Scandinavian Christmas decorating is an excellent choice if you want to create a festive, warm, and comfortable atmosphere in your home without overdoing it. The Scandinavian Christmas decorating theme is all about simplicity, natural materials, neutral tones, soft textures, and warm lighting.
The theme suggests having fewer decorations in your home since Scandinavian home accents focus on the beauty of the surroundings, handmade decor, and Christmas table settings made of natural materials such as wood, wool, and jute.
Scandinavian Christmas decorating ideas can be a great inspiration if you want to achieve a rustic, country, or modern style in your home.
What Is Scandinavian Christmas Decor?
Scandinavian Christmas decor is inspired by Scandinavian design, which emphasizes the importance of minimalism and functionality. This decorating style features neutral colors like white, cream, beige, gray, wooden tones, and brown. The look is elevated using greenery, candles, handcrafted decorations, and cozy knitwear. This style is less about flashy holiday displays and more about enjoying the festivities with a few well-chosen accessories.It is best to stick to the Scandinavian tradition of using minimal decorations so as not to clutter a room, and make it look underwhelming.
1. Start With Neutral Colors
Neutral colors are the foundation of any Scandinavian interior. For Christmas, opt for white, cream, beige, light gray, and brown shades.They recall the image of a Nordic winter landscape and set a calm and serene mood for the holiday. To add festive cheer, incorporate touches of green and red:
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Evergreen branches
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Red berries
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Dried orange slices
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Wooden decorations
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Pinecones
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Light green textiles
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Candles in warm hues
If you plan to decorate the dining room, choose a natural linen table runner as the base for the holiday table. The Natural Linen Table Runner from All Cotton and Linen is made of 100% linen and features a versatile neutral shade that looks great in a Scandinavian room.
2. Bring Nature Indoors
Nature is the essence of Scandinavian design, so natural Christmas decorations fit right in with this style. Add the look of the outdoors with pine branches, eucalyptus, pinecones, twigs, moss, and dried flowers. You don’t have to go all out with elaborate displays. Simply tuck a few evergreen branches in a glass vase for an instant festive display.
Try these ideas with greenery:
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Drape it along a mantel,
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lay it out on a table,
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tuck it behind open shelves,
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gather it around windows,
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or arrange it on a console table.
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Add it to a simple Christmas tree display.
To achieve a rustic Scandinavian Christmas decor, combine the natural elements with wood, woven baskets, linen, and handmade ornaments.
3. Choose a Minimal Christmas Tree
A Scandinavian Christmas tree need not be big and decorated profusely. A small potted evergreen can be a perfect addition to a minimalist house. Another idea is to put some bare branches in a vase made of ceramic or glass and add a few wooden stars, paper flags, and other decorations. For a more adventurous project, you can make a tree out of branches, dowels, and strings. When decorating a tree, remember the Scandinavian principles of minimalism and do not hang too many ornaments. Choose a few unique ones made of wood, clay, paper, fabric, or other natural materials.
4. Create a Cosy Atmosphere with Christmas Lights
Lights are essential in Scandinavian homes during Christmas. Instead of trying to illuminate large areas, it is better to use a few selected points of light.
Hang fairy lights in small garlands around the following elements:
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Windows.
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Shelves.
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Trees.
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Mantels.
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Stairs.
Candles in simple candle holders will add extra coziness. You can also place lanterns here and there around the house, for example, on the front door, near the fireplace, or on the windowsill. For a safe but no less striking effect, opt for battery-operated candles in the shape of real flames. Lights should create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, so choose bulbs with a pleasant colour.
5. Embrace Scandinavian Crafts for Christmas
Handmade decorations add personality to Scandinavian Christmas styling. Rather than buying dozens of plastic decorations, try making some unique ornaments to hang around the house.
Scandinavian crafts christmas ideas include:
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Paper stars.
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Wooden bead garlands.
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Dried orange garlands.
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Pinecone decorations.
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Twig wreaths.
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Fabric decorations.
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Paper Christmas trees.
These diy scandinavian christmas decorations can also become fun Christmas activities for the whole family. The personalization makes them more interesting, while also adding to the overall Scandinavian theme of minimalism and sustainability that the style is all about.
6. Choose Sustainable Christmas Decorations
Sustainability is a given in the Scandinavian decorating philosophy. Use natural and/or reusable materials for your Christmas ornaments and decorations whenever possible. Wooden figures, linen items, paper decorations, dried flowers, and even handmade wreaths can all be reused yearly. Another great way to decorate in a sustainable manner is to use reusable table linens.
All Cotton and Linen’s Table Linens Collection offers a variety of cotton tablecloths and linen tablecloths, napkins, placemats, and other reusable linen products that can be used to create beautiful holiday table settings, as well as everyday dinners.
7. Create a Scandinavian Christmas Table
The dining table is a great place to show off your Scandinavian Christmas decorations. Use natural fabrics, neutral colors, and minimal decorations as the foundation for your setup. A linen table runner is a great place to start, followed by simple ceramic dinnerware, neutral placemats, linen napkins, and candles.
For a natural look, try the Linen Tablecloth collection from All Cotton and Linen. This set of 100% linen tablecloths in neutral tones and simple designs can be used as a neutral background for your Scandinavian Christmas table. Add a small centerpiece made of pine branches, eucalyptus, pinecones, or candles.Keep the decorations low and simple so people can see each other over the table.
8. Add Simple Christmas Napkins
Napkins can add a special touch of holiday cheer to your table, without overwhelming it with holiday accessories. For a simple Scandinavian table, go with linen or cotton napkins in white, beige, natural, soft green, and muted red tones.
You can also fold them simply and add a tiny sprig of evergreen, a pinecone, or a dried orange slice.
To add a pop of traditional Christmas color to the holiday table, use some red napkins, leaving the others plain or in neutral colors.
All Cotton and Linen’s Red napkins collection is a great choice for adding festive cotton Christmas napkins to your table in traditional and modern prints and colors that will go well with tablecloths or placemats. To create a simple Nordic table, choose the most plain design and pair it with linens in natural colors.
9. Layer the Table With Minimal Placemats
Layered placemats add texture to a Scandinavian-style table but should not be overloaded. Opt for something minimalistic in shape and neutral tones. Beige, green, white tones, linen, and gray colors will be an excellent choice. Go with natural linen placemats layered with a linen table runner and simple ceramic dinnerware.
If you are looking for more ideas for a Christmas table, check out All Cotton and Linen Christmas collection and choose from Christmas napkins, tablecloths, placemats, and other kitchen towels.
10. Combine Rustic and Modern Nordic Decorating Ideas
There are several ways to decorate a house in the Scandinavian style. In case you want to go for the rustic look, emphasize
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Natural wood.
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Pine branches.
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Pinecones.
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Woven baskets.
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Handmade ornaments.
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Linen.
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Dried flowers.
If you are interested in the modern style, choose
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Simple shapes.
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White and beige colors.
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Limited greenery.
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Glass vases.
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Modern furniture.
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Neutral textiles.
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Warm lighting.
You can also combine the modern and rustic styles. For example, set the dining area with a white, modern table and decorate it with rustic wooden ornaments and pine branches and linens.
11. Bring Traditional Scandinavian Christmas Decor In Your Home
If you want to create a more traditional holiday atmosphere, traditional Scandinavian Christmas decorations can be brought into the home through familiar elements, while still managing to keep it modern and minimalistic.
Incorporate greenery, wooden Christmas decorations, candles, stars, simple textiles, and a few red details. Instead of using bright colors in your holiday decor, let one or two traditional decorations in Scandinavian style be the centerpieces of your room with a neutral color palette as an underlying background.
For example, in combination with wooden accents and red napkins, a white tablecloth and greenery will be enough to set the holiday season spirit. All Cotton and Linen’s christmas table linens can be used to introduce traditional Scandinavian colors into your home while keeping the rest of the table settings neutral.
12. Try Scandinavian Style Gift Wrapping
Even your presents can become a part of your Christmas decor.Use brown wrapping paper and decorate them with natural twine instead of colorful patterned paper and loads of pretty ribbons. Add a small sprig of evergreen or a pine cone and a dried orange slice for a rustic touch. It is beautiful, affordable, and in the spirit of the holiday. Not to mention that it is much closer to the Scandinavian style of decorating with minimal and natural elements.Display the wrapped presents in a basket or under the tree.
13. Choose Functional Decorations
The Scandinavian design principle emphasizes the importance of not only beautiful but also useful home items, so pick decorations with multiple purposes in mind.
For instance, a woven basket can hold your winter blankets while also serving as an exquisite addition to your living room’s furniture arrangement. Another idea is to go with a reusable Advent calendar as a festive decoration that will also engage your kids during the holiday season.
Moreover, you can opt for decorative table linens that will make your festive dinners more enjoyable while also contributing to the overall coziness of the room’s atmosphere. Such smart yet simple solutions will help you achieve a clutter-free home during the holiday season while also making sure you can enjoy every moment of the festive period.
14. Keep the Decor Intentional
The most important rule about the Scandinavian Christmas decoration is that it should be intentional. Do not fill up the house with hundreds of different decorations and ornaments - it is better to choose a few meaningful things that would inspire you and make your home warm and comfortable. Maybe there is a handmade gift from your kids, a lovely family photo, a natural wreath, or your husband’s favorite linen table runner - these decorations will create the best Scandinavian Christmas vibes in your home.
Do not forget that less is more - leave enough space between different decorations. In that way, a few well-chosen items will create a cozier atmosphere than a hundred different ones put in one room.
Final Thoughts
The Scandinavian Christmas decor is all about creating a holiday ambiance in the house that embodies coziness, simplicity, nature, and meaning.
A combination of neutral tones, greenery, textiles, warm lights, hand-made accents, and decorative functional objects in Scandinavian style will create a welcoming holiday atmosphere with minimal effort and clutter.
Nordic Christmas ideas can be both rustic or modern, minimalistic, or full of DIY vibes - there are countless ways to capture the spirit of the Scandinavian holidays.
If you are looking for inspiration for your Christmas table, explore the All Cotton and Linen Christmas collection and shop festive napkins, tablecloths, placemats, and other holiday decorations. The Table Linens store has an incredible variety of natural linen and cotton fabrics for creating a hyggelig Scandinavian table setting.
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