Interior styles

Scandinavian style: lighting for bright rooms with wood

Scandinavian style means light walls, light wood, a few well-chosen things and as much daylight as possible. Because Nordic winters are long and dark, artificial light plays a particularly important role in this style. Here we show how warm light from wood and alpine hay completes a Scandinavian room, from the dining table to the home office and the bedroom.

Ligno In the picture Ligno Alpine meadow / Oak €798,00 View lamp →

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Scandinavian living room with light grey linen sofa, round oak coffee table and Ligno floor lamp with alpine hay shade by the window
A light grey linen sofa with cushions in oat, sage and rust, a knitted throw, a round light oak coffee table with a book and a mug, and an oak box shelf with books, ceramics and abstract prints. By the window, next to the armchair with a sheepskin, stands the Ligno floor lamp with oak legs and an alpine hay shade, giving warm light to the reading corner.

Scandinavian – At a glance

  • What is Scandinavian style? A bright, pared-back interior style from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland with light wood, white and natural tones, wool, linen and functional furniture.
  • Colour temperature: warm white, around 2,700 kelvin for living and dining areas, 2,200 to 2,400 kelvin for evening light and bedrooms. Cold light quickly makes white look clinical.
  • Lamps: light woods such as oak, birch or Swiss stone pine and shades of alpine hay suit light floors and woollen textiles. Shapes stay simple.
  • Layered light: several warm light sources at different heights instead of one bright ceiling light, very much in the spirit of hygge.
  • Matching Leuchtnatur lamps: Ligno floor lamp, Discus pendant, Arboreus table lamp and the Lucerna veneer floor lamp.
Scandinavian bedroom with linen bedding and glowing Lucerna floor lamp in burl birch next to the bed

Bedroom

Bedroom with a glowing veneer column

Linen bedding in white, oat and sage, a knitted throw, a wooden bench with folded blankets at the foot of the bed and a sheepskin rug. In the corner next to the bed stands the Lucerna floor lamp in burl birch: light shines through the thin veneer and the grain glows warmly.

Lucerne In the picture Lucerne Birch burr / Stainless Steel €1.299,00 View lamp →

Room photos are visualisations; lamps are shown true to the original.

What is Scandinavian style?

Scandinavian style is a bright, functional interior style from northern Europe that combines light woods, calm colours and good craftsmanship. It goes back to mid-20th-century Scandinavian design, when designers in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway created simple, affordable furniture for everyday life. The principle still applies: every piece should be useful, look good and last. Added to this is the need for cosiness that the Danes call hygge. Because Nordic winters are long and dark, light is not a side issue in Scandinavian homes but an essential part of the interior.

How do you recognise a Scandinavian interior?

A Scandinavian room is recognisable by light walls, light wood and a few carefully chosen things.

  • Materials: oak, birch and ash, wool, linen, sheepskin, ceramics and stoneware.
  • Colours: white, light grey and oat as a base, with muted accents such as sage, rust or smoky blue.
  • Shapes: clean lines, rounded edges, light furniture on slender legs, for example chairs in the style of the Wishbone Chair.
  • Details: knitted throws, sheepskins on chairs, books and ceramics on open shelves, graphic art prints, a few large houseplants.
  • Windows: kept as clear as possible, with light linen curtains so plenty of daylight comes in.

The right light for Scandinavian style

Scandinavian lighting is warm, glare-free and spread across several light sources. The goal is a room that feels bright and friendly even on a dark November evening, but never harsh.

Colour temperature: warm white, not cool

For living and dining areas, bulbs with around 2,700 kelvin work well; for evening mood and bedrooms, 2,200 to 2,400 kelvin. In rooms with lots of white, cold light above 3,000 kelvin quickly looks sterile, while warm light brings out wood, wool and linen. Dimmable bulbs make the transition from work to evening easier.

Natural materials on the shade

Light wood veneer and alpine hay suit oak floors and wool rugs. A shade made of natural material diffuses light softly and, when switched off, is a calm, natural object in the room. In Leuchtnatur's veneer floor lamps, wafer-thin wood veneer is backlit so that the grain itself glows. Light woods such as burl birch, oak or Swiss stone pine stay close to the Scandinavian colour palette.

Layers of light at different heights

Plan three to four light sources per room: a pendant above the dining table, a floor lamp by the sofa or armchair, a table lamp at the desk and another lamp for corners and shelves. This creates bright zones for reading and eating and calmer areas in between. That is the essence of hygge: light where you spend time rather than even brightness everywhere. A ceiling light for general brightness can stay; it just should not be the only light source.

Scandinavian style room by room

Living room

In the living room, the floor lamp belongs where you read, for example next to the armchair by the window. Ligno stands on three legs of oak, walnut or Swiss stone pine and carries a shade of alpine hay, leaves or loden. With oak legs and an alpine hay shade, it suits a light grey linen sofa, cushions in oat, sage and rust and a light oak coffee table. During the day it is a natural object by the window; in the evening it becomes a warm reading spot.

Dining room

Above the dining table, a pendant concentrates the light on the table top. Discus is a cylindrical pendant with a diameter of 35 or 55 cm and a height of around 20 cm. With an oak veneer shade, it repeats the wood of the table, sideboard and floor. The lower edge should hang 60 to 70 cm above the table. Over a large oval table, the 55 cm diameter looks well balanced. For an even lighter look, Discus is also available with a shade of Swiss stone pine or alpine hay.

Home office

At the desk you need focused light that does not dazzle. Arboreus is a 50 cm table lamp with a stainless steel or black base and a slim shade of natural material or wood veneer. It has a hand switch and takes up little space on the desk. Place it to the side opposite your writing hand so no shadow falls on paper or keyboard.

Bedroom

In the bedroom, calm and subdued evening light is what counts. The Lucerna veneer floor lamp is 156 cm tall with a diameter of 18 cm and glows like a column of light through its backlit veneer. In burl birch it stays light and suits bedding in white, oat and sage. In the corner next to the bed, it brightens the room softly without glare.

Common Scandinavian lighting mistakes

Most mistakes happen when a bright interior is confused with bright light.

  • Cold white light: white walls and light wood look grey and cool instead of friendly.
  • Only spotlights or one ceiling light: even brightness from above makes the room flat. Only several light sources give it depth.
  • Too many different lamps: Scandinavian style relies on calm. Two or three materials repeated in the room look more coherent than a different style for every lamp.
  • Lamps unrelated to the room: a shade of oak or alpine hay picks up the floor, furniture and textiles. Chrome and high gloss often look out of place here.
  • Pendant hung too high: if it hangs well above 70 cm over the table, it dazzles and the light spreads into the room instead of onto the table.

Scandinavian lamps by Leuchtnatur

Leuchtnatur is a workshop in Übersee on Lake Chiemsee making lamps of wood veneer, alpine hay, leaves and loden. The veneer is selected by hand and comes from FSC-certified wood; the alpine hay shades are made of real hay and flowers from mountain meadows. For Scandinavian rooms, light woods such as oak, burl birch and Swiss stone pine and shades of alpine hay work best. Find more in pendant lamps, floor lamps, table lamps, wall lamps and wood veneer lamps.

Matching lamps

Every lamp shown on this page, in the version from the pictures.

Frequently asked questions: Scandinavian

Which lamps suit Scandinavian style?

Simple lamps made of light wood and natural materials suit Scandinavian style, for example shades of oak or birch veneer, alpine hay or linen. Shapes are clean and calm: cylinders, columns, tripods. A typical combination is a pendant above the dining table, a floor lamp in the living room and table lamps for desk and bedside.

How do you decorate in Scandinavian style?

With light walls, light wood such as oak or birch, wool and linen textiles and a few functional pieces of furniture. Muted colours such as sage or rust, ceramics, plants and a few art prints add accents. Several warm light sources instead of one bright ceiling light create cosiness.

Which colour temperature suits a Scandinavian home?

Warm white light with around 2,700 kelvin for living and dining areas and 2,200 to 2,400 kelvin for evening light and bedrooms. Warm light makes white and light wood look friendly. Cold white light above 3,000 kelvin quickly makes Scandinavian rooms feel cool and sterile.

Which wood suits Scandinavian style?

Light woods such as oak, birch and ash define Scandinavian style. For lamps, light veneers such as oak, burl birch or Swiss stone pine work particularly well because they pick up the colour of floors and furniture. Dark walnut can work as a single accent but should not dominate.

What is the difference between Scandinavian style and Japandi?

Scandinavian style is lighter and softer: lots of white, light oak, wool and sheepskin. Japandi combines this cosiness with Japanese restraint, using darker woods such as walnut, low furniture, earthy colours and even less decoration. Lamps made of wood and natural materials suit both styles.

How high should a pendant hang above the dining table?

The lower edge should be about 60 to 70 cm above the table top. That way the light falls on the table without dazzling anyone seated, and the view across the table stays clear. Over long tables, two or three smaller pendants in a row often work better than one large one.

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