Decorating
Danish Style Done Right
Bring the pure, clean look of Danish homes to your own interiors with these styling, palette and furniture ideas
Scandinavian style is all the rage at the moment: those cool, crisp interiors filled with simple wooden furniture, monochromatic accents and the odd splash of muted colour. But what many of us think of as the classic Scandinavian interior is actually Danish.
Danish style is very structured and almost architectural in its purity. The walls are white, the floors are boards and the furniture is minimalist, with clean lines and no extraneous detail. Colour is added with a few cushions or lamps. Windows are usually left bare. If there are curtains or blinds, they tend to be white. In a country where winter lasts from November to April, it’s important to maximise the amount of light coming into the home.
High ceilings and an absence of clutter add to the sense of airy space. The Danes love to entertain friends at home (perhaps because it is too cold to go out), so here we’ll take a look at how to re-create their sense of homey style.
Danish style is very structured and almost architectural in its purity. The walls are white, the floors are boards and the furniture is minimalist, with clean lines and no extraneous detail. Colour is added with a few cushions or lamps. Windows are usually left bare. If there are curtains or blinds, they tend to be white. In a country where winter lasts from November to April, it’s important to maximise the amount of light coming into the home.
High ceilings and an absence of clutter add to the sense of airy space. The Danes love to entertain friends at home (perhaps because it is too cold to go out), so here we’ll take a look at how to re-create their sense of homey style.
Danish modern style began in the 1920s, embracing the principles of Bauhaus design: pure, clean lines in furniture that was shaped around the human body. Many of the classic pieces designed in the 1940s and '50s are still in production today.
Danish designers have always been passionate about good design. They believe strongly that good design improves lives and should be affordable to all.
White walls and white floors punctuated with splashes of colour are the key to this look, and are easy to include in your own home.
White walls and white floors punctuated with splashes of colour are the key to this look, and are easy to include in your own home.
The Danes can claim some of the world’s best furniture designers as their own: Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton and Poul Henningsen. These wooden chairs are Wegner’s Wishbone. At a time when many designers worked with a strict set of measurements, Wegner broke those rules – when designing a chair, he sat in it.
This PH5 light, another design classic, was designed by Henningsen. Trained as an architect, he had a lifelong passion for lighting and felt that everything else (the style and position of the furniture, the choice of carpets) was unimportant compared with lighting.
Must-Know Lights That Deserve Their Place in the Spotlight
Must-Know Lights That Deserve Their Place in the Spotlight
This room brings together many of the key elements of Danish interior style: white walls and floors plus bare windows combine with Vitra New Panton Chairs. Colour is provided by the muted blue sofa in the background.
Monochromatic palettes are part of signature Danish style. The background is kept neutral (usually white), and strong accessories are added to provide interest and style. It is a very structured and architectural look.
One simple way to get the look is with the addition of a black and white rug.
Tip: Classic stripes and black and white never go out of fashion. Using this basic palette in your home means you can add any accent colour of your choice to your existing furniture and accessories.
It’s Black, It’s White, It’s Tough for You to Beat
Tip: Classic stripes and black and white never go out of fashion. Using this basic palette in your home means you can add any accent colour of your choice to your existing furniture and accessories.
It’s Black, It’s White, It’s Tough for You to Beat
No Danish home is complete without a wood-burning stove. This one sits in the middle of a large, airy room – another key component of Danish style. The rooms are never cluttered, so even a small area feels spacious.
This wood-burning stove heats an airy room furnished with Wishbone chairs and plain wooden furniture. Nothing detracts from the view outside.
Danish houses are well built and well insulated, so they don’t need curtains to keep out the drafts, as many other European houses do. Instead, curtains or blinds are used simply for privacy and are usually white.
Tip: Re-create this look by hanging some sheer muslin curtains over your own windows.
Browse more white-walled bedrooms
Tip: Re-create this look by hanging some sheer muslin curtains over your own windows.
Browse more white-walled bedrooms
Cushions and rugs are made from natural materials and often change with the seasons: velvet and cashmere throws in winter, cotton and linen in summer.
Tip: Just as we change our clothes with the seasons, the Danes think nothing of changing a few home accessories. Having a few extra accessories to switch out can be an affordable way to update your own decor and keep a room feeling fresh.
Tip: Just as we change our clothes with the seasons, the Danes think nothing of changing a few home accessories. Having a few extra accessories to switch out can be an affordable way to update your own decor and keep a room feeling fresh.
The final touch in a Danish home is candles. Everyone lights candles all the time to create hygge, which loosely translates as atmosphere or cosiness. No Danish home is complete without a few burning candles. Create your own hygge by burning a few simple, unscented candles in each room of your house.
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See more Scandi-inspired homes