Since its inception in the early 20th century, the Scandinavian design style has gained much popularity. In fact, it seems to be at the center of all things design these days. Simplicity, minimalism, and functionality is the definition of Scandinavian design style. It celebrates simple elegance and masterfully combines beauty with practicality which is also the main principle of Scandinavian living room design. The Scandinavian design emphasizes an elegantly minimalist aesthetic. This often involves bright, airy rooms, clean lines, functional furnishings, a neutral-heavy color palette, and simple, no-fuss layouts. It is renowned for its warm functionality, flawless craftsmanship, and understated elegance. It also uses a lot of natural materials which gives a feeling of oneness with nature.
The main purpose of Scandinavian design is to improve daily life. It promotes beautiful designs and quality, sustainable products that are affordable and easily accessible to people in all walks of life. Hence, the traditional Scandinavian style is very elegant and also very achievable for basically any budget. Scandinavian living room design is all about creating a simple, functional, and beautiful atmosphere for everyone to relax and refresh. The living room is the place where you spend time with your family or entertain guests. Hence, it is the most important area of the home. While decorating the living room, you should make sure it is warm, cozy, welcoming, and bright. Hence, a Scandinavian living room is bright, airy, cozy, and serene. Here’s a list of some really stunning Scandinavian living room design ideas to help you get a simple, functional, and elegant living room in your budget.
{ 1 } Classic Scandinavian Living Room Design
Classic Black And White Scandinavian Design By Marisa
This simple and functional room decor is what defines Scandinavian design style! Bright white walls along with white hardwood floors give the room a light and airy feel. Similarly, the leggy furniture also gives the room an airy and spacious look. White walls also reflect the light and make the room look bigger and brighter. In contrast, the black sofa and side table attract attention and maintain the balance of light. The various art on the wall with black frames gives the decor a uniform look. Interesting, ceiling lights create visual interest while the brown ottoman brings some color to the decor. The patterned area rug, also black and white, further adds to the simple elegance of the design. The comfortable sofa and rug make the room look cozy and inviting.
{ 2 } Earthy Tones Warm Living Room
Classic White And Wood Theme Living Room By Enrika Samulionyte/Shutterstock
The combination of wood and white is an age-old classic in any type of interior design! The Scandinavian design style is also no exception to this. This elegant living room has utilized this classic theme to its best advantage. The white walls and ceiling give the room a light and bright look. the large windows and leggy furniture makes the room look airy and spacious. However, the light hardwood floors and wooden coffee table offer a nice contrast to the white decor. The white cupboard, sofa, lamp, and pendant lights emphasize the white and wood theme of the decor. The wood tones in the curtains and other details add some color to the stark white room design. The cozy area rug brings warmth to the design.
{ 3 } Functional Living Room Design
Simple And Functional Living Room Design By Erik Jørgensen
The main purpose of Scandinavian design is to improve our daily life. Hence, Scandinavian designs often use functional wooden furniture which is elegant yet not too ornate. This living room design also emphasizes the same Scandinavian concept of ‘form follows function’. The Chesterfield sofa is the main attraction of the design. Its practical design ensures comfort to anyone sitting on it. Similarly, the bookcase on the main wall is a simple open shelf bookcase and nothing very grand or stylish. And yet, how easy it is to fetch a book from this small library! Moreover, the floor lamp too looks great and provides good light for nighttime reading. The blue details like the area rug, the blue pot, and pillowcase bring some color to the simple design.
{ 4 } Black White Tones Room Decor
Geometric Shapes On Wall In Black And White Lounge By Photographee.eu/Shutterstock
The black details in this living room design nicely balance the stark white tones. The wooden furnishings and potted plants prevent this room from becoming too sterile. The white walls, large windows, and leggy furniture make the room look bright, airy and spacious. The geometric patterns in black on the white wall is the main highlight of the design. It draws the eye upwards. The beautiful pendant light and comfortable furnishings bring elegance and a touch of style to the decor.
{ 5 } Clean Simple Spacious Living Room
Sleek And Modern Furniture In Spacious Living Room By Hubsch
This living room design is the perfect example of the Scandinavian minimalism in design. Keeping the furnishings to a bare minimum allows for more room and makes the room look spacious, bright, and airy. The light blue linen fabric contour chair and sofa are comfortable as well as elegant. The coffee table and side table add a modern touch to the design. The patterned ottoman and area rug bring visual interest. They also keep the room from becoming too plain. The industrial style floor lamp adds character to the decor. The herringbone flooring and the various potted plants add vibrancy and life to the design.
{ 6 } Sophisticated Chic Room Decor
Sophisticated Scandinavian Chic Interior Design By Autrement
The understated elegance of this design is the perfect example of Scandinavian chic. The large living room has two sofa and two armchairs along with a pair of coffee tables and side tables each. This arrangement is normally a bit too much for the minimalist Scandinavian design. And yet, the large windows, leggy furnishings give the illusion of a spacious and airy room. Similarly, the open shelving allows for more storage and display room while giving the illusion of space. Also, the exposed ceiling beams, wooden floors, and furnishings give a natural touch to the modern decor. The soothing colors of the furnishings and window treatments also bring color to the decor while giving a calm feel to the room. The quirky coffee tables and stylish table lamps give the decor a modern look.
{ 7 } Soft Minimalist Living Room Design
Warm And Inviting Interiors By These Four Walls Blog | Photo By Abi Dare
This living room design is just so warm and welcoming! The ultra matt lacquered oak floorboards certainly give the room a warm and light feel. The light grey Farrow & Ball’s ‘Cornforth White’ paint on the walls makes the room look bright. In contrast, the dark grey sofa and black details on the fireplace and photo frames balance the light with their dark undertones. The mirror on the fireplace makes the room look bigger. The comfortable sofa, soothing colors of the cushions, and cozy area rug add the much-needed warmth to the room. The open shelves offer extra room for storage or display.
{ 8 } Modern Scandinavian Room Decor
Modern Scandinavian Interiors In Gothenburg By Studio A3 | Photo By Anders Bergstedt
This wonderful apartment is located in a beautiful turn of the century house in central Gothenburg. The designers have utilized the window sections beautifully to maintain the air flow in the room. The open floor plan certainly adds to the warm and cozy feel of the apartment. Different textures and the contrast of metals, shapes, and patterns creates visual interest. The soothing colors of the neutral color palette along with the wooden floors bring serenity to the decor. The white walls and open space make the room look spacious and airy. The various Scandinavian style lamps and furnishings add some elegance to the design. All in all, the designers succeeded in creating a modern and urban, but at the same time homely living room.
{ 9 } Sunny And Bright Living Room
Bright And Colorful Apartment in Paris By Ban Architecture | Photo by Giaime Meloni
If you think the Scandinavian design style means stark whites and neutrals, you are mistaken! This colorful living room is living proof of that! When done right, bright pops of color can actually lift the Scandinavian design style. However, it is advisable to use complementary colors so that the overall aesthetic of the room is soothing and not very loud. While the dark tones of the sofa draw the eye, the accent wall behind it is lighter and balances the brightness of the decor. The light tones of the herringbone flooring also add brightness to the decor. The cozy area rug gives warmth to the design while the bright yellow rocking chair adds a bright pop of color. It gives the room this light and sunny vibe. The stunning pendant light is again a classic Scandinavian fixture.
{ 10 } Elegant Scandinavian Living Room Design
Grey Decor In Charming Home By Pernille Riis Of Krea-Pernille | Photo By Mia Mortensen
This charming living room is a part of an equally charming and colorful home of Danish blogger Pernille Riis. She artfully decorated various parts of the home in different colors to make a colorful, charming and cohesive design. The different shades of grey in this living room bring out the white walls and the lightness of the decor. The patterned rug and throw bring warmth and comfort to the decor. The different shades of grey of the sofa and cushions also give the room a soothing and serene feel. Moreover, the stylish pendant lights give the room a creative touch.
{ 11 } Neutral Toned Room Design
Elegant Contemporary Design In North Point Residence By Stuart Silk Architects | Photo By Alex Hayden
This contemporary living room design is certainly warm, bright, and elegant. The earthy brown tones of the sofa, daybed, and coffee table contrast nicely with the white walls and light wooden flooring. A wooden accent wall emphasized with indirect lighting is partially hidden behind white cabinetry and open fireplace. It further enhances the earthy tones of the decor. The open fireplace is a very contemporary feature of the design. It brings warmth and style to the decor. Similarly, the cozy area rug and daybed give the room a welcoming feel. Moreover, the large windows, recessed ceiling lights, and spacious design give the room a light and airy feel. The vibrant art brings some color to the neutral toned decor.
{ 12 } Contemporary Scandinavian Room Decor
Clean Edges And Soft Colors In Contemporary Scandinavian Design By Stylinbolaget
The subtle contrast of the clean edges in the design and the soft tones of the decor certainly give this room a different personality. The light gray couch goes well with the white walls and hardwood floors. The marble table compliments the soft gray couch. The variation of different pillow covers brings a feeling of diversity to the room. The white walls and minimal furnishing gives the room an airy and spacious feel. The stylish chandelier in gold and black brings style to this elegant setup. The green foliage brings life to the decor. This contemporary living room design is functional and full of life.
{ 13 } Blue Tones Modern Living Room
Modern Scandinavian Style Living Room Interior By United Photo Studio/Shutterstock
This elegant living space is a prime example of modern Scandinavian design. This blue dominated room stands out due to its clean edges and straight lines. The blue wooden accent wall is certainly the main focus of the design. The light blue linen fabric sofa nicely complements the dark tones of the wall. The framed art adds character to the design. The SPC (Stone Polymer Composite) flooring from Urbanfloor has a nice finish that adds a touch of elegance and color to the blue-dominated decor. The use of natural materials like SPC, wooden walls and ladder, rattan basket and pots gives a Nordic touch to this Modern design. Similarly, the green foliage, a classic Scandinavian design element, also adds liveliness and vibrancy to the decor.
{ 14 } Glass Doors Cozy Living Room
Creative Scandinavian Living Room Design By KF Design | Photo By Evgeniy Kulibaba
What a wonderful way to use glass to give the illusion of space! This beautiful Scandinavian living room is not really as big as it appears. In fact, it is the floor-to-ceiling glass doors of the cupboards that make this room look bigger than it is! The leggy design of the coffee table and chairs further adds to the spacious feel of the decor. Its colors also bring some contrast to the design. The flooring is Ash Gotland from Kahrs. Its striking color and smooth finish contrast nicely with the white walls. Moreover, the soft pink sofa adds a cozy and soothing feel to the decor. The pillows also reflect the various colors in the room’s decor. The industrial chandelier also adds a modern touch to the decor.
{ 15 } Relaxed Contemporary Living Room
Tranquil And Elegant Living Room In Kilburn Park, Westhampstead By Shanade McAllister-Fisher Interior Design | Photo By Nathalie Priem
The constant use of grey and black should make this small living room look dull and drab. However, the crafty use of patterns and the subtle contrast between white and black give this room a bright and cheerful vibe. The white walls and open shelves give the room a spacious and seamless look. The grey sofa, the pillows in various shades of grey along with the cozy throw, an area rug, give the room a warm and cozy appeal. The patterned rug brightens the room and brings some pattern and texture to the design. The stylish coffee table further adds to the spacious feel of the decor. The green foliage brings some cheer and vibrancy to the decor.
{ 16 } Soothing Colors Living Room Design
Calm And Serene Ambiance In Parkway, Canada By Hanotte Interiors | Photo By Kristin Sjaarda
This tranquil living room is full of soothing color in various shades of white and grey. These colors give the room a calm, serene ambiance. In contrast, the dark wood tones of the nested stools by Artek and leather butterfly chair bring color and character to the design. The multi-colored and patterned pillows also bring color and texture to the design. The cozy knitted poufs, area rug, and sheepskin throw along with the comfortable furniture bring warmth and comfort to the decor. Stylish light fixtures and wall art uplift the mood and give the room a cheerful look.
{ 17 } Industrial Touch Nordic Living Room
Rustic Scandinavian Design In Salamanca, Madrid By Apunto Reformas
Something about this living room brings to mind the phrase ‘the bare necessities of life’! A laid-back sofa, a coffee table, a floor lamp, and a chair form the only furnishings of this living room. The rustic look of this room celebrates the natural appeal of the exposed wooden beams, the wooden ladder, and the tree trunk side table. However, at the same time, it also offers comfort with a textured area rug, rattan chair, stylish floor lamp, and a comfortable sofa. This design is functional, beautiful and practically bare but for the necessary things. And that’s classic Scandinavian design at its best. Because at its heart the Scandinavian design is about natural beauty, utility, and minimalism.
{ 18 } Simple Comfortable Living Room Decor
A Wonderfully Cozy Living Room Design In Canut Revisited By Celine Bizet | Photo By Frenchie Cristogatin
This simple living room design looks so much more elegant due to its lack of ornamentation. The open plan living room shares space with the dining room. The cozy arrangement of furniture gives the room a warm feel and effectively separates the living room from the dining area. The wooden table and weathered cupboard give the place a rustic look. The comfy sofa, pillows, and plush area rug bring warmth and coziness to the decor. The stylish pendant lights draw the eye upwards to the wooden ceiling and create visual interest. light walls and decor give the room a bright and spacious feel.
{ 19 } Accent Wall Grey Room Decor
Understated Elegance In Grey Living Room By Reveny | Photo By Björn Johansson
The grey accent wall is certainly the most prominent feature of this living room design. It sets the tone for the rest of the decor. The dark gey sofa and light area rug nicely complement the grey wall. The different patterns and textures of the pillows and throws bring color and pattern to the decor. Moreover, the stylish floor lamp, pendant light, and artwork add visual interest to the design. The wooden floors and tables, and the green foliage also bring life to the decor.
{ 20 } Grey Tones Scandinavian Living Room
Modern Comfortable Scandinavian Design In False Creek Condo By SHIFT Interiors | Photo By Tracey Ayton Photography
The soft monochromatic design scheme of this False Creek condo gives it a uniform and seamless look. The floor-to-ceiling windows and white walls give this small space an illusion of spaciousness. The layering of grey tones in the design gives the room seamlessness that is very relaxing. The soothing colors and patterns of the decor give warmth and make the room look more inviting. The open shelves offer a great way to creatively display the art and other items.
{ 21 } Natural Touch Living Room Design
Natural Wood And Green Tones Living Room By Photographee.eu/Shutterstock
The abundance of wood and bright pops of green make this decor look very fresh and cheerful. The living room has a daybed sofa, a coffee table, two side tables, and a ladder repurposed for storage. All these furnishings in light wood tones give the decor a rather rustic appeal. The green bed, green and white pillows, and cozy white throw give the room a warm and inviting feel. The white area rug brings texture and pattern to the decor. The plants’ artwork and the various potted plants bring a liveliness to the sterile decor. The bright pops of green throughout the decor gives the room a refreshing and relaxing feel.
{ 22 } Warm And Welcoming Living Room
Warm Earthy Decor In Williamstown Living Room By Lydia Sullivan
The warm earthy tones of this Scandinavian design certainly makes this living room look very welcoming. The soft grey sofa goes well with the white walls and ceilings. It also helps bring out the warmer brown of the leather pouf, butterfly chair, and floor pillows. Also, the various colors of the cushions reflect the varying tones of the decor. Moreover, the hardwood floors give the room a natural rustic appeal. However, the most striking element of this design is undoubtedly the stunning hanging pendant light which attracts attention and draws the eye upwards to the rococo ceiling and window trims!
{ 23 } Light Spacious Small Room Design
Soft Contemporary Small Living Room Design In Germany By Stephanie Schetter
This Scandinavian living room design certainly makes the most of the available floor space without making the room look overcrowded or busy. The open sofa without armrests gives a sense of openness and spaciousness to the decor. A floating shelf over the sofa as well as the window sill provides ample space for storage or display. The white walls also reflect the light from the window making the room look larger than it is. Moreover, the dark pink pendant light is an unexpected pop of color which brings cheerfulness and fun to the decor.
{ 24 } White And Bright Living Room
Cheerful Black and White Scandinavian Design By Details By M | Photo By Maria Bäckström
What a bright and beautiful Scandinavian living room design! The subtle contrasts of white and black in the design maintain the balance of light and also prevent the room from becoming too bright. The white sofa blends well with the white walls giving an illusion of extra space. In contrast, the black-and-white patterned pillows and area rug bring color, texture, pattern, and contrast to the design. Moreover, the woven basket and stunning art bring character to the decor. Also, the green plants bring freshness and cheer to the sterile design.
{ 25 } Warm White Nordic Living Room
Sophisticate Urban Chic Living Room Design By Bjurfors Goteborg
Layered white tones certainly make any room look so sophisticated and elegant. This all-white decor would look rather dull and sterile with a single shade of white. But the layering of various shades of white actually brings warmth as well as liveliness to the decor. Similarly, the comfortable sofa and coy throws make the room look inviting. The herringbone flooring and wooden coffee table offer a stark contrast to the bright decor. The long mirror and floor lamp also add a stylish touch. However, the most notable element of the design is certainly the stylishly chic pendant light that redefines subtle elegance with style.