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How to create a Scandi-style living room

IKEA is perfectly at home surrounded by birch and pine, organic colour schemes, and furniture with a functional, attractive purpose. If you feel the same way, take a look at these easy-to-do tips for achieving a characteristic Scandinavian look in your own home.
A bright, sunlit living room with a beige STOCKHOLM 2025 three-seat sofa, complemented by decorative cushions.

Embrace light and neutral colours

Oh, the light! If you can’t get enough outside daylight, it’s a good idea to brighten your home from within. Harmonizing blond wood, maximizing light intake, and light or neutral colours go a long way. That said, don’t hesitate to add a sprawling plant or graphic-pattern cushion to give the room a visual boost.

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A POÄNG armchair stands near some LILLEHEM seating and a TUNSTA side table with a plant in a pot on top.

Embrace light and neutral colours

Oh, the light! If you can’t get enough outside daylight, it’s a good idea to brighten your home from within. Harmonizing blond wood, maximizing light intake, and light or neutral colours go a long way. That said, don’t hesitate to add a sprawling plant or graphic-pattern cushion to give the room a visual boost.

Let your storage combine function and style

Design, material, and placement are all vital aspects of storage furniture. An open bookcase creates an airy expression, making it perfect for display and decoration. With closed storage, it’s harder to disguise size and volume – but there are still effective ways to add style. Materials like wood and lighter colours add mood to the room without exaggerating the visual impact. Freeing up the floor by mounting cabinets on the wall also helps to emphasize lightness and space.

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An airy, bright living room with side-by-side STOCKHOLM 2025 shelving units displaying books and decorative items.
A white BESTÅ TV bench with doors is mounted on a wall underneath a wall-mounted TV and IVAR cabinets painted with stripes.
A bright space with an IVAR shelving unit, one pine cabinet door open to reveal books and storage boxes neatly arranged.

Add natural materials

Materials like wood and natural fibre – jute, rattan, or a seat in woven linen bands – are a sure way to bring a sense of comfort to the room. The look, texture and touch blend nearly universally with other styles, and ages with grace.
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A living room with a green STOCKHOLM 2025 easy chair made of birch veneer with a woven seat, accompanied by a folded throw.
On a LOHALS rug are two FRÖSET chairs with MAJSMOTT cushions. In the background are dark-gray PAX wardrobes.
A bright living room with a FRYKSÅS cabinet made of rattan, displaying decorative items and surrounded by plants.

Keep it minimalist (but don’t forget cozy)

A modern Scandinavian look stems from a tradition of making a lot with a little. Functional design and sparse furniture interact to emphasize the room’s natural space. Also, with fewer objects around, the ones you select make all the more impact.

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A living room with beige STOCKHOLM 2025 4-seat sofas and pouffe around a STOCKHOLM 2025 oak-veneer-and-glass coffee table.
A living room with a white BACKSÄLEN one-and-a-half-seat armchair with cushions and a throw by an ÄNGESBYN storage table.
A light living-room corner arranged with a grey-and-white STOCKHOLM 2025 armchair, green throw, and pine-veneer side table.