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2021 Scandinavian Interior Design Trends You Need to Know

Tor Kjølberg

May 12, 2021

2021 Scandinavian Interior Design Trends You Need to Know

Over the last year, homeowners around the world have been spending more time indoors as we practice social distancing while fighting off COVID-19. While it is not the ideal situation, it has resulted in many people looking around their houses with an eye on updating the decor. Whether you are purchasing a new home or you are just looking to spruce up your existing space, here are the 2021 Scandinavian interior design trends you need to know.

Popular Scandinavian designs include minimalist but functional spaces, neutral colors that bring out the brightness of any room, and a focus on lighting for those darker days. Below we will discuss some of these trends to give you a better idea of how you may improve your own home in the new year.

Start with Neutral Colors
Before we get into the trends, it is important to mention that you don’t have to go big by redecorating or remodeling your home all at once, especially if money is a concern. Instead, you can go room by room and make adjustments as time and funds allow. To make the process easier, it is recommended that you create a budget that takes into account all potential costs, including materials and labor. Once you know for sure that you have the funds to continue, do your research about how to best go about the project and bring in friends to help if possible.

As with previous years, the color trends of Scandinavian design continue to be earthy and neutral tones. In fact, earthy tones are a trend around the globe right now because they mimic the feeling of being outdoors while you are in your cozy home, which is especially important for those working from home. Neutral colors have many other benefits as well, including creating the illusion of a larger space and providing a wider appeal to buyers, so if you ever plan to sell your home, you will be ahead of the curve.

Some of the hottest neutral tones in style right now include the hues of India yellow and dead salmon. Gray is also making a big comeback. Warm and rustic colors like natural clay, earthy brown, and even the muted desert pink are very popular. The trick is to work these colors together in the walls, floors, and furniture. If you like a little more brightness, look for a natural blue, which is also a big hit this year.

Simple Style
The central core behind most Scandinavian design is simplicity, both with the neutral tones and the furniture that fills the rooms. Going forward in 2021, this simplicity will be paired with function, especially for storage. The idea is to get rid of any filler so you only see what you use and clutter is virtually non-existent. To meet this trend, ottomans in neutral colors in the living room should store accessories like remote controls and magazines. In the bedroom, nightstands can store medication and other knick-knacks.

In the family room, simple furniture including couches, chairs, and loveseats should stay with the trend of neutral colors of creams, greens, and light pinks. Thick cushions provide absolute comfort but also grace in design, as is the case in the models shown here. While the trend is simplicity, you don’t want to have an empty room. Instead, go for a couple of seating options with a couch and chair and a side table and main table. For tables, the latest trends show birch plywood and beech construction to be the go-to.

Simple style is important in the bedroom as well. Bright white bedding is king right now, as are storage compartments underneath for clothing and other items you don’t want laying around. Big open windows are key here as well to bathe the room in that welcoming morning light. White flooring completes the bright appearance.

Lighting is Key
As 2021 surges along, strong and stylish lighting will continue to be a big trend. There are only so many hours of daylight to play with, so smart design choices will maximize the lighting during the day and keep your space well-illuminated during the darker hours. Large windows in all rooms continue to be the trend. Out are heavy drapes, and instead, undressed windows, or at most, light sheers are desired.

To help that natural light illuminate your rooms, other design trends are seeing a resurgence. One is the use of ornament candle holders that are easily mounted on a wall in the living rooms and bedrooms, which make for a classy yet traditional look that is functional and impressive to guests. The use of mirrors is also key to bounce both natural and artificial light around the room. While hanging mirrors are always a given, mirrors that sit on the floor and lean against the wall are also seeing a resurgence.

Standalone lighting is also popular these days, especially fixtures that create pools of light throughout the residence. Floor lamps of simplistic style provide great light and are made even better when paired with a dimmer. Bowed and arching lamps are great choices as they are unobtrusive, and they can be easily placed behind a couch to provide general illumination or task lighting for reading.

In essence, Scandinavian interior design is all about maximizing natural light with strong fixtures partnered with neutral colors and simple furniture choices. The new trends discussed here will make for a wonderful and comfortable residence.

2021 Scandinavian Interior Design Trends You Need to Know, written exclusively for Daily Scandinavian by Beau Peters. Beau is a creative professional with a lifetime of experience in service and care. As a manager, he has learned a slew of tricks of the trade that he enjoys sharing with others who have the same passion and dedication that he brings to his work. When he is not writing, he enjoys reading and trying new things. Check out his website Stories by Beau Peters.

Feature image (on top): Photo by Røros Tweed

Scandinavian Poor Man’s Asparagus

Tor Kjølberg

May 6, 2021

Scorzonera and salsify are not very much in use today but were formerly an important part of bourgeois cooking. It has been grown in Sweden since the 17th century, although at first it was only grown in the gardens of aristocrats. It acquired the name fattigmanssparris (poor man’s asparagus), because when cooked it looks and tastes like white asparagus. Read more about Scandinavian Poor Man’s Asparagus.

Svartrot, as it is called in Swedish, has a special buttery texture and a pleasant taste reminiscent of lamb lettuce. Found wild as escapees from cultivation, they are not indigenous to Scandinavia. It belongs to a huge genus, and other plants from it are eaten in similar ways elsewhere.

Related: Scandinavian Vegetables

How it grows
Salsify has beautiful purple blooms, opening in the morning and closing by noon. Scorzonera is similar, but with bright yellow flowers. They are generally grown as annuals, for the roots, but can be grown on as perennials, just for the leaves. It’s an art to grow the fine roots to perfection, as their extremely long, fragile roots need a very deep loam. They are, however, extremely hardy, and can even be harvested the spring after they are sown, or you can choose to use the young tuff of leaves and shoots for a salad.

Appearance and taste
Scorzonera can be 1m long, and up to 2cm thick, with a pitch-black, strangely dry skin. Salsify is paler and only 5cm long. Both have a high content of insulin, a sugar that will trick your taste buds into believing that anything you can eat and drink with them is extremely sweet. The taste is very different from other roots, as they are not sweet and seldom mealy, but retain their shape, and certain juiciness when cooked. They have a deliciousness not found in other roots, which is done justice by the recipe below.

Related: Scandinavian Beetroot

The roots’ taste is a little like a day at the beach, and in fact salsify is sometimes known as oyster plant. Actually, the oyster taste is much more prominent in young borage leaves, hence its inclusion in the oystered vegetables.

Buying and storing
Both must be freshly dug, with no soft spots, and must not be bendable. They can, however, be restored in cold water. They keep for a long time wrapped in wet newspaper in the fridge.

Culinary uses
Both go well in soups, pies, salads, baked, in a gratin, or marinated but they are not good raw, or boiled and mashed.

Both salsify and scorzonera will secrete a white rubbery substance, which will turn red and taint anything it touches, including your fingers and the roots themselves. To avoid this, handle them with gloves, and put the roots in a bowl of cold water with a drop of lemon juice, the second you have peeled them.

Related: Scandinavian Cucumber

Oystered vegetables

If you like the idea of eating molluses, but do not dare to eat them raw, this will be a gentle way of introducing them. Six oysters will go a long way, their intense sea flavor spreading over a seabed of vegetables.

1kg mussels
750g scorzonera or salsify (cleaned weight)
Salt
6 oysters
100g salted butter
1 bunch of very young borage leaves, chopped
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

for the cooking liquid

500ml hard cider
2 tablespoons sherry or cider vinegar
1 large sprig of thyme
4-5 red onions, quartered
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Serves 6 as a starter

Boil the cooking liquid for 5 minutes in a large saucepan.

Rinse the mussels and discard any that will not close, or are broken. Dump them into the pan and steam until they open, which will take just a few minutes. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, together with the onions, and set aside, discarding any which are still closed. Remove half of the shell of each mussel if you have the time.

Try scraping the bottom of the pan if it feels like there is sand in it, poor off the liquid very gently, leaving the sand behind. Wash the pan, then pour the liquid back in and continue. Bring the liquid back to the boil and reduce to almost nothing. Peel the roots and cut into bite-sized pieces. Boil until almost tender in salted water, then keep warm.

Shuck the oysters with a blunt knife, wearing thick gloves. Save every drop of the juice inside them. Chop the oysters. Whisk the butter into the sauce and stir in the roots, mussels, oysters, and juice from the oysters. Season with salt if necessary. Serve with the chopped herbs.

Scandinavian Poor Man’s Asparagus, written by Tor Kjolberg

6 Scandinavian Health Philosophies We Should All Embrace

Tor Kjølberg

May 3, 2021

6 Scandinavian Health Philosophies We Should All Embrace

Scandinavian countries are regularly ranked at the top of the healthiest and happiest countries in the world. So, what’s their secret? How do millions of people living with little sunlight and in some of the coldest regions become so physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy? Here are six Nordic health philosophies you can incorporate into your daily routine to improve your health, happiness, and contentment with life. Learn more about the 6 Scandinavian Health Philosophies We Should All Embrace.

The Scandinavian Diet
Health specialists everywhere agree that no diet is the best diet – and Scandinavians have embraced that philosophy wholeheartedly. As the name suggests, the Nordic diet simply focuses on eating food that is locally sourced and traditionally consumed in Scandinavian countries. Staples from the Scandinavian region include:

Whole grains like rye, barley, and oats
Berries and various fruits
0Legumes and root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and beans
Fish like herring, mackerel, and salmon

You won’t see much sugar, red meat, or processed foods in the Nordic diet. While those types of food in moderation don’t cause poor health, followers of this eating philosophy tend to focus on plant-based meals. If you want to shift to the Nordic diet, start with small changes in your diet so you have a better chance of sticking to the new lifestyle. Easy switches could include slowly cutting down your sugar intake, swapping out a meal with red meat for fish, or simply eating more vegetables throughout the day.

Get Heated
Everyone loves a good sauna session. Popular across Sweden and Norway, heated thermal baths are an excellent way to relax and revitalize yourself. They consist of a range of hot, cold and scented waters, all with different health-enhancing properties. The health benefits of regularly going to the sauna are plentiful. Studies have shown that a quick 30-minute sweat session in a sauna reduces blood pressure and even increases your heart rate to what it would be during a moderate workout. They’re also great for relieving stress and sweating unhealthy toxins out of your body.

Make sure you take a cold shower or hop into an ice bath after a sauna session. This helps to close your pores and also boosts your body’s circulation since the cold water forces your body to conserve heat. Not only does this help your skin’s texture health, but it also gives your cardiovascular system an extra boost.

Getting Outside
A powerful part of the Scandinavian way of life is “friluftsliv”. Loosely translated, it means “free-air life” and focuses on living a healthy lifestyle that involves enjoying your place in the natural world. Practicing friluftsliv includes spending more time outdoors and in nature than other countries often do.

There are many health benefits to incorporating outdoor time into your daily routine. Not only does the fresh air do wonders for your lungs, your cardiovascular system and mental health also benefit from the exercise and mental reset.

Daily Movement
Scandinavian countries have mastered the morning commute and daily workouts. Biking to work and being active throughout the day is thoroughly ingrained into the Scandinavian culture. Almost 30 percent of Danes and Swedes who live in cities bike to and from work on a daily basis, and it’s common to see friends get together for a yoga class instead of heading to the bar. Exercise is such a big part of the Nordic lifestyle that workplaces often also make efforts to get employees up and moving during the day.

If you want to incorporate the Scandinavian appreciation for daily movement into your life, you don’t have to change everything about your routine. Small changes like going on a hike during the weekend with friends, riding your bike to work once a week, or going to a yoga class can all help you get you moving and appreciating your body.

Having Less
Scandinavian design is all about open spaces, minimalist and functional furniture, and bright homes. They don’t clutter their homes with unnecessary items—instead they only bring in furniture and objects that they will actually use and appreciate.

This doesn’t mean you have to strip your home to bare essentials and get rid of all your personal belongings to start incorporating Nordic minimalism into your life. Just start with a single object in your home. Take a page from minimalist Marie Kondo’s book, pick up an object you have, and ask yourself: does it spark joy? If the item in your home doesn’t spark joy, donate it. Decluttering your home will help you declutter your mind and help you spend time focusing on things in your life that actually do spark joy.

6 Scandinavian Health Philosophies We Should All Embrace, read further

Embracing Community
Scandinavian countries don’t get a lot of sunlight—but the long, dark days and freezing temperatures don’t seem to get them down. Study after study has ranked Nordic countries as having some of the happiest people in the world. Their appreciation for and involvement in their local community may be a big part of their high happiness levels.

People living in Scandinavian countries lean on their communities and friend groups much more than other countries do. Spending time with yourself is important, but it’s also important for your mental and emotional health to carve out regular time with friends. That support system is crucial to getting through the difficult times in your life and having a happier overall mindset.

6 Scandinavian Health Philosophies We Should All Embrace, written exclusively for Daily Scandinavian by Emma Davis. As true digital nomad, Emma spends her time writing and traveling the globe in pursuit of her next great adventure. From travel guides to career advice, she hopes to help readers see the world as she experiences it – helping others craft a life where they can work hard and play often. Join the journey @Emma_G_Davis.