Scandinavian Bedroom Design Inspired by Nordic Forests

Nature is a pillar of Scandinavian design, influencing the aesthetic in many different ways. See how to use Scandinavian landscapes as inspiration, blending moss greens, bark browns, stone grays, and natural textures that echo the quiet beauty of the forest.

A Biophilic Bedroom Design

Before you start picking out colors, furniture pieces and textiles, you’ll need to make a layout plan. In our post on biophilic bedroom layouts, we broke down how the layout of your bedroom can echo the properties of the natural world, before you’ve even pick up a paintbrush. Get out a pencil and paper (or an online tool such as Floorplanner) and start sketching.

For your Nordic forest-inspired space, you’ll want as much natural light as possible, so make sure there are no large furniture pieces blocking windows, and consider using mirrors or a lighter wall color to reflect light around the room. You can also buy smart bulbs that change color to mimic a natural sunrise as you wake in the morning.

Natural ventilation is important in any room design, but it’s truly vital to a nature-inspired space, and more important than, say, scented candles for general ambience. If the air is clean and warm enough, and you’re not risking pollen allergies, keep windows slightly open. Otherwise, consider investing in a high-quality, energy-efficient HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) unit so you can breathe easy at night.

Curating the Nordic Forest Color Palette

The “Nordic forest” isn’t a monolith, so you’ll need to decide where, and when, in Scandinavia you would like to be.

Perhaps you imagine yourself hiking through the evergreen forests of Tiveden National Park, in Sweden? It’s known for its giant, moss-covered boulders, which broke away from the bedrock and were carried on an ice sheet during the last Ice Age. The trees are a mixture of spruce and old-growth pine forest.

Or maybe you’re on a summer stroll through vivid green beech forests, atop the white chalk cliffs of Møns Klint in Denmark. The lime-rich soil fosters 18 species of wild orchid, in creamy white, pinks, and purples.

Or perhaps you’re hiking the mountains of Hemsedal, Norway, in September. Outside of ski season, the resort is quiet and the leaves on the silvery birch trees turn pale gold.

As you can see, Nordic forests are much more than just green, so think about the specific scene and season you want to recreate. Use the 60:30:10 rule: 60% should be dedicated to the color on your walls and perhaps your bed too, so it needs to be a color that you’ll continue to love for many years. 30% is allocated to a more lively color you’ll use on smaller soft furnishings, and 10% is for color pops on art and ornaments.

Our Scandinavian-design bedding not only comes from nature but is inspired by it, too. Our range of solid-color, long-lasting linen sheets is growing all the time, so you’re bound to find something that suits your taste. We’ve got oak-leaf green, lake blue, and white and grey sheets that evoke fluffy (or rainy) clouds.

The Art of Selecting Scandi-Style Furniture

The scene that inspires you may also inspire your choice of wood. Pine and spruce, for example, look dark in a forest but once cut up into planks, are among the lighter woods. If you prefer that darker wooden look, try a darker stain on your wood furniture. Make sure it’s warm-toned, as cool-toned stains will look unnatural.

When selecting the perfect Scandi-style wood furniture pieces for your room, remember that Nordic design emphasizes simplicity and functionality. Therefore, you’ll want to pick clean-lined, mid-century-style pieces with little ornamentation. For bed frames, the best choice is a bed with built-in storage: it’s practical but has a cleaner look than buying the bed frame and storage boxes separately.

Soften Your Space With Natural Textiles

As well as your wood furniture, your soft furnishings should also create the feeling of being out in nature. We don’t recommend sleeping on a bed of leaves, however! Think “forest cabin”: cowhide, sheepskin, and wool make wonderful rugs, cushions, and throws. Don’t skimp on your curtains; they should be thick, floor-length, and luxurious, made from a natural textile such as linen.

Speaking of linen, your bedding is the most important part of your bedroom, so it’s important to get it right. Our Scandinavian-style duvet covers are directly inspired by Nordic landscapes: Agern features the leaves of the mighty oak, and Skov (the Danish word for “forest”) was inspired by the way light filters through trees on a morning walk.

Our soft linen bedding is made from European flax grown in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, without the use of harmful chemicals or artificial irrigation. Even during processing, we garment-wash our bedding using only enzymes rather than fabric softeners. It’s as close to nature as you can get.

Plants and More: Bringing the Outdoors In

In our blog post on bringing nature into your home, we went in-depth on how to create an outdoor vibe in an indoor space.

One way to do this is with houseplants. Nordic design favors flowerless plants; broadly, you have two options. The first is to use tropical varieties, an approach popular across the Nordics: monstera (Swiss cheese plants), pothos, philodendron, and ficus (fig) are all excellent options.

The other approach is a biophilic one: using plants local to your area. Within the Nordics, this might mean ivy or ferns.

Your artwork should also reflect the natural world, particularly if your space or lifestyle makes it difficult for you to bring in live plants. Choose still lifes or landscapes to create a window to the outdoors.

Finishing Touches

Fires are a part of forest landscapes and cabin living; candles, a much safer option, are a big part of Nordic, and especially Danish, design. Buy them in plain white or forest-inspired greens and browns. You can also find candles with wood wicks that crackle like a fireplace when lit.

When selecting ornaments, choose natural materials that you would find in or near forests: think wood, stone, or clay. Avoid metals and plastics; glass (especially if green or brown) can occasionally work in small amounts.

Will you be revamping your bedroom for summer? Which Nordic national parks are on your bucket list? Let us know on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, or Twitter!