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Slow design: How Nordic style can make your life better

The world has long been hungry for Nordic lifestyle, with its love of design, nature, and light. But this is about much more than painting your floorboards white or throwing a sheepskin on a chair – it’s a mindset that informs everyday life.

Published: 26 May 2016 12:41 CEST
Slow design: How Nordic style can make your life better

The good news is, anybody can do it, and it’s not even a question of budgets or the size of your home. Here are eight steps to “living Scandinavian”.

Step 1: Always buy an original
 

Yes, design classics can be expensive. Yes, it is easy to be lured in by the companies who sell badly produced rip-offs, thinking nobody will tell the difference anyway. But there’s one thing a copy product will never do – hold its value.
 
If you invest in a Poul Henningsen lamp like the PH3, you can enjoy it for a lifetime and still put it towards the grandchildren’s university fund. Henningsen designed his PH-lamps in the late 1920s and early 30s, and nearly 100 years on they still look modern and stunning.

 
Step 2: Love light
 
Skandinavisk Matplats by Norm Architects

We all know the Nordic love for white walls and pared-back interiors, right?
 
Of course that’s a bit of a cliché, and there is plenty of colorful homes around, but the fact remains that Scandinavians love all shades of white – perhaps in celebration of both the sunlight in summer and deep snow in winter.
 
The walls of this room are absolutely perfect in regards to reflecting the light, and the architects Norm have installed sloping ceilings that casts light out throughout the space which end up in small ceiling windows along the top edge that catch even the lowest rays in winter. 

 

Step 3: Shop and live sustainably
 
Skandinavisk Vardagsrum by Hannes Söderlund
 
With large swathes of our five nations covered in forest, no wonder Scandinavians use wood as a prime source for materials. From stools to saunas, everything is clad in or constructed from pine and spruce that give interiors that typical Nordic look. But it’s also about using the materials that are close at hand and can be sourced sustainably.

As consumers, Scandinavians hold enormous power in their choice of products, and they know that the smarter they shop, the better the world will be. So support local firms and those who tell the story of their production process openly, and you can make little changes every day.

 

Step 4: See things in black and white
 
Skandinavisk by House of Beatniks
 
You might think Scandinavians are a bit middle-of-the-road, gently diplomatic and maybe even a tad… boring?
 
Far from it. The Nordics are nations of extremes, with deep-running currents of emotion. No darkness in summer, and no light in winter, remember? Opposites attract, even in homes.
 
Too much white in a room, and you go snowblind. Too much black, and there is forever gloom. But the perfect balance of black lines in a white setting is pure poetry to us – like the Scandinavian version of interior Yin and Yang that works all around the world.

 
Step 5: Make space for children
 
Industriell Matplats by DINELLJOHANSSON
Photo: DINELLJOH
 
Kids should be both seen and heard in the Scandinavian countries, and as often and as loudly as possible.
 
Playtime is taken very seriously indeed, from the little ones experimenting with Lego from Denmark to the older building cyberworlds with Minecraft, a Swedish invention. In this summerhouse in Sweden, the loft on top of the parents’ sleeping cubicle has been turned into a playpen/indoor tree house, made secure by netting.
 
Step 6: Live close to (and in) nature
 
Skandinavisk Vardagsrum by Skälsö Arkitekter

While other Europeans may flock to beaches and resorts in summer, the height of luxury for many Scandinavians on holiday is an isolated spot far from a madding crowd. Perhaps with no running water or central heating, but preferably with good Wi-Fi – they are some of the most connected nations in the world after all.
 
Nordic landscapes and sceneries are deeply ingrained in the culture, and new architecture makes good use of advances in insulation and triple-glazing to create floor-to-ceiling glass walls like in this summerhouse. Nordic design also tends to bring nature inside, with plants in simple terracotta pots taking us through the months when there is not a green leaf to be seen outside.
 

 

Step 7: Organise and declutter

by Studio Esinam
Photo: Studio Esinam

Scandinavians do like a bit of order and selection. After all, two Swedish words you might all know are ‘ombudsman’ and ‘smörgåsbord’.
 
But it’s also about seeing everyday beauty in the simple things, and taking pleasure in a pile of well-folded towels or run a hand along a shelf of color-coordinated books. Something akin to ‘mindfulness through design’, and something that can be done no matter how you live or what your budget is.
 

Step 8. Embrace ‘hygge’
 
Skandinavisk Vardagsrum Nordenskiöldsgatan 5

We’ll round off this guide on how to enjoy slow design from the Nordics with a Danish word that encapsulates all of the steps above:  hygge.
 
It means cosy warmth, spending time with the ones you love, in a home that is filled with light and well-loved items that fill you with everyday joy when you use them. You can’t buy ‘hygge’, nor can you get someone to create it for you. It is the Nordic state of contentment that can only be found at home.
 
Get more inspiration in The Local's Homes section

Come see more Nordic lifestyle, design and architecture over at houzz.dk and houzz.se.
 

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PROPERTY

Should you buy a home in Sweden this summer?

Considering the fickle trends in the Swedish housing market, prospective homebuyers might find themselves at a crossroads this summer.

Published: 4 July 2024 14:41 CEST
Should you buy a home in Sweden this summer?

After a period of falling prices driven by increased interest rates, the Swedish housing market is seeing a rebound, particularly in the biggest cities.

However, it’s also taking longer to finalise home sales.

READ MORE:

Recent data from Swedish property listings site Hemnet indicates that while home sales – and housing prices – are on the rise, the time to complete transactions has notably increased.

For instance, the average sale time for an apartment in Sweden increased to 27 days in the first half of the year, up from 22 days during the same period last year. Similarly, houses now take an average of 31 days to sell, compared to 30 days previously.

The slowest market is in the Gävleborg region, where it takes an average of 44 days to sell a home. The fastest transactions occur in Stockholm, with apartments selling in just 16 days and detached homes in 23 days.

This variation in market activity across the country calls for a deeper look into where the best opportunities might lie for homebuyers this summer.

Renewed market confidence in Sweden’s biggest cities

The confidence in the Swedish property market is on its way up in Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö, Erik Holmberg, a market analyst at Hemnet, told The Local.

“I would say that we have seen a weaker market in the last couple of years, almost everywhere in the country, since the Swedish central bank started to increase the interest policy rate, which affected the market a lot,” he said.

“But in the last half of the year or rather in the last year, the confidence has come back in bigger cities – in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö… When we look at price developments last year, in three of Sweden’s biggest cities, we see prices increasing again.”

However, the analyst warned that the opposite is currently true in other areas of the country, which have seen a continued decrease in market activity and flatter developments in the same time interval.

A new trend emerging in Stockholm?

As Hemnet’s analyst explained, in Sweden, housing market trends usually start in Stockholm, when the market begins to change, causing a ripple effect.

“And that’s what we have seen. Now, market activity and prices are increasing again in the bigger cities. Usually, when the market changes, other areas in the country follow, and that could be the case now,” said Holmberg.

“When the rates and inflation situation become clearer, other parts of the country might follow the market in the big cities. Our main scenario is that we will see this spread,” he said, adding that prices in Stockholm have picked up quite fast in the last year but that the demand is still affected by the high interest rates.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw swift price developments in some areas with the highest demand, such as city centres.”

The effect on the rental market

Another aspect to consider is the rental market, which could see significant changes in the short to mid-term.

Holmberg pointed out that properties which fail to sell might enter the rental market.

“What we’ve seen is that it’s harder to sell properties today, so, probably, more people who own homes and can’t sell them will put these unsold homes on the market for a while. This could affect the supply of apartments for rent and, in turn, prices,” the analyst said.

INTERVIEW:

What different types of homebuyers should know

For buyers, the current market presents a mixed bag.

“In Sweden, we often talk of having a seller’s or buyer’s market. Today, it’s good for buyers that they have a lot to choose from; there’s a record-high supply almost everywhere in the country. That means it’s easy to find something,” said Holmberg.

However, he also cautioned that the slow market makes agreeing on terms with sellers challenging, with sales times at record highs.

“Sales take some time in today’s market, and that’s important to understand for both sellers and buyers, especially for homeowners who are changing homes, meaning they’re both buying and selling something; it’s a tough market for them.

“Today, this group often chooses to sell their home before they buy something new. That makes up a big part of record high sales times; we have people waiting for the right bid before moving from the selling to the buying side…” Holmberg said, noting that the market is different compared to two to three years ago when it was “very hot”.

“So, remember that even if prices grow, it’s still a tough or slow market.”

READ MORE:

On the other hand, first-time buyers might find a silver lining in the form of lower prices compared to a couple of years ago, making it a potentially favourable time to enter the Swedish housing market.

“First-time buyers are in another situation, which may be better because the prices are lower than two years ago, of course, and if you’re just buying something, you don’t need to worry about the selling part,” Holmberg told The Local.

“That’s why this could be a good situation to enter the housing market this summer, but even so, despite supply being really high, it could still be tough because many sellers have put down a listed price but don’t necessarily plan to sell at this price.”

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