Scandinavian Dining Room Ideas To Inspire You

The Scandinavian dining room trend is here to stay. We’ve got inspiration and style advice to help you achieve the look in this week’s blog.

Scandinavian, or ‘Scandi’, design is everywhere and has been for a good few years now. If you’re not sure what Scandi-style even is, stick with us! It’s a look IKEA made accessible and popular, but it can be so much more. It's kind of a cosier cousin to the hyper-modern all-white and grey interiors and rustic or industrial styles that are also popular. We take a look at what Scandi design actually is and how you can incorporate it into your home to create a gorgeous Scandinavian dining room.

What is Scandi-Style?

From ‘Scandinavian’, which relates to the Scandinavian Nordic countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The style focuses on a functional, clean, bright design that also captures the Danish sense of ‘hygge’ – cosiness and connection created through quality time spent with good people. Scandi style is about inviting and sociable spaces that maximise light.

Our Kylo wood-top table with black legs, paired with the Corona black faux-leather chairs, styled with our Emma mirror, oozes Scandi dining style.

Scandinavian dining rooms incorporate minimalist shapes and a lack of clutter – everything has a place and a function. That’s not to say there’s no scope for decorations and accessories, but it's definitely a clean and tidy aesthetic. The Scandi style is simple and can be summed up with the following design motto: look at the room as a whole, with everything in it, and take one thing away.

Our Imperia white gloss table with 6 cappuccino grey Corona chairs look great in this Scandi-styled room of warm wood and white tones.

Scandinavian design values the outside world and natural elements – natural light, bright and airy colours, lots of wood flooring and counter-tops (including wooden tables), but keeping it cosy with layered throws and pillows in rustic, soft and/or natural-looking fabrics.

Scandinavian Dining Room Palettes

The Scandi dining room will use neutral colours to keep it bright and clean – whites, creams, beiges, with pops of brown and tan. If opting for anything other than white on the walls, consider trimming with crisp white skirting boards. These natural tones go well with soft blush pinks and cappuccinos. Greys and muted blues also go nicely, reflecting Nordic skies and Fjords. The occasional pop of mustard yellow can add some sunshine to a room and contrasts beautifully with greys and blues.

Scandinavian Dining Room Furniture

The key elements: Tapered legs, lots of wood and white, clean and unfussy shapes. Form and function is really key in your furniture choices, with that cosiness bought in with accessories.

Tables and Chairs:

A gorgeous wood (or wood-effect) table will lift a white room and immediately give it a Scandinavian feel. Rectangular or round, wood will bring warmth to your room, but be sure to avoid darker wood tones to keep things bright.

Alternatively, a white gloss table or elegant glass table will look sleek and minimalist, and you can achieve the Scandinavian dining room look with your chair and accessory choices, especially if you’ve got some wood flooring to place it on.

For chair design, a simple tub or bucket chair, or similar rounded shape will give you an instant Scandi fix, especially if they incorporate tapered legs or wire framework legs. We’ve got a whole selection of Scandi-inspired dining chairs to up your Nordic vibes. Colour-wise, again think neutrals. Or go high-contrast with some black chairs. You can even bring in some warmth with velvet and metallics, if the shape and style of chair is 'Scandi'.

Storage:

Keep your surfaces clear to achieve that minimalist look with straight clean lines. Some decent storage to keep all the ‘stuff’ we generate neatly out of sight. Consider some sideboards or even chests of drawers for your dining room, which will keep clutter out of view and keep the top half of the room open and clear.

Our Alma medium chest of drawers is sleek Scandinavian design to its core.

Scandinavian Dining Room Finishing Touches

Soft Furnishings and Rugs

Layers create a cosy look in our wardrobe and in our homes, so dressing your room with layers will really give it that Scandi finishing touch. We mentioned how Scandi dining rooms incorporate a lot of influence from the natural world, so rustic rugs and throws will look great. Think chunky knits or loose-weave fabrics. Even shabby-chic slightly worn prints can create those homely layers that will still keep things bright and light. Scandinavian homes don’t often use wall-to-wall carpets so wood (or wood-effect) flooring with rugs is a great way to achieve that layered look.

Related: Should You Put A Rug Under A Dining Table?

Lighting

Remember this style is ALL about maximising light, so lamps and light fixings can form a big part of making sure there’s no gloomy corners. Minimalist and simple designs will suit; it’s up to you and the overall vibe you want to create as to whether you go for a more ‘trendy’ framework fixings or softer lamps that offer a more diffuse glow.

Mirrors

Again, mirrors are all about the light. They can help bounce as much natural light around your room as possible. A sleek, minimalist design will suit a Scandi style. Round and / or window-frame styles will work really well!

How Will You Style Your Scandi Dining Room?