Swedish Country Decorating

Swedish country decorating is all about space, clean lines, and a light touch.

I asked my friend Ida whether it’s true that the Swedes like any color as long as it is blue.


She said, “Well, everybody loves blue. But we don’t do lots of blue walls here!”

She is Swedish, and a designer, so she should know ...

Read on for Ida’s take on original Swedish country decorating:

Swedish Style(s)

• Simplicity is the order of the day in Swedish country homes – well, any Swedish homes actually, from farmhouse to city pad. Spaces are kept open and light, materials are genuine and everything is easy to maintain.


• 18th-century ‘Gustavian’ style was a Swedish interpretation of the neo-classical court of Louis XVI in Versailles. It was used in city homes first, but quickly adopted for Swedish country decorating. Pale blues, greens and grays are typical decorating colors of Gustavian style.


• The 19th-century log home of Karin and Carl Larsson has inspired and influenced Swedish country decorating for more than a century. It brings together Swedish folk art and elements of the arts & crafts movement.


• Karin Larsson created beautiful hand-woven and embroidered textiles, and to this day handmade accessories and furnishings (wood, glass, textiles) are an important element in Swedish country decor.

Keeping it Light

• For this reason, fireplaces, stoves and candles are important features in Swedish country style homes, as well as chandeliers, wall sconces and table lamps.


• Windows have fine white muslin curtains, and mirrors (sometimes with candleholders attached to them) reflect as much light as possible back into the room.


• In addition to the 'Gustavian' colors, Swedish interior decorating is often done in white, cream, light pink or pale yellow. People like chalky, powdery tints much better for their homes than bright, saturated colors.


• Deeper accent colors include gold, ochre, red and green.


• Swedish country homes contain a lot of blond wood (birch, white pine, beech, alder). It is used for furniture, floors and walls, and either left natural, bleached, or painted in pale colors.

Celebrating Nature

• There are always fresh flowers in Swedish country decorating, and natural objects (pebbles, shells and driftwood if you live near a beach) are arranged into small compositions.


• Plain, textured fabrics, as well as floral patterns, stripes and checks, are used for soft furnishings. Wallpapers and furniture are sometimes stencilled with ribbon, wreath, or heart motifs. More abstract shapes, like diamond, circle and oval, are used in Swedish style decor as well)

Comfort and Beauty

• Table settings are unassumingly beautiful, with glass, silver, and light plain or floral china in pale colors.


• Furniture has mostly straight lines in Swedish country decorating, sometimes with gently curved details and occasionally with carved accents.


• Straight-backed wooden sofas are much used in Swedish country style homes; with an integrated chest and loose cushions, they combine seating and storage, and are “excellent for an afternoon nap”, says Ida (... so it’s not just the Italians then!)


• To keep people warm, striped rag rugs have been used on Swedish floors for centuries, and woollen blankets on sofas. More recently, newfangled long-pile rugs have helped to keep the cold out as well in Swedish country decorating, but here’s the ultimate showpiece …


• … if you happen to have an original, 18th-century faience-tiled stove in your home, built like a column and reaching almost to the ceiling, consider yourself very, very lucky indeed!

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