Room ideas › Bedroom

Scandinavian bedroom ideas

Light is the point of a Scandinavian bedroom: white walls, pale oak or birch underfoot and a bed dressed in layers of white linen, wool and sheepskin so it reads soft rather than stark. Furniture stays slim-legged and visually light, and colour arrives in small doses of dusty blue or sage. People pick it for north-facing or small bedrooms that feel gloomy, because it bounces daylight around, and for the cosy, uncluttered feel it gives at the end of a long day.

Try Scandinavian on a photo of your bedroom

Palette

• Warm white (#f1f0ec)
• Pale birch (#d9c29d)
• Dusty blue (#8ea6b8)
• Pale grey (#d8d8d4)

Key pieces

• Pale oak or birch bed with a slatted headboard
• Slim-legged bedside tables with one drawer
• Paper lantern pendant over the bed
• Wool throw and sheepskin at the foot of the bed
• Wooden peg rail for robes and bags
• Simple white wardrobe with wooden knobs

Materials and finishes

• Pale oak or ash floorboards
• Stonewashed linen in white and pale grey
• Chunky knit wool and sheepskin
• Matt warm white walls
• Birch plywood details

Tips

• In a small bedroom, choose a bed on legs and bedside tables with open bases. Seeing floor underneath makes the room read larger.
• Hide everyday storage in white or pale wood pieces that blend with the walls, and use a peg rail for the few things left out. Bare walls are part of the look.
• Keep colour to two accents, such as a dusty blue throw and sage cushions, and repeat each one at least twice so it looks planned rather than random.

What to avoid

• Dark, heavy wood bedroom suites
• Gilt mirrors and ornate frames
• Crowded bedside tables

Questions

How do you stop a white Scandinavian bedroom feeling cold?

Warmth comes from texture and wood rather than colour. Use a warm white paint instead of brilliant white, add a wool or sheepskin layer on the bed, put a rug under at least the lower two-thirds of the bed and fit lamps with bulbs around 2700K.

What bedding suits a Scandinavian bedroom?

Stonewashed linen or cotton percale in white, oatmeal or pale grey, left slightly rumpled. Add one textured throw in wool or waffle cotton and two or three cushions at most. Plain fabrics or very fine stripes work; large florals and shiny satin pull the room away from the look.

More bedroom styles

• Japandi bedroom ideas
• Mid-Century Modern bedroom ideas
• Minimalist bedroom ideas
• Industrial bedroom ideas
• Boho bedroom ideas
• Modern Farmhouse bedroom ideas
• Coastal bedroom ideas

Scandinavian in other rooms

• Scandinavian living room ideas
• Scandinavian kitchen ideas
• Scandinavian bathroom ideas

Home · Room ideas · Pricing · Gallery