We all love a good trip to Ikea, no?! For some reason, buying pieces from the Scandi fave seems to check boxes for our home projects that no other can do. Why is it that their inventory always seems to be the right size and always seems to have the functional qualities we need for that one spot in that one room? Since Ikea has touched our homes around the globe, a strong appreciation for Scandinavian style has emerged and many other brands have followed suit. Even if these other brands don’t allow us to construct our pieces together with a direction pamphlet, their furniture is still offering us what our home craves. Simplicity and functionality. Us farmhouse lovers can see why this Scandinavian craze is a craze. Scandi meets farmhouse is so smart. Does that sound like an oxymoron to you? It shouldn’t and here’s why…
We’ve found that the Scandinavian flow works extremely well in a farmhouse. If you are looking to keep that farmhouse charm or wanting to modernize your farmhouse (a little? or a lot?), Scandi style can help. The minimalism and clean lines Scandinavian style offers really compliment a farmhouse and all of its charm. It helps to accentuate the characteristics that pour from a farmhouse’s moldings, floors, built-in cabinetry, fixtures, etc. They don’t build them like they used to! We love the ease of this design portfolio. It is less intimidating. We love how it is a non-committal relationship (most Scandinavian pieces are affordable and don’t take up too much heart in a room. They also can work in many different spaces so if your original plan of placement changes, you can always pop that piece in another room. Trust us, we’ve done it!).
We think one of the toughest parts to designing a home is choosing what to keep and what to take out. Sometimes we fall in love with certain ideas and it is difficult to part from them if needed. Deciding what the most important details for the overall look of your home is important. Pair down. Once you get to the décor phase you will thank yourself. This is where the Scandinavian style really comes into play. We have learned that defining a room can be challenging. Once we get a bit of inspiration – whether it be that we chose the purpose of the room (playroom, study, formal living room, etc) or we find a wallpaper or a paint color that really wraps our head around the vision of the room – we can start planning and ideas will flow. Ikea and other Scandinavian furniture designs seem to always find a place in a space. Even the more industrial pieces seem to keep it real. Their all-encompassing qualities are why we keep coming back for more.
One reason is that they keep the colors simple. They don’t mess around too much with odd tones or textures. Everything seems to be streamlined and smooth. Occasionally you will find a pop of red or orange, sometimes even yellow. And, hey, sometimes we need those pops for our rooms. When designing a farmhouse and in trying to keep it original to your aesthetic, Scandi flavor adds just enough so everyone is able to keep on track with their design plan.
Another reason is the functionality of Scandinavian pieces. Old farmhouses don’t offer a ton of storage options and in present day we have so much stuff! We live very differently from when a lot of these farmhouses were built. This means we have to get creative with how to store. We’ve been through so many phases of storage in our farmhouse. When the kids were little, we needed a cabinet for their bottles and sippy cups. Hard to find when your kitchen isn’t huge. When they reached the toddler phase, we were storing and re-storing toys and trying to help our house to not look so cluttered! Now that they are a bit older it is all about them having their own personal spaces and feeling comfortable in their rooms and the rest of the rooms in our house. It is always a work in progress. After all, a house is never really “done”, is it? Especially a farmhouse! Scandinavian furniture allows us to keep the rooms looking neat and tidy, adding a little bit of funk and modernity while not being overbearing in the space they occupy.
When we think of Scandinavian design we think of effortless modern style. We think of well made, well priced pieces that will brighten and lighten the spaces they live. We think of how they emphasize the breath of a space. Farmhouses have a lot of detail, a lot of character, a lot of charm. By adding the elements of Scandinavian furniture designs to a farmhouse we can evoke a sense of calm and function. Sign us up!
