Although the Recession has been painful, there is one positive aspect to it: it encourages us to do more with less, and to use what we have more efficiently. Cutting back on our clutter will also help get our homes in shape for a resale.
Image: Susan Serra, CKD / Flickr
But although you may want to reduce the stuff you have at your home, no one wants to go so far as to turn their home into a bare box. How do we balance these two needs? Scandinavian design is one way to achieve this balance. Here is our guide to giving your home a clean and welcoming Scandinavian look.
Rethinking the urge to hoard
Often, we feel that decorating is about filling in any empty spaces in our rooms. In order to accomplish this, we buy cheap, disposable knick-knacks like planters, vases and pictures (possibly even from Ikea). But true Scandinavian design suggests that what is more important is that we focus on acquiring a few important, durable pieces that can last a lifetime of family use, and that could potentially have a resale value: vintage Scandinavian furniture from the 50s can be worth a pretty penny. Isn’t it better to have a few pieces that have an emotional meaning for you than a house full of stuff you can’t even remember buying?
Clean lines
The key feature of Scandinavian design is that it features strong and simple lines. Furniture pieces tend to be unadorned, but the overall lines of a piece are sharp and well-designed.
Image: Susan Serra, CKD / Flickr
To help offset the simplicity of the furniture, textile patterns are often bold. Think of large, graphic floral prints in pale or flat colours. When you are redecorating, consider a neutral palette for your couch and a simple shape, but punch it up with an intriguing print on your pillows and continue the idea in the drapes. If you do need to update aspects of the room, you can focus on the relatively minor textiles.
Inspired by nature
With so many clean, unadorned lines, the problem that can arise is that your rooms can start to look cold. The way Scandinavians avoid this is by using a lot of natural materials: wood, stone, cork, linen and cotton. The design motifs are also nature-inspired, with curves inspired by antlers or fish, or textures that resemble fur or moss.
Canadians will definitely find it easy to be inspired by nature, and to add natural pieces to their collections. And with the growing popularity of green furniture, there are a lot of options for adding repurposed natural products to your home.
If you are looking to be inspired, why not check out Scandinavian design blogs, such as the Toronto-based Kitka. And good luck with your Scandinavian-inspired redecorating!
Heleen Jacobsen
Broker of Record with InfoMarket Group GMAC Real Estate
www.infomarketgroup.com
No related posts found
