Being in a tropical country, this is like a Pinoy and Scandinavian style combined.
Bamboo, rattan, some dark wood, and other furniture and decors that are very Filipino will work with your white walls.
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