Scandinavian Colour Palette Guide

Light, bright and contemporary, Scandinavian style is a great choice for households that want a fresh, clean look. One of the keys to a successful Nordic-inspired interior is the Scandinavian colour palette. Using tones that are strongly associated with the design style will help to bring your room together and ensure every aspect of your home looks the part.

To help you select the perfect Scandi shades for your interior, we’re taking a closer look at Scandinavian colours, and how you can create a little Hygge in your home.

The Scandinavian colour code

When you look at the Scandinavian colour palette, you’ll see lots of natural, muted tones. Forest green, burnt orange, dusty pink and pastel blue are all seen in a lot of Nordic furniture and design. You’ll also see a lot of grey and white. These are often used as background or base colours or used for larger pieces of furniture like sofas and chairs.

Pieces like our light grey Model 01 sofa, or our ‘Vine’ Model 02 sofa are ideal for Scandi style interiors. Their natural tones will help to bring out the earthiness in your colour scheme while their clean lines will ensure your home looks contemporary and welcoming.

Minimal Monochrome Scandi style

Thanks to their northerly location, homes in Scandinavia hardly see the sun during the winter. As a result, the Scandi colour palette is light and relatively simple. Too many dark, rich colours would make rooms feel smaller and less airy during the darker months. This means that most homes contain a lot of white, grey and other bright light-maximising colours.

If you want to create a minimal Scandi look in your home, cut the colour palette down to its bare minimum. In many cases, minimalist Scandinavian homes use monochrome colour themes, although it’s common for people to swap the dark tones of black for something a little lighter like grey or navy blue.

If you opt for this type of Scandi style, use more light than dark in your colour scheme. This will help your room to feel truly Scandinavian and ensure it’s as bright and welcoming as possible.

Boho Scandi: bolder colours and ethnic patterns

The Boho Scandi style uses a little more colour. Introducing forest green, blue or deep grey tones will help to build the layers of colour in your home. You can bring colour into your interior easily by investing in some Scandinavian style furnishings. Choose a sofa like our ‘Elephant’ Model 02 or ‘Teal’ Model 03 to give your home that cool, contemporary Boho Scandi feel.

Scandi luxe: brighter tones

Although the Scandinavian colour palette is most commonly associated with white, light grey and neutral tones, there are some Scandi styles that are a little brighter. If you like the idea of a cool Nordic home but also love your colour, this might be the best choice for you

In a ‘luxe’ Scandi look, you can layer tones up to create a more colourful interior. It’s still a good idea to use bright colours, like burnt orange, as an accent shade. You can do this easily by investing in our beautiful ‘Brick’ Model 01 sofa.

Giving your exterior a Scandinavian makeover

As well as giving your home a Nordic makeover on the inside, you can give it a bit of Scandi style on the outside. This will set the tone for your design theme and bring your entire property together.

When it comes to Scandinavian house colours, exterior tones are often bolder than those used inside. Darker shades of red, green and blue are all very common across the region, with exterior wooden cladding often painted in these rich colours. If you’re looking for a contemporary Scandinavian exterior look, you can also use slate grey, mustard yellow or pastel blue.

If you decide to paint the exterior of your property, keep your window frames white to enhance the Scandi style. If you really want to run with your theme, you could even install wooden shutters to the outside of your windows.

If you’d like to learn more about transforming your home into a Nordic paradise, take a look at our Scandi modern design guide. You can also find out more about our beautifully designed sofas by taking a look around our range.