Everyone could use a little Scandinavian in their life. And no, I don’t mean a little Scandinavian person or even those perfect little Scandinavian meatballs (though I’m sure we could all use some of those); I’m talking about Scandinavian interior design.
In order to come up with the very specific design ideas, we create most designs with the assistance of state-of-the-art AI interior design software.
Though everyone has the right to their own styles and tastes, I do genuinely believe that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can appreciate what Scandinavian-inspired aesthetics have to offer. If you aren’t too certain about how to identify something that is Scandinavian-inspired, let me break it down for ya.
There is a reason why items from Ikea are so easily identified as such. Scandinavian looks certainly look like they possess a certain philosophy, and that is one of cleanliness, ease, and minimalism. A Scandinavian piece of furniture or room is often elegant, understated, simple, ergonomic, and lighter-toned both in the wood used for furniture and the color scheme.
The reason why I think everybody could use a little bit of minimalism in their life is that there is a certain sense of peace that comes with a simple room. Visual clutter can sometimes be a representation of our mental state, or it can impede on our mental state, so incorporating some Scandinavian interior philosophy is an easy way to bring some ease to your life and your home.
This, among so many other reasons, is why we created this beautiful collection of Scandinavian-inspired dining rooms. It doesn’t take much to do a little less with your decorating, and this collection is sure to help you along your very own interior renovation journey.
1. The Combination Eatery Room
Floors & Walls: I don’t think that we could have really started off with a more perfect Scandinavian dining room. I call this the combination room because it is modern but classic, warm but light, and stylish but still cozy.
This glorious space starts with hardwood floors with a herringbone pattern – this is certainly something you don’t see every day. White walls lead us up to ceilings with gorgeous crown molding, and wooden framing has been kept and maintained around the floors and window frames.
Features & Furniture: I certainly appreciate an open-concept room where you can both prepare a meal, have people chat with you while you prepare a meal, and then move only a couple of paces in order to consume the meal.
This gorgeous space is simple but elegant, with wooden cabinetry in the kitchen to match the very light hardwood table in the dining area. I find this and the white chairs impeccably lovely, especially in contrast to the black-painted fireplace facade.
Decor: Something that you might notice a lot with Scandinavian design is the use of black accents throughout the room, and we see that here both with the fireplace and black framed circular mirror. Otherwise, the only other decoration we receive is through those huge and happy fig leaf ficus plants, a vase of dried flowers, pastel-colored bowls, and a very sweet patterned rug in the kitchen. This room is quite perfect for me.
This beautiful kitchen and dining room space was sourced by Redfin, and you can see the rest of the home here.
2. The Cozy Home Dining Space
Floors & Walls: If you’re reading this and you too are 20-something, or 30-something, or heck, maybe even 40-something (the economy is plummeting these days; have you noticed the recession going?), then you are probably very familiar with the apartment life.
Oftentimes, two rooms will be combined into one space, and this right here is a beautiful example of a room that is doing it very well. This living room/dining room space starts with very light gray stained wood floors and crisp white walls with matching window frames.
Features & Furniture: This casual and cozy hosting room has a really wonderful style of dining set that I just love. A simple, rectangular wooden table is surrounded by a collection of different types of chairs, one of which is a sweet little wooden bench with a sheepskin. A precious credenza for storage and decorations suits the space perfectly. If you’re asking which part of this is Scandinavian-inspired, it’s the wood!
Decor: I think I like this room so much because it feels genuinely lived in. Framed artwork and photos adorn the walls, happy and cared-for plants, candles, and those paper lanterns from Ikea that we all know and love.
This wonderful living room was sourced from Redfin, and you can see the rest of the space over here.
3. The Open Dining Room
Floors & Walls: If this doesn’t smack you right in the face with Scandinavian inspiration, then I don’t know what yer doin’ here! Just kidding, life is about learning. This is maybe one of the most Scandinavian-inspired dining rooms I’ve ever seen. I think that the horrendous piles of snow outside are a nice touch.
This simple room starts with shined concrete floors, which gives the space a bit of an industrial feel, while perfect white walls are framed by huge black framed windows. That’s it. Nothin’ else to note. Highly simplistic.
Features & Furniture: This combined room starts with a kitchen island with black cabinets and a rustic wooden countertop, which matches the dining table with black framing and a wooden top. A potpourri of chairs in all shapes and sizes gives it a cute, kitschy feel.
Decor: We’ve got a lightbulb and a black lamp. Like I said, highly simplistic. To warm things up, one could add a colorful table runner or a warm-colored area rug. Plants would be nice, too.
This simple dining room was sourced from Pelletier de Fontenay, and you can take a gander at the rest of the home design over here.
4. The A-Frame Cottage Main Room
Floors & Walls: Another very Scandinavian dining room, but then again, isn’t that the reason why we’re all here? This lovely room has a shined cement floor, giving us that industrial feel, and an A-frame ceiling that’s adorned with beautiful sand-colored wood panels. White walls give excellent contrast to black framed windows.
Features & Furniture: Here, we see another room with black speckled all throughout, which ends up looking so chic when paired with so many light elements. An iron fireplace shoots towards the ceiling, while black chairs sit around a simple wooden dining table.
Decor: It’s amazing how effective simple things can be in the Scandinavian style. This room is so plain, which is why it feels so incredibly elevated just with a vase of eucalyptus leaves, an orange pillow, and a stack of firewood. Shocking, appalling, amazing.
This beautiful dining room space was designed by atelier BOOM-TOWN (funny name), and you can check out the rest of the beautiful home by clicking here.
5. The Modern Family Home
Floors & Walls: I lied. This is probably the most Scandinavian room that I’ve ever seen. But I think that it’s an incredible room. I adore how the entire space fans out from a central fireplace. We see three different rooms in one photo, but it doesn’t feel cramped whatsoever. The power of smart and ergonomic interior design!
This impeccable space starts with light hardwood floors and clean white walls. What makes the special is all of the built-in features found in the built-in shelving and amazing corner fireplace that even has a slot for storing firewood. Genius! I tell ya!
Features & Furniture: Every layer of design just gets better and better. We often see black and wooden elements combined, and we see that here with the dining set featuring a lovely and modern table with wooden framed chairs with black cushions, which mirror the bar stools by the kitchen island.
Decor: Isn’t it remarkable how this room feels complete, yet the only decoration you see is literally two white mugs on a table? You know what that’s called? Being an expert in rooms.
And it’s all thanks to Burnazzi Feltrin Architetti. You can check out the rest of the Scandinavian home design over here.
6. The Sunroom Dining Room
Floors & Walls: I think it’s one of my personal goals in life to have a sunroom in my home. Sunrooms are amazing. They can be used at any time of year regardless of where you live (as long as the sun is out), and there are so many different things that you can do with them!
While I would personally fashion my sunroom into another living room, having the sunroom be your dining room has equal appeal. This beautiful and bright space starts with bleached wooden floors and floor-to-ceiling windows with white trim. The perfect combination for a sunroom!
Features & Furniture: This simple room starts and ends with a round white table with a set of white chairs with wooden legs surrounding it. I personally love round tables because the conversation can flow more easily, food can be shared more easily, and no one can see your cards if you’re playing Rummy after dinner!
Decor: This sweet room is vacant of decoration, safe for the overhead lighting that looks more like bubbles than they do lightbulbs. Taupe curtains sit in the corners. I think this room would be incredible if some stained glass was added to some of the windows for some interest and color!
This beautiful room was designed by Maxine Schnitzer Photography.
7. The Perfect Dining Room
Floors & Walls: What an incredible room for hosting. This space really has all of the elements that you would expect in a Scandinavian inspired space: elegance, coziness, simplicity, and it is just oozing with style, don’t you think?
It all starts with light sand-colored hardwood floors and white walls. Black framed windows add drama and contrast, while exposed wooden beams in the ceiling do a great job of adding some rustic charm to the otherwise clean and tidy room.
Features & Furniture: This gorgeous Nordic design features a long ovular dining table made from very lightly colored wood, and it is surrounded by a set of gorgeous midcentury modern-inspired chairs with taupe leather seats. A distressed white credenza at the end of the room brings everything together.
Decor: This space is wonderfully decorated with a vase of ornamental dried grass, a sweet little wooden ottoman, and a modern and quirky chandelier with abstract arms and bulbs. Everything in the home decor feels very thought out and understated.
This stunning space was designed by SISSY+MARLEY.
Related: Scandinavian-Style Primary Bathroom Ideas
8. The Sunny Breakfast Room
Floors & Walls: Gasp! Yet another room that literally takes your breath away with its simplistic type of beauty. The Scandinavian aesthetic all starts with warmly stained hardwood floors and white walls. Huge windows are in every direction and painted with white trim as well.
Features & Furniture: This beautiful dining room set is comprised of a wide rectangular wooden table (very midcentury modern if you ask me) and some lovely armchairs with wooden framing and rattan backings and seats. I think that this set is so perfect for this room.
Decor: This sunny and happy dining room is decorated with a simple vase of bushy purple flowers and a light fixture with four clear glass pendant lights.
This beautiful Scandinavian-inspired dining room was designed by sullivan + associates architects.
9. The Vacation Dining Room
Floors & Walls: It never ceases to amaze me just how beautiful a simple room can be and just how effective minimal design is. This gorgeous space starts with antique hardwood floors (which always give the room so much character) and crisp white walls. I think it’s so precious to keep the original wooden framing around windows and doors. This is a prime example of how classy it can be.
Features & Furniture: This sweet little dining space is set right in front of the balcony, which is so charming, but the dining table itself really ties the room together. A simple wooden table in a stain lighter than the floors and framing is such a smart choice, while the framing for the wooden chairs is a bit darker. The seats are made from rattan.
Decor: I also adore how the design ideas don’t really feature much decoration, but it still feels entirely lived in. All a room really takes to be inviting is beautiful people to invite you in, and I think that’s what is happening here.
This wonderful dining space was designed by LF91.
10. The Atrium Dining Room
Floors & Walls: Now, what I don’t understand about contemporary architecture is why on earth people stopped building atriums in the center of the building. This could quite possibly be the most charming thing you could ever do to a building.
This atrium-adjacent (who’s Jason?) dining room I think is most special because of all of the things surrounding it. Light hardwood floors are met with windows in literally every direction, which are lined with white framing.
Features & Furniture: This is a simple dining set, but the type of dining set that allows your guests to stay for much longer. This is because of the wonderful rectangular shape of the wooden table and the comfort that these beautiful gray upholstered chairs can probably provide. All you gotta do to keep a conversation going is to sit in a comfortable chair!
Decor: This entire home is clearly beautifully decorated with fun and classy light fixtures, healthy and happy plants, stylish furniture, and an overall welcoming vibe.
This fantastic dining room design comes from Gommez-Vaëz Architecte.
11. The Circle Table Dining Room
Floors & Walls: This modern and chic apartment begins with shined concrete floors, giving us some industrial inspiration, while clean white walls are met with black trim and a black ceiling which you don’t see every day! This is a surefire way to make a dining area feel elevated and dramatic.
Features & Furniture: I personally love this set. While four seats may not be enough for everyone, it’s certainly enough for me. I love the idea of having a small, rounded wooden table and four wonderfully comfortable-looking chairs sitting around it. This dining set really seems to encourage long meals and wonderful conversation.
Decor: This home is simply lived in, which I think is some of the best decoration that you can come up with. Floating shelves are host to family photos and books and trinkets, potted plants sit around the room, and a circular mirror is in the perfect place to check your teeth for lettuce before heading out the door.
This lovely dining room design comes from Mindful Designs, Inc.
12. The Lofted Home Dining Room
Floors & Walls: I remember visiting an apartment that looked just like this in my youth. I was always so enamored with the idea of living in a lofted apartment – turns out it’s pretty impractical. However! That doesn’t stop this room from being gorgeous with its antique wood floors, white walls, and fun patterned tiles for the backsplash in the kitchen.
Features & Furniture: Despite this apartment clearly being incredibly tiny, that didn’t stop the designer from including a dining table suitable for hosting. This set is simple and lovely with its wooden table and chairs. It’s amazing how something as simple as putting slanted legs on a table can make it feel that much more chic!
Decor: This happy apartment is decorated with potted cactuses, hanging lantern lights, and a general sense of joy.
This special loft apartment dining room was designed by NEVA Architecture Intérieure – Interior Design.
13. The Perfect Apartment Dining Room
Floors & Walls: Sigh. There is just so much good stuff going on with this beautiful space – and what a good room to finish off this Scandinavian-inspired collection! This home has so much character. It’s doing such a pristine job of combining the old with the new – tipping your hat to heritage but still keeping the Scandinavian design fresh.
This clearly very old home starts with herringbone patterned hardwood floors (they really do not make them like that anymore) and super tall ceilings with crown molding. Each room that we see is adorned with a set of heavenly bay windows with stained glass. The white walls do an excellent job of laying a canvas for everything else.
Features & Furniture: I really appreciate how the dining room is almost set in an in-between space in this home. On the left lies the kitchen, and on the right lies the living room. Some folks may think that this is just a hallway, but no! It is so much more!
This beautiful room is furnished with a vintage hardwood table in such a gorgeous cherry stain (that thing sure looks sturdy). The choice of chairs to surround the table is really where you get the sense that the interior designer wanted to incorporate a fresh aspect with these futuristic plastic chairs. While they are not my favorite, you can certainly guess that they are comfortable, which at the end of the day, is the only thing required of dining chairs.
Decor: And yet again, another dining area that is flawlessly decorated. Not only do books make you smarter, but they are also little pieces of art. That is precisely why I will never buy a kindle – I just want the physical proof that I can read. Books are also just so happy to be colorful and lovely. Book covers are very thought out, and using books as decoration is a great way to have both beauty and utility!
This perfect dining room space was designed by Stefan Marquardt.
