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Designing a Scandinavian kitchen is all about striking a balance between minimalist simplicity and inviting warmth. It is the perfect blend of practicality with timeless character. This style of kitchen combines hygge elements of Nordic design with simple lines, muted tones and neutral colors, and natural elements to create a cozy, inviting space.
Designing a Scandinavian Kitchen
We purchased our 1903 Victorian-built home twelve years ago and slowly began renovating it room by room. We have now done everything from the attic through to the outdoor kitchen. This home has been a labor of love, so to speak. After many years of dreaming about what I would love in a new kitchen, we finally took the plunge this past summer and began a renovation. What began as a kitchen renovation turned into our entire main floor.
I’ve always been drawn to the simplistic, minimal style I saw when traveling throughout Europe and Scandinavia over the years. By the time we began this renovation, I knew exactly what I wanted and began to design a beautiful kitchen using French and Scandinavian design elements. I wanted to share some of the Scandi design details that I focused on when designing this space.
Use Neutral Colors and Natural Tones
A Scandinavian kitchen typically uses a muted color palette. Whites, soft greys, warm beiges, and even muted shades are common choices. These colors tend to reflect natural light, making the space feel very open and inviting.
Keeping the walls and architectural features of a kitchen space light or neutral is the perfect opportunity to build a blank canvas for the rest of the room’s details. I love to incorporate shiplap into all of my renovated spaces to add a subtle detail to the wall that has a timeless feel.
We used my favorite white paint color throughout the new kitchen and main level renovation, including the shiplap walls, planked ceilings, and even on our new cabinets, only changing the sheen depending on what area was being painted.
I love how using the same color throughout the space creates an open, airy feel that is perfect for featuring the focal points of the kitchen, like the stove and 9′ pantry doors from France.
Focus on Functionality
A Scandinavian kitchen emphasizes functionality by maximizing storage space. Every item has a purpose, and there’s a focus on keeping surfaces clear of clutter.
Taking on the approach of purposeful organization means every object in the kitchen has a place or home; this helps keep surfaces clear and the overall aesthetic clean and simple. A few simple ways to do this are:
Minimalistic Cabinetry And Storage
Built-in storage solutions, like pullout cabinets and drawer organizers, help make the most of your kitchen space. They keep essentials neatly tucked away while maintaining a clean, open feel.
Clever storage options, such as pullout pantry shelves and hidden compartments, make it easy to keep countertops clutter-free and ensure everything has its place. This type of smart organization maximizes space and brings a sense of calm to the kitchen while keeping its function and simple aesthetic.
In our new kitchen, I focused heavily on organization! I wanted the look of simple cabinet doors instead of drawers, but I also wanted the functionality of pullout drawers so we could always see everything in the cabinet without needing to dig in the back.
We added pullouts and drawer organizers to as many cabinet spaces as possible, including peg board organizers, sectioned drawer dividers, and risers for our spice drawer. I even added a slideout bakeware organizer, which is lovely. Most of these were very easily installed ourselves, so I have linked what we used for you below.
We also built an apothecary cabinet into our coffee station. These tiny drawers are amazing for keeping things organized.
Shop The Kitchen
These are all items that I have added to the kitchen and LOVE! All of the wooden organizers we installed ourselves and work so well! If you are here from Canada, you can shop all of them in my Canadian Amazon Shop.
Open Concept Shelving
Open shelves bring a sense of openness to the space and allow you to display beautiful dishes, glassware, or even plants. Just make sure to keep them uncluttered for that minimalist feel.
Over the last few years, I have collected so many beautiful antique dishes and pottery to display when we add open shelves in our new kitchen. Not only is open shelving a beautiful way to display your collections, but it is also extremely easy to grab what you need quickly and easily.
I also love adding original paintings or seasonal items to our open shelves for a beautiful focal point.
Unique Kitchen Island
An open-concept kitchen island designed as a standalone piece of furniture rather than traditional cabinets gives the kitchen character and functionality. This island style keeps the kitchen feeling light and airy, with open shelving or minimal cabinetry that avoids the bulk of standard kitchen units.
An open-concept island can serve as a central gathering space while adding functionality. The open design allows quick access to dishes, cookbooks, or decor items. It can easily be styled to match the simplicity and warmth of Scandinavian decor, creating a beautiful focal point in the kitchen.
We found a beautiful antique florist workbench from France in the early 1900s. This piece allows for an extra kitchen dining area and a practical and beautiful, open-concept storage area. I store my cookware here, along with some linens and other useful kitchen tools.
Incorporate Wood Accents and Natural Elements
Adding touches of nature to the kitchen is a big part of designing a Scandinavian-style kitchen. Sustainable wood elements and natural stone can add a cozy feel and natural warmth to the room.
Our countertops are honed Carrera marble and are one of the most beautiful additions to our kitchen. Over time, they will develop a natural patina that will add so much character to the space.
Wood accents throughout the kitchen, from the French doors of our pantry to the antique wood cutting boards, spatulas, and rolling pins, are great ways to add touches of warmth to the space. Wooden stools and handmade wooden containers are another great way to do this.
I also refinished the original hardwood floors in this room during our renovation. Using a flooring product that pulls the red tones out of the wood, we were able to change our Fir floors to a beautiful white oak color that is light and airy!
Maximize Natural Light
Let’s face it: In most homes, the kitchen is the space we generally frequent the most throughout the day, so keeping it bright and well-lit is important. Making the most of natural light is essential in a Scandinavian-style kitchen.
A few ways to let in as much light as possible are:
- Incorporate large windows to let in as much light as possible.
- Opt for minimal window treatments or use light-filtering shades.
- Use reflective surfaces like glass cabinets or glossy finishes to help bounce light around the room.
- Layered lighting, such as pendant lights, under-cabinet lighting, and table lamps, enhances the warm, bright feel during darker months.
Like Scandinavian countries, Canada experiences limited sunlight in winter, so maximizing natural light was a key aspect of my kitchen design.
We added a new east window that brings in so much sunlight first thing in the morning. Removing the south walls of the original kitchen space allows so much more light throughout the day.
I also designed a European push/pull window that my husband custom-made with a local carpenter. It is stunning! It will be lovely to use in the summer when we are cooking in our small outdoor kitchen and need to pass through food and other items.
Mix Textures And Metals
Mixing metals in a Scandinavian-style kitchen can add depth and focal interest. Combining warm metals like unlacquered brass or copper with cool ones like stainless steel or brush nickel can create a balanced look.
Faucets and metal accents are the finishing touches to any space. We went with unlacquered brass faucets in both our sinks in this space. I love the patina that the unlacquered brass turns as it ages; it gives so much character to these pieces. Our pot filler is from France and is brushed nickel.
Our beautiful range is a Lancache, custom-built in France. It has brass and brushed nickel accents, which bring all the metals in the space together. We opted for the traditional cast iron French top with three ovens: two electric and one gas.
Growing up, some of my fondest memories of my sweet Grandma are of her cooking delicious dinners for all of us on her antique wood burning kitchen stove. I hope that this new stove serves my children’s memories the same way that ol’ stove of Grandma’s did mine. It feels like the heart of the kitchen and I am so grateful to finally have it here.
Embrace Simplicity
A Scandinavian kitchen feels calm, inviting, and easy to move around in. This style is all about keeping things clean, organized, and functional without any extra clutter. Everything has a purpose, and simplicity is key.
Clutter Free Counters
I have a rule in our new kitchen: If it isn’t something we use regularly, it isn’t in our kitchen. I did a major purge of everything I had. Getting down to only the items I use and love felt great.
There are no small appliances on any of my countertops. I designed specific cabinet spaces where I could store these items, but they could also function without needing to be pulled out for use.
Behind our massive wooden pantry doors, I added an extra marble counter space that displays our blender, toaster, and air fryer. These items are usable, and when we are done, we simply close the doors.
The coffee station was the same. I added outlets in the cabinets and an extra slab of marble counter space so this area could function when needed and be tucked out of sight when it wasn’t.
This keeps the kitchen looking clutter-free and simple but still allows for the ease of use of all our must-have appliances.
Dedicated Drawers
It was important to me to have a home for everything in our kitchen. I was so tired of never being able to find what I was looking for when I needed it. Our spices were one of the biggest pain points in our previous kitchen, so I knew I wanted something more organized in the new space.
We dedicated a drawer just for spices and took the time to organize and label everything. It is now so easy when I need to grab a particular spice for a recipe, and I love the look of this drawer too. It is so satisfying to open up and see all the spices I use in alphabetical order!
Add Touches Of Hygge
Hygge, the Danish concept of coziness, adds warmth and personality to the simplicity of a Nordic or Scandi-style kitchen:
- Soft lighting through candles or warm-toned light bulbs sets a cozy atmosphere.
- Natural plants, cut flowers, or herbs on the windowsill bring life and color.
- Warm textures like stoneware, woven baskets, and natural linens add a comforting, handmade touch.
Adding touches of Hygge means designing a space that is not only functional and practical but also feels good to be in no matter what the season.
Scandinavian Kitchen Video Tour
It feels so good to be done with our renovation finally, and I love how my European-style kitchen has turned out. It already functions so much better for our family, and all that is left to do in this space is to simply make some memories.
