Scandinavian Handcrafts & Design

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Just plain pretty, this Scandinavian style dining space makes me feel warm and cozy. I love the distinctive Scandinavian gateleg table. The bench is perfect as a foundation element against the wall, seemingly built in, anchoring the entire vignette. And the coral….a Happy color with a capital H! A dining area can make one want to linger, a nice attribute to create, and this one does. I am also inspired by the centerpiece. I am going to go outside later, pick some random small flowering branches and place them casually in a vase of some sort. THAT is living well. Image by the magazine, Vakre.

Just plain pretty, this Scandinavian style dining space makes me feel warm and cozy. I love the distinctive Scandinavian gateleg table. The bench is perfect as a foundation element against the wall, seemingly built in, anchoring the entire vignette. And the coral….a Happy color with a capital H! A dining area can make one want to linger, a nice attribute to create, and this one does.

I am also inspired by the centerpiece. I am going to go outside later, pick some random small flowering branches and place them casually in a vase of some sort. THAT is living well. Image by the magazine, Vakre.

Taken at a fantastic handmade ceramics fair in Copenhagen, these images show how a decorative layer in a kitchen design can add texture, color, shape and form. Whether a few select pieces or a collection around the kitchen, ceramic art is a natural aesthetic connection to any kitchen design. Scandinavia has a rich history in outstanding ceramic design as these images illustrate.

Always fascinating to me to see style take the strong lead in a Scandinavian kitchen design. This is what I’m talking about - Scandinavian kitchen design is not focused on maximizing storage - it is the “dance” of storage and aesthetics, where storage does not win *by default* as it often/usually does in the US. Instead, the end is seen from the beginning, with an equal (key word) focus on style as well as function. This puts black appliances in a whole new light, so to speak! And, less wall cabinetry means a great, spacious feeling.

I also love the dining area…all about contrast, the chairs exploiting the light finishes of other elements.

An extreme eclectic kitchen. “Simple” works wonders. It allows a very few special pieces, or groups, viewed as one block, to communicate the style message. At first, I completely missed the straight lines of the table since it works so perfectly with the straight lines of the kitchen elements.  What I am less enthusiastic about is the chandelier above the table. A bit of a fussy industrial look, its style, different than the uber traditional and sleek modern of the other elements, does not work for me. It seems to be trying to be a bridge between the two styles.  Image from Bo Bedre. 

An extreme eclectic kitchen. “Simple” works wonders. It allows a very few special pieces, or groups, viewed as one block, to communicate the style message. At first, I completely missed the straight lines of the table since it works so perfectly with the straight lines of the kitchen elements.  What I am less enthusiastic about is the chandelier above the table. A bit of a fussy industrial look, its style, different than the uber traditional and sleek modern of the other elements, does not work for me. It seems to be trying to be a bridge between the two styles.  Image from Bo Bedre. 

Imagine for a moment, you are designing your kitchen. Look for inspiration everywhere and anywhere. These two images of this gorgeous, rich, gray blue, paired with other grays AND with warm colored metals is at once new and classic. I can see a very personal, untrendy, but timeless, kitchen design with these classic shades. I see warm colored hardware and faucet and lighting and wood flooring. Perhaps with blocks of white either on the walls or countertop or deep, rich grays as cabinetry or wall color..wherever the imagine takes one.

One of my most favorite, and very simple images, not even so very well shot. It shows a Scandinavian sensibility. It’s the entrance to an apartment (in my cousin’s building in Copenhagen). We see classic forms combined with natural elements and the cozy yet modern touch of the candle holders, and let’s not forget the rope heart. This is a very Scandinavian vignette and one which I think speaks to so many people. I love this image in all its imperfection (as shot). It clearly says “home” even before the resident walks through the door.

One of my most favorite, and very simple images, not even so very well shot. It shows a Scandinavian sensibility. It’s the entrance to an apartment (in my cousin’s building in Copenhagen). We see classic forms combined with natural elements and the cozy yet modern touch of the candle holders, and let’s not forget the rope heart. This is a very Scandinavian vignette and one which I think speaks to so many people. I love this image in all its imperfection (as shot). It clearly says “home” even before the resident walks through the door.