What is Scandinavian style furniture?
Scandinavian style furniture comes out of the design traditions of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, and it is built on three things: plain shapes, a pale neutral palette, and legs that lift furniture off the floor. Decoration is stripped back so that proportion and texture do the work instead.
It is the most forgiving style for a small home. Slim legs let the floor run underneath a piece, pale finishes bounce light rather than absorbing it, and handleless fronts take away the small protrusions that make a room feel busy. None of that adds a square foot, but it changes how much space a room appears to have.
Start with the storage
The look depends on surfaces staying clear, which makes storage the first thing to get right rather than the last. The Dakota 3 Door Triple Wardrobe is 110cm wide with hanging space and shelving in light grey, oak, dark grey or white, and the Croxley 7 Drawer Chest pairs oak-effect fronts with woven rattan panels, which is the detail that stops a neutral bedroom reading as flat.
Texture is what keeps it warm
This is where Scandinavian design parts company with plain minimalism. A room of flat white surfaces has nothing for the eye to rest on, so the warmth has to come from what things are made of. The Croxley 2 Drawer Bedside Table brings the same rattan and gold-handled detail down to bedside scale, and works better as a pair either side of a bed than on its own. Add a wool throw, a woven rug and a plant and the room stops feeling like a showroom.
In the living room
Low and wide beats tall and boxy. The Hong Kong 1 Door 2 Shelf TV Unit with Black Hairpin Legs is 110cm wide in matt white on slim black hairpin legs, made in Wales and delivered fully assembled. For seating, keep the profile low and the fabric plain: the Tempo 2 Seater Fabric Sofa is 140cm wide in grey fabric, which is a straightforward base to layer cushions and a throw over.
What the finishes actually are
Worth being straight about this. Most of this range is MDF in an oak-effect, matt white or grey finish rather than solid timber, and only a small number of products here are tagged solid wood. That is not a compromise on the style, because Nordic design has used engineered board and laminates since the middle of the last century and the look has never depended on the material underneath. The finish is listed on every product page, and the filters on this collection let you narrow by material and colour before you start.
Delivery and assembly
Order before 12pm to get thousands of our products delivered next day, with free delivery on thousands of products. Filtering this collection by Assembled returns 176 of the 468 products, including much of the Hong Kong range, which is built before it ships and takes longer to arrive. The rest is flat-pack, which is what allows it to move quickly, and our in-home assembly service can be added on the product page.
Explore more: Hong Kong, Croxley, Malvern, wardrobes, chests of drawers, bedside tables, TV units and affordable furniture.
Scandinavian furniture FAQs
What is Scandinavian style furniture?
Furniture built on plain shapes, pale neutral finishes and visible legs, coming out of the design traditions of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Function comes before decoration, the palette stays close to white, grey, oak and soft green, and pieces are usually raised off the floor rather than sitting flush to it.
Does Scandinavian furniture have to be solid wood?
No, and most of this range is not. Around 154 products here are MDF against 13 tagged as solid wood, mainly in oak-effect, matt white and grey finishes. Nordic design has used engineered board and laminates since the middle of the last century, because the style is about shape and restraint rather than the material underneath.
What is the difference between Scandinavian and minimalist furniture?
Minimalism removes things. Scandinavian design removes decoration but keeps warmth, which it gets from texture: woven rattan, wool, a rug, a wood-toned finish rather than flat white. A minimalist room can feel empty. A Scandi one is meant to feel like somewhere you would sit down for the evening.
Does Scandinavian furniture suit a small home?
It suits one better than most styles. Slim legs let the floor run underneath a piece, pale finishes bounce light rather than absorbing it, and handleless fronts remove the small protrusions that make a room feel crowded. None of that adds floor space, but it changes how much space a room appears to have.
Does it arrive assembled?
Some of it. Filtering this collection by Assembled returns 176 of the 468 products, including much of the Hong Kong range, which is built before it ships and takes 7 to 14 working days. The flat-pack ranges are the ones that can go out for next working day delivery. Each product page says which, and our in-home assembly service can be added there.
How do I stop a Scandi room feeling cold?
Layer texture rather than adding colour. A woven rug, a wool throw, cushions in muted tones and a plant or two do more than a feature wall. Choosing an oak-effect finish over flat white for one large piece also helps, because a room of white surfaces has nothing for the eye to rest on.
What colours work with Scandinavian furniture?
White, grey and oak tones make up most of this range, and they take almost any accent. Soft green, duck egg, mushroom and indigo all appear here and all sit comfortably against a pale base. Keep the large pieces neutral and put the colour into the things you can change cheaply.
Can I spread the cost?
Flexible finance and buy now pay later options are available at checkout, subject to status. The plans show on the product page and again at checkout, which is useful if you are buying a wardrobe and a chest together rather than one piece at a time.
