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Two friends of mine who are Swedish and Norwegian respectively were quick to let me know that what we in the UK call “Scandi” is not really a thing in their countries, and typical “Scandi” design elements have never really factored in as part of their cultural symbolism.
This blew my mind a little bit; are children’s drawings of overweight songbirds actually innate to the heritage of any culture? Need answers!
Either way, when we talk about “Scandi,” for most of us, a few specific things spring to mind; aforementioned fat scribbled birds, accompanied by light, rustic woods and natural materials like jute and hessian, gentle, often pastel colour palettes, and lots of fairly bold but also kind of soft and comforting patterns.
Essentially, “Scandi” might be something of a misnomer or marketing gimmick to get fat songbird prints out the door, but Scandi style is… Nice. It’s been fairly popular without having reached the point of overkill for some years now, and it is pretty versatile as it’s not really “shouty,” and so can be worked into all kinds of rooms and styles.
Rooms can and often do evolve almost on their own over time into Scandi with the addition of a new ornament or fixture here or there; it’s a style that is hard to clash with in many ways (for all but very bold existing style or colour choices) and yet that can also transform a room into an immediately recognisable “Scandi” space with the addition of just one or two key elements; like a Scandi window blind.
If you’re thinking of working a bit of Scandi into your life (or your room) and are looking for some pointers on how to get started, hopefully this blog post will help you out.
Getting your hygge on at home
“Hygge” is recalled by many of us as “that pleasantly funny-sounding word we started to hear lots of a few years back;” it’s a Danish term that summarises a sense of cosiness and comfort. The fact that it sounds so linguistically-adjacent to “hug” only helps matters.
I swore that I was going to write at least one blog post this month without mentioning the “P” word or the “C” word respectively (I’m writing this in March 2021, if you’re from The Future and struggling to identify the reference) but as a result of the pandemic and its various lockdowns (oh hey, there’s the “L” word too), home styling and generally, what we wanted from our living spaces over the last year really took a turn for the cosy.
Hygge is very Scandi, but not all Scandi is necessarily hygge; that said, it is all about a feel-good vibe, which is maybe the same thing. Scandi birds are cute and pretty and very hygge. Songbirds as a whole create a positive, warming vibe, which also helps (6am hangover wakeup calls from the treetops outside your window notwithstanding).
The cornerstone of Scandi style: Scandi birds
There are a number of design elements that are undeniably Scandi; and Scandi birds are very much front and centre here. Scandi bird patterns and prints make for absolutely fantastic blinds and window dressings, and I’m not just saying that because I shill blinds for a living, but because I actually have Scandi bird blinds in my lounge at home.
Also, unless the room you’re trying to Scandi up already has a strong, bold, or very dark style or theme to it, getting Scandi bird blinds up will pretty much transform the room all on its own, making it both Scandi and also if you’re lucky, the type of room that people walk into for the first time and just… Like.
What sort of rooms and interior styles do Scandi blinds work in?
Something notable about Scandi birds and Scandi-style blinds in general is that they come in enough sub-styles and variants to fit with quite broad range of tastes; my own Scandi bird blinds mentioned above fit into my vaguely retro/casual (my mother calls it “messy” but frankly I think that’s just rude) lounge.
This type of Scandi window blinds, on the other hand, styles up really well in a far more formal traditionally/classically styled living room or reception room.
Scandi blinds aren’t just for downstairs either. They make for top bedroom blinds too if you want to wake up feeling positive (or at least, wake up and not feel like you’re being personally attacked by your own décor) and there are even Scandi blinds for children’s rooms; actual SCANDI DINOSAURS if you will.
These make for a fantastic compromise between appeasing your kid who is currently going through the “ROAR!!” stage of development, and decorating their room in a way that you also like too.
For a style that suits both children’s and adults rooms alike, we have Scandi woodland blinds to consider.
Are your windows hygge-ready?
If you’d like to get some fabric samples of our Scandi blind patterns (supplied in swatches large enough to show the whole pattern too) give us a shout and we’ll send you as many different options as you like, free of charge.
