Scandic Design
Spending these last December days in the charming Swedish metropolis Stockholm, closely surrounded by Northern Europe’s distinctive and unique interior lifestyle – a beautiful way to end the year with tasteful input and moments.
A brief introduction
The so-called ‘Scandinavian’ or shortly ‘Scandic Design’ is generally said to be the answer to the ‘Bauhaus style’, the reaction of the Nordic countries to the German functionalism way. The traditional Bauhaus style is characterized by reduction and pragmatism, away from ornate decorations to a simple, straight-line design. Furnishings in this style are of a reserved and high-quality aesthetic.
Starting in the 1930s with the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, then continuing with the father of Swedish functionalism Sven Markelius, and up to the internationally acclaimed Danish industry designers Hans J. Wegner and Arne Jacobsen in the 1950s, Scandinavia found a different path to modernism, more tactile, softer, more close to nature. In particular this great presence of nature rich in water and forests, the special light of the Scandinavian nights and days, and the unique living conditions shaped the formal language of interior design in the North. Traditional craftsmanship has been part of it since the beginning, today Scandinavian design stands for sustainably produced objects made from natural and high-quality materials such as wood, glass, stoneware and linen.
In the kitchen
Where functionality definitely defines the furnishings of a room is the kitchen area.
Whether the work surface, the cooking zone, the different facilities – they all follow the principle of simple but efficient handling. And of course of an austere shaping which is repeated in the seating area with bar stools in the unmistakeably clear and elegant Scandinavian style.
The living room
The Scandic playing with tables, sideboards, cabinets or the floor itself made of local wooden, and with textiles like linen and cotton in natural colors for upholstered furniture might be best celebrated in a place to relax end enjoy time out like in the lounge. And we still remain in reduced sophistication.
A scandic bedroom
Let us continue the simple elegance of nature of the Scandic style in the sleeping area. Wooden furniture, tissues from natural fibres and all over soft colors lend the room its cozyness and a bright and light atmosphere.
Let us continue the simple elegance of nature of the Scandic style in the sleeping area. Wooden furniture, tissues from natural fibres and all over soft colors lend the room its cozyness and a bright and light atmosphere.
Stylish lighting
In Scandinavia, not only glass but even a lot of metal are used in the creation of lighting fixtures. I immediatley felt in love with two very refined thus clean ones, a bed light and a wall luminaire in an equivalent design.
A somewhot more common interpretation of the Scandic style means a table lamp which I discovered in a Swedish design studio.
Made from wooden and linen, it represents an everyday object with a very own attitude. And with an easy fitting in its surrounding.
Sculptural design
A beautiful moment to end our excursion into the world of Scandinavian interior design is to do this with one of Sweden’s most admired actresses, Greta Garbo, and a bust of her which decorates one marble wall of the restaurant Gretas. Located in the centre of Stockholm, it exposes a modern interpretation of the glamour of her time and the explosion of the early 20th century.
A beautiful moment to end our excursion into the world of Scandinavian interior design is to do this with one of Sweden’s most admired actresses, Greta Garbo, and a bust of her which decorates one marble wall of the restaurant Gretas. Located in the centre of Stockholm, it exposes a modern interpretation of the glamour of her time and the explosion of the early 20th century.
