Scandi Rustic Style E-Book

Rebecca Lawson

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 95

Beschreibung

'The emphasis that Scandinavians place on the home being a source of happiness and wellbeing is one we identify with. We believe that everyone should have a home they don't want to leave!'

Leseprobe

SCANDI RUSTIC

SCANDI RUSTIC

CREATING A COZY & HAPPY HOME

REBECCA LAWSON & REENA SIMON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BENJAMIN EDWARDS

Art director Leslie Harrington

Senior designer Megan Smith

Senior commissioning editor Annabel Morgan

Location research Jess Walton

Head of production Patricia Harrington

Editorial director Julia Charles

Publisher Cindy Richards

Indexer Hilary Bird

First published in 2020 by

Ryland Peters & Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields,

London WC1R 4BW

and

341 E 116th St

New York, NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

Text © Rebecca Lawson and Reena Simon 2020

Design and photographs © Ryland Peters & Small 2020

ISBN 978-1-78879-246-2

E-ISBN 978-1-78879-315-5

Printed and bound in China

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The authors’ moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library. US Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

CREATING A COZY HOME

SCANDI RUSTIC ELEMENTS

Colour / Lighting / Texture / Materials / Finishing touches

SCANDI RUSTIC HOMES

Source list

Picture and business credits

Index

Acknowledgments

AT ONE WITH NATURE

Creating a strong connection with nature and opting for simple, pared-down designs are two key elements of Scandinavian interiors. The home of Mette and Masahiro, nestled in the Danish countryside, showcases this understated approach perfectly.

Introduction

Some friends meet at school, others at university or through mutual friends. However, it was Instagram that brought us together in 2016. We were both on maternity leave at the time while renovating our first family homes (in London and Cardiff) and we quickly discovered a shared love of Scandinavian design and living.

Over the last four years, we have carved out careers as award-winning bloggers and social media content creators with a love of rustic, Scandinavian-style interiors with a cozy feel. Our focus is on creating a home that contains the traditional, pared-back elements of Scandinavian design alongside plenty of rustic natural materials and textures for an end result that’s homely, relaxed and inviting.

When writing this book, we wanted to share the Scandi Rustic style that we love, so we visited homes across Scandinavia and the UK that reflect this style in subtly different ways. What each of the homes shares is a feeling of coziness and warmth that nurtures a sense of wellbeing and contentment. And now more than ever our homes are our sanctuaries – the places we retreat to for comfort and calm.

We hope you enjoy coming on this journey with us. The experience has truly inspired us both as we prepare to embark on our next renovation projects.

Reena and Rebecca

SHINE A LIGHT

Light – both natural and artificial – has a starring role to play in Scandi-style interiors. Here, the setting sun casts soft shadows in the hallway of Lisa Brass’s home on the West Sussex coast.

Scandinavian inspirations

Creating a cozy home

The Danish concept of hygge translates as finding coziness and contentment through the simple things in life. Many Scandinavians treat their homes as a hygge retreat and would rather spend time at home than anywhere else. Embracing the simple pleasures in life, as our Scandinavian friends do, is to feel happy. Creating a cozy living environment is centred around establishing a connection with your home and everything in it, creating a warm atmosphere and experience that you can enjoy with friends and family.

When we travelled to Scandinavia to photograph the homes featured in this book, we were struck by the feeling of intimacy and comfort that the homeowners had created. On the following pages, we share tips and ideas that will help you to create Scandi Rustic style in your own home. We’ll walk you through the key elements of the look, from choosing a colour palette and the right lighting to adding in textiles and other textures, as well as finding the finishing touches that will bring interest to your home while reflecting your own personality and interests. After that, join us as we visit an array of beautiful Scandi Rustic homes – we are sure that they will inspire you just as they have inspired us.

A HAPPY HOME

Every home needs a hygge spot for comfort and relaxation. Plan a snug nook where you can grab a cup of coffee and escape for five minutes’ peace (this page and opposite), or a deep sofa where you can put your feet up in front of the wood-burning stove with family and friends (right).

SCANDI RUSTIC

Elements

COLOUR

The colours we surround ourselves with in our homes can have a powerful impact on our state of mind. Colour, and the way that we experience it, can subtly alter our moods both positively and negatively. A carefully chosen palette can have a beneficial effect on our health and happiness, evoking feelings of contentment and creating calm.

Scandinavian interiors are synonymous with neutral colour schemes and minimalist, monochrome decor. However, this is just one aspect of Scandinavian design, and the homes we have featured in this book demonstrate the breadth of colours and tones that can be used to create a cozy Nordic-inspired home. In these homes, the owners have made subtly different colour choices, each drawing upon hues that create a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Calming shades of white and grey, natural hues such as blush, terracotta and linen and darker, earthier tones including green, blue and rust are all suited to a Scandi Rustic home. The key is to understand how these different colours make you feel, then to match those feelings to the different spaces in your home.

For example, in the bedroom of Mike and Kate Lawley, neutral shades have been used to create a peaceful space that invites rest and relaxation (opposite). The soft white walls are cool and quiet, while earthier accents produce feelings of stability and comfort. The colours on the walls, the textiles on the bed and the wooden floor all harmonize. Interconnected layers of colour, texture and light have been woven together to create a cohesive scheme.

While there are no hard and fast rules about how many different colours you should use in your home, a scheme tends to work most successfully where three or four key shades are chosen and then repeated to create a sense of rhythm, continuity and flow.

SUBTLE SHADES

A display in a small nook at the Swedish farmhouse home of Anna Kubel shows how the brightest whites can combine with softer natural tones and dark hues to create a hygge home.

Light and bright

A pale, bleached colour palette is the one most commonly associated with Scandinavian interiors.

Tranquil, soft tones of white and grey tend to be popular in the Nordic region because they reflect natural light and maximize sunlight, which is in short supply during the long, dark Scandinavian winters. An all-white scheme can offer a fresh, crisp and clean feel to any room, but to prevent the space from feeling clinical or cold it’s essential to incorporate layers of texture and depth of shade.

The Danish home of Pernille Grønkjær Taatø (above left) is a perfect example of how white can be used to create a restful and light-filled home. Douglas Fir floors and whitewashed beams and walls open up the interior, while the black wall lights provide contrast and throw a wash of warm light (above left). Pernille has mixed the clean lines of her contemporary kitchen with the organic outlines of vintage ceramics and driftwood foraged from local beaches. You can recreate this effect and add texture and warmth to an all-white space with sheepskins, rugs and natural linen cushions and throws (left and opposite).

Soft and natural

Using colour to create a connection with nature will bring the outdoors in and enhance a sense of wellbeing.

Earthy tones drawn from the natural world such as terracotta, flax and clay can help to create a relaxed rustic interior. And choosing a subtle, natural colour scheme is a good way to introduce colour into your home without it feeling overwhelming.

In the bedroom of interior stylist and photographer Anna Kubel, limewashed walls mimic the look and feel of raw plaster while linen bedding in shades of pink fall upon floorboards stripped back to their natural state (left). This is a gentle, romantic room with a strong connection to the Swedish countryside beyond the window.

The kitchen was one of our favourite spaces in the home of stylist Kay Prestney, where raw plastered walls finished with a coat of varnish provide a subtle blush-pink backdrop to Kay’s eclectic and much loved collection of handmade ceramics (left). Her shelves were made from old scaffold planks teamed with modern brackets and given a rustic, gently aged appearance with the use of a brass chalk paint.

Dark and moody

Inky black, charcoal grey, midnight blue and earthy shades of brown all form part of an alluring rustic palette.

Dark colours may not be immediately associated with cozy comfort, but when balanced with lighter colours and juxtaposed with plenty of appealing textures, these rich hues bring rooms weight and depth and feel cocooning. The cloakroom in Lisa Brass’s home is a case in point (opposite). The room has been clad in tongue and groove panelling and painted jet black. This may seem a bold choice for a small room, but the space doesn’t feel gloomy. Instead, the dark walls play on the room’s snug character and act as the perfect backdrop for assorted baskets, fresh foliage from the garden displayed in an earthenware vase and soft textiles in the shape of hanging coats.

If using dark colours feels daunting, then choosing furniture and accessories in deep, moody hues to set against light walls may feel easier. A wooden headboard made from blackened wood sits against pale walls in the bedroom of Mike and Kate Lawley, adding a note of richness and intensity without overwhelming the space (below left).

LIGHTING

Good lighting is one of the most fundamental elements of a Scandi Rustic home. It creates the right atmosphere and sets the mood for a successful and inviting living space.

In Scandinavia the winter months are long and dark and the focus for many homeowners is on maximizing natural daylight. We were mesmerized by the way the oversized windows allowed light to stream into Masahiro and Mette’s home in Denmark, casting atmospheric shadows across the timber-clad walls and ceiling (opposite). Rooflights are also a popular choice for many Scandinavian homes, as they allow more light to flow in and provide views of the sky.

Making the most of daylight is important, but artificial lighting is essential – it keeps homes feeling warm and cheerful and illuminates our daily activities throughout the winter months, when daylight is in short supply and the nights are long. If you are approaching the renovation of a house or even building your own home from scratch, it is crucial to incorporate a lighting scheme into your plans from the outset and not just as an afterthought.