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How to get the Scandi Modern look in your living room
- 14 hours ago
- 4 min read
Sam Wylie-Harris delves inside a new interiors book with pro tips on styling foundations and furnishings for Scandinavian décor.
Our interiors are the ultimate canvas and considering visual elements such as shape, balance, and pale hues, Scandinavian décor is one of our favourite design aesthetics.
But when it comes to a minimalist approach to decorating, it’s as inspiring as it is attractive.
“It is more than an aesthetic, it’s a lifestyle. It invites us to slow down, design with care and create spaces that feel truly lived-in,” write Rebecca Lawson and Reena Simon and in their new book, Scandi Modern.
“A Scandi Modern home is a space that evolves with you – that feels effortless. Every piece has been chosen with care, not accumulated by impulse.
“It’s walking into a room and sensing that it just works, not because it follows trends, but because it has been shaped by life, memory and intention,” write the designers.
Indeed, the book is a deep dive into Scandi décor and explores how light, texture, natural materials and attention to detail can shape a space that not only looks stylish but feels calm and content.
The authors first met 10 years ago, their friendship flourished and led to them writing their first first book together in the time of COVID, Scandi Rustic.
Which they describe as a “love letter to cosiness – to the textures, palettes and interior design touches that helped us feel cocooned through each day.”
Nearly 10 years on, Lawson, head of sustainability at Aesop and interior design platform, Malmo and Moss, and Simon, creator of The Intentional Home philosophy and Hygge for Home – write, “Scandi Modern is our way of sharing what we’ve learned about the foundations of this design approach – and styling details that make it feel effortless.”
Throughout the book, the designers share their expertise on how to style and curate with confidence, “to create rooms that don’t just look beautiful in photographs, but feel good to live in every day.”
Here’s how to channel some Scandi flair into your space…
The living room
“For us, growing up in the Eighties and Nineties, family leisure time meant Saturday night television: sofas lined up to face the screen, snacks on the coffee table, everyone gathering to watch the same show,” recall the authors.
“The whole family paused together, laughter and conversation spilling out between programmes. The living room was where we came together almost without thinking, the unquestioned heart of the home.”
Today, they say life looks different, and highlight how family dynamics have changed, “screens travel with us and our families do not always gather around a single focal point in quite the same way.
“Yet the living room still matters. It is still the place to which we retreat at the end of the day, the place where conversations start.
“The question is not whether we still need a living room, but how to make it feel calming and purposeful again. The answer lies in the Scandi Modern style foundations and finding new rituals for life as we live it today.”
Create conversation
“Angle two statement chairs towards each other to encourage dialogue and connection,” suggest the designers.
“In this open-plan living space, the vintage Swedese Laminett easy chair captures the balance between craftsmanship and comfort, its gentle curves and sheepskin seat inviting you to linger.
“Keep the centre of the room open to encourage flow, using a low table to ground the space. Underfoot, a richly textured rug adds texture and warmth, softening the acoustics.
“Let daylight move across the surfaces and light a candle as evening draws in.”
Let seating breathe
“Pull seating slightly away from walls so it stands confidently within the room.
“This small shift can transform the feeling of a space, creating flow and a sense of ease,” explain Lawson and Simon.
In this calm living area (pictured above), they highlight how placement is key. “A linen sofa and GUBI’s Pacha lounge chair show how freestanding pieces can feel both relaxed and refined.
“The GUBI Gravity table lamp softens a corner, casting gentle light and shadow.
“Space, light and form shape mood as powerfully as colour, and when furniture sits forward, the room feels open, balanced and effortlessly intentional.”
Balance in clusters
“Style a coffee table with purpose and restraint. Group objects in odd numbers: three or five pieces tends to feel most natural and balanced.
“Mix materials and forms: A candleholder, stack of books and a ceramic bowl each bring their own shape, texture and tone.
“Play with height and proportion, raising smaller items on books and offsetting taller vases with lower, grounding pieces.”
In addition, the authors say to use one table, or layer two, to add dimension and flow.
“Once arranged, step back and remove one thing – a little editing keeps the composition calm, cohesive and effortless.”
Light in layers
“Treat lighting as you would furniture: each piece defines how a room feels.
“In a living space, include pendant and floor lighting to create depth and direct light where it’s needed most,” write Lawson and Simon.
Along with mid-century and Scandi-style floor lighting, the designers suggest sculptural statement pieces such as oversized floor lamps.
As the authors highlight in this contemporary space, “The oversized GUBI floor lamp grounds the room with quiet strength and proportion.
“Fit all lighting on dimmers so you can direct light throughout the day – bright and functional by morning, warm and atmospheric by night.”
Extracted from Scandi Modern by Rebecca Lawson & Reena Simon. Published in hardback by Mitchell Beazley, priced £30. Photography by Benjamin Edwards. Available now.
