When one thinks of Scandinavian design and style the first thing that comes to mind is probably IKEA.

Although the big box store has done a great job at helping it become more mainstream, Scandinavian design is much more than just what one finds at IKEA.

Scandinavian design and style are a form of modernism. At the core of the Scandinavian design movement are the concepts of minimalism, functionalism and simplicity. The idea is incorporate both form and function for a marriage of beautiful home decor that is affordable and attainable.

There is also a focus on do-it-yourself ideas, and techniques for using natural materials, like wood, wool, linen and cotton. Patterns are important in Scandinavian design and often reference the natural world as well as ancient Nordic design motifs. It’s easy to see why people equate Scandinavian design with IKEA, because that all sounded like a description from an IKEA catalog!

Do-it-Yourself Scandinavian Design Projects

1.  Painted Dresser – take an old piece of wood furniture and some geometric painted accents to add some Scandinavian design to your home.
2. Minimalist Cube Shelf – make your Scandinavian style floating shelf on which to store your most prized tiny knickknacks to really show them off.
3. Paper Garland “Curtains” – use this tutorial to use hanging paper garlands as curtains to add some pretty and simple style to your windows.
4. DIY Balsa Wood Heart – just in time for Valentine’s Day, make your own simple heart decoration to spread the love around your home. This is so simple, it’s stunning!
5. Simple Stitched Table Runner – add some cross stitching to a table runner for a simple project to create a starry night table runner.
6. Colorful Stenciled Wall – this great project utilizes a stencil from Royal Design Studio to create a colorful and gorgeous random herringbone accent wall.
7. Paint by Number Wood Coasters – this project features Pennsylvania Dutch designs, but they are so reminiscent of Scandinavian motifs that they would work in your Scandinavian styled home as well.
8. DIY Pallet Bed – a pallet bed combines the simplicity, affordable and resourceful of Scandinavian design perfectly. Reuse and reduce!
9. Dip Dyed Baskets – dip dying baskets will add a bit of that rustic charm that is part of Scandinavian design. It’s also a really easy and inexpensive way to add some color to your decor.

Related on Ecosalon

Adding Folkloric Flourishes to Your Home Decor

Style Clash: Country Comfort Meets Simple Scandinavian

IKEA’s Glass Houses

Top Image: IKEA

The post 9 Simple & Gorgeous Scandinavian Design Home Decor Projects appeared first on EcoSalon.

Come on, pin a little.

There’s nothing quite like a good inspiration board pinned with memorable quotes, tears from magazines, friends’ recipes, and pictures, but we live in the digital age, where we’re constantly finding inspiration that we can’t physically put anywhere (well, not without printing paper). Which is why we’re Pinterest fans. The online pinboard allows us to find and share daily inspiration, across a variety of categories. You can see what we’re currently looking to for creative inspiration by following us.

Where do we go to find new designs, recipes or just a good daily quote? We’ve rounded up some of our favorite Pinterest users and boards that the EcoSalon team follows for daily inspiration.

Fashion & Style

Crosby Noricks: Colorful, edgy and modern.

Fashion by Lisa in Love: A good eye out of Portland, Oregon.

Style Stalking by Melanie Bender: A collection of inspiring street style.

Dressed by Jessica Steeber: We would wear every single thing on here.

Jewelry by Erin Duffey: From simple to intricate.

Fashion by Elouise McGill: Classic and feminine styles.

Sasha Duerr: Textiles and colors that we can’t get enough of.

HonestlyWTF: Colorful and edgy designs, as well as some top notch DIY.

Tiger: Tiger is a blogger at Elle Decor Sweden, and she certainly has an eye for style.

sfgirlbybay: Bohemian modern style from San Francisco.

Shelter

Interiors by Arch Daily: A diverse selection of clean and modern spaces.

Habitats by nd+: All kinds of interiors and living spaces.

Smarchitecture by Myan Duong: Examples of smart design from around the world.

Frida Ramstedt: Frida runs the top Scandinavian decor blog Trendenser and has a great collection of everything Nordic.

Design Milk: A look into the inspiration behind one of our favorite design blogs.

Food

Big Girls Small Kitchen: BGSK is one of our favorite blogs, and it’s no surprise that their Pinterest page is just as inspiring for cooking a good meal.

Heidi Swanson: Author of 101cookbooks, Heidi keeps an excellent collection of everything that fuels her recipes.

Synapse: For any lover of food porn.

Food52: Simple, straightforward but beautiful food from a community of food lovers.

Gilt Taste: From the brains behind the online resource for gourmet and artisan goods.

Gastronomista: Films, infographics and art that all incorporate a culinary element.

A little of everything

Traveling Green: A wonderful collection of outdoor landscapes, nature photography and global pursuits.

Holstee: The conscious lifestyle goods brand has a great collection of quotes, gorgeous bicycles and images to fuel your wanderlust.

Caitlin Bristol: Green inspiration, from fashionable reusable bags to outdoor eating.

PortlandiaTV: What can we say? They’re good at “putting a bird on it.”

The post Daily Inspiration: 25 Pinterests We Love appeared first on EcoSalon.

Wherein we ask our favorite design bloggers, curators and forecasters what inspires them.  

Anna Gustafsson grew up in Sweden, lived in Australia, then in Switzerland, and has since settled down in Paris where she writes about Scandinavian design and interior decorating. If the mention of Scandinavia hasn’t given it away by now, we heart her bilingual blog La Maisson d’Anna G. for it’s clean photography and always-digestible Nordic eye candy.  

Anna chose to answer question number three: what’s your favorite object and how did you find it?

Many years ago during a period with a lot of changes in my life, I ran into this old and traditional Chinese canvas painting at a flea market. The style in my home is pretty Scandinavian and not very Asian at all, but I immediately loved this painting with its beautiful colours. The two girls who sold it said that their uncle had brought it back from China where he had lived for many years in his younger days. I have no idea whether that was actually true or not, but the canvas seemed pretty authentic to me. Being on a tight budget at the time I had to use all my negotiation skills to get it, which I obviously did in the end! For some inexplicable reason, it felt like the painting somehow represented the beginning of a new life.

I have moved houses a couple of times after that, but this canvas is always the first thing I hang up in a new place. I love the contrast it creates with the rest of my things and its color scheme has even influenced and steered the colors throughout my whole home. Most of my furniture is white, black or wood, but I have picked up colors from the painting on cushions, throws, lampshades etc.

It would be fun to know a bit more about the painting itself, but for the time being I’m happy just admiring the colors and imagining the story behind it!

The 5 Questions Series is an ongoing project wherein we peek inside the workspaces and living spaces of our favorite design bloggers, curators and trendsetters.

The post 5 Questions Series with Anna Gustafsson of La Maisson d’Anna G appeared first on EcoSalon.