Scandinavian Painted Furniture
Furnish Scandinavian – Scandinavian painted furniture
The Scandinavians stand for a casual attitude to life and their living style should express exactly this attitude to life. It’s beautiful, but never complicated, cozy and wonderfully light. We’ll show you how easy it is to bring this style into your home too. You will learn the secret of black and white, the importance of natural materials and cheerful patterns. We’ll also introduce you to Scandinavian design classics and name today’s creative labels.
Scandinavian living style in black and white
Contrasts are exciting and invigorating, and black and white is the best example of this. In a team, both tones combine materials and patterns, colors and shapes. The light-dark team harmonizes every ambience. Another thing Scandinavians love about it: Its clarity appears modern in any environment. Because black and white are all-rounders: so quiet that they fit everywhere and so clear that they give rooms a wonderful structure.
A triad of comfort: white, black and light woods such as oak, maple, beech and spruce. Straight furniture and graphic patterns support the modern effect. Industrial-style lights, for example , which perfectly complement the living style, go well with this.
White and light woods alone make a beautiful combination with which the Scandinavians make their rooms look wider and more airy. Delicate, black picture frames on a white wall are a clear eye-catcher in the room. Or black picture strips on the wall make it possible to easily change pictures with sayings and to create creative puns. Typographies as wall decorations are a global trend from Scandinavia.
DIY idea : simply create a black and white mural yourself! With black letters in different typography on white plates, that looks really special on the wall. You can order foil ABC online.
Dots, stripes, animal prints – in terms of color, this mix would look restless on ceramics, for example . However, black and white tames the contrasts. This combination is particularly effective with ceramics on a table made of natural wood.
Scandinavian country house style: materials & colors – Scandinavian painted furniture
Country house style in Scandinavian – that means lots of light natural tones, natural materials, the right balance between vintage pieces, shabby chic and modern furniture and home accessories. Also important: playing with special color accents. The result – it feels wonderfully cozy.
These are the materials: light wood such as oak or pine always fits, especially if a few home accessories such as baskets or bowls take up the topic. Wire baskets, beautiful glasses and vases as well as ceramics fit perfectly. Wooden furniture in contemporary trend colors – such as blue or green, for example – brings a modern look .
- Accent color green
Green is a strong color, but it blends seamlessly with any ambience. Either as a houseplant or plant prints on cushions , curtains , wallpaper or posters. The calming effect of the color green is also due to the fact that our eyes perceive green as an almost natural component of our environment. Green is perceived as balancing and friendly. Especially in the country house style , this color is a perfect player in the living area.
- Accent color turquoise – Scandinavian painted furniture
A color that contains more calming green or cool blue , depending on the mix ratio . The light colors look particularly modern and fresh, are cool, but not cool. For furniture in country house style and antiques, turquoise is a great partner who helps to create a very modern ambience.
- Accent color yellow – Scandinavian painted furniture
Depending on the intensity and mix, yellow refreshes an ambience properly. Clear sun yellow looks very modern, a touch of ocher, on the other hand, underlines the country house note of an interior. Dark tones in the area make yellow really shine. This accent color is a great way to draw attention to an ensemble or a special piece of furniture or beautiful home accessories.
- Accent color blue and greige – a mix of gray and beige
Dark greige underlines the earthy note of an interior and contributes to the warm feeling of living, blue works like a splash of water: visually cools and refreshes the interior. Both tones together make a beautiful color team for any modern country style.
- Accent color rose – Scandinavian painted furniture
Pink tones are mostly associated with a very feminine ambience – in fact, they can make a room look unintentionally sweet. That changes when cool gray is brought into play – the interior immediately takes on a grown-up touch. The balance is important: As a mere nuance, pink can also simply freshen up a gray environment.
Scandinavian design: the classics – Scandinavian painted furniture
Scandinavian painted furniture: The icons of yore wrote design history: Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen, Hans J. Wegner, Greta Grossman, Kay Bojesen, Finn Juhl. Almost all classic Scandinavian designers worked with wood and tried to give it as organic, almost curvy shapes as possible.
- Alvar Aalto
Nature knows no right angles – that’s one of the reasons why the Finns loved sweeping shapes. He even bent wood as he imagined. His famous E60 stool from 1933 was created almost incidentally during experiments with plywood in his company Artek.
- Arne Jacobsen
Scandinavian painted furniture: One for all. The Dane designed buildings and furniture for the people. It also included a hotel, complete with all the trimmings. Design, he thought, should be there for everyone.
Design classic: Chair 3107 from 1955: the 7-seat chair was a star in the 1960s. It is still today and is produced by the Fritz Hansen company in new colors.
- HJ Wegner
The Danish architect designed a lot of furniture. Above all, he was the master of the wooden chairs. With each new model he wanted to surpass himself. He would have loved to make just the one perfect chair. But he kept coming up with new variants.
Design classic: Chair CH26, which Wegner designed in 1950 but never saw as a finished product. Carl Hansen & Sohn now has the CH26 manufactured from original drawings.
- Greta Rossmann
Scandinavian painted furniture: The grande dame of Scandinavian design was just right for America: Her designs fit the popular mid-century style wonderfully. All Hollywood loved the designer and had houses designed and furnished by her.
Design classic: Gräshoppa, 1947. The graceful floor lamp with a 50s flair was designed by Greta Grossmann when she was already living in California.
- Kay Bojesen
The Dane was actually a silversmith. The birth of his son changed everything. Among other things, the country’s design history. His animals are
design classics: Monkey, 1951. Bojesen created his most famous animal figure quite late. In the meantime, the Danish design company Rosendahl is also bringing back Bojesen animal creations that have long been forgotten.
- Finn Juhl
Scandinavian painted furniture: The Dane decided for himself that furniture design is free art. He didn’t care about tradition. And made Nordic design even more interesting. Juhl sparked small revolts with his furniture because it violated design maxims.
Design classic sofa “Poeten”, 1941. A piece of furniture that seemed almost surreal at the time, which Juhl designed for his own house. It was only named “Poet” in 1959, when it appeared as a prop in the Danish film “The Poet and His Wife”.
Scandinavian design: today’s creative labels – Scandinavian painted furniture
Go your own way and still stay true to tradition. This is what distinguishes these Scandinavian labels of today.
- Hay
The young Danish company has been bringing together great designers and their design pieces under its label since 2003. Simple, beautiful and affordable: these Nordic values characterize the family business. Married couple Rolf and Mette Hay put together their first collection in 2003. hay.dk
- &Tradition
The Danish label, founded by Martin Kornbek Hansen, relies on classics: some of them have a lot of past: others above all a great future. Every designer comes up with an idea. The rest is teamwork. And love for everything beautiful. Product example: Fly Chair SCI. Typically Nordic! Oak wood and down pillows. The Danish design office of Space Copenhagen designed this lounge series for & Tradition. andtradition.com
- Wästberg
Scandinavian painted furniture: The lighting manufacturer only had prototypes when it went to the first trade fair in 2008. Then the orders came. More than founder Magnus Wästberg would have ever thought. “We’re forcing engineers to think outside the box,” says Wästbergconvinced. Product example: pendant light W151. The Swedish design office Claesson Koivisto Rune designed the conical pendant lights for Wästberg. They have a diameter of up to one meter.wastberg.com
- Muuto
In the beginning, the founders Peter Bonnen and Kristian Byrge didn’t even have business cards and only had ten products offer. That was 2006. Today? One of the market leaders. By the way: The Finnish word “Muutos” means new perspective.muuto.com
- Norman Copenhagen
The first productlaunched founders Jan Andersen and Poul Madsen in 2002: the kit of a lamp – “Norm 69”. That made a lot of people curious. Also many designers who work for the label today.normann-copenhagen.com
- Menu
Scandinavian painted furniture: It all started with kitchen steel. In the 1970s, the company supplied the catering industry with steel products where functionality was paramount. This was also the focus of the Irish coffee set designed by Bjarne Hansen for the company in 1988. It looked so good that it became a global success. The label has been bringing international design to the market since the 1990s and now over 20 important designers work for the company.
Who doesn’t know it – sometimes you look around your apartment and just feel the need to design something differently. Be it to rearrange the furnishings or to change the furniture itself. So how about you give them a personal touch by spicing them up yourself? Regardless of whether it’s just a different color or a cool pattern – painted furniture brings every room to life! We’ll show you how you can easily paint your furniture yourself.
- What furniture can I paint?
- Can I paint my furniture without sanding it first?
- What else do I have to pay attention to before I paint my furniture?
- Painting furniture with acrylic paint
- Paint furniture with chalk paint
- Painting furniture – are there stencils?
- Painting furniture with a vintage flair
- Painting furniture ideas
What furniture can I paint?
In principle, you can paint any furniture – whether it’s chairs , chests of drawers , cupboards, bedside tables , shelves , dining tables or beds. There are just a few differences in terms of materials. Wooden furniture, for example, is much easier to handle and also to paint than plastic furniture. These need special pre-treatment so that the paint can stick to them as best as possible. You can find out more under acrylic and chalk paint.
Can I paint my furniture without sanding it first?
Scandinavian painted furniture: In order to paint your furniture , the surface should definitely be clean and free of grease and dust. In general, it is advisable to roughen your piece of furniture with some sandpaper. This way you can be sure that old paint is removed and that the paint can adhere better. You just have to completely remove the fine shavings after you have sanded off your piece of furniture.
What else do I have to pay attention to before I paint my furniture?
Ideally, you should definitely paint your furniture outdoors. So you don’t have the smell of fresh paint in the house and painted furniture can dry better in the fresh air . If you have no way of painting the furniture outdoors, be sure to open all the windows while painting.
In addition, so as not to get anything dirty, you should put something under it, such as old newspaper.
A little tip: Before you paint your furniture , test the color or your pattern on a test board. This way you can be sure that you really like your painted furniture.
Painting furniture with acrylic paint
Furniture painted with acrylic paint is water-based, which makes it smell less intense – so acrylic paints are ideal for the interior.
If you want to paint your furniture with acrylic paint, it is advisable to apply a bonding agent in advance. However, whether this is really necessary depends on the material of your furniture. However, an adhesion promoter is essential for plastic furniture.
A little tip: There are so-called 2-in-1 acrylic paints that already have an adhesion promoter / primer integrated into the paint.
In order to paint your furniture with acrylic paint, it is advisable to use a paint roller for large areas. If there are many small decorations on your piece of furniture, it is better to use a small brush so that you can work more thoroughly.
To make painted furniture nice and even, you should always paint in the same direction. Depending on which acrylic paint you buy, it may not be completely opaque the first time through. Then just let the paint dry and paint over it again!
Acrylic paint is available both in hardware stores and on the Internet.
Paint furniture with chalk paint
If you want to paint your furniture with chalk paint, it is particularly important to treat the surface of your furniture with sandpaper. This way you can be sure that the chalk paint will hold up well. If there is still old paint, you can sand it down with the sandpaper. Start with a little coarser sandpaper (for example 60 or 80 grit) and move on to finer sandpaper (120 to 240 grit).
If you want to make your furniture shabby chic, it is even advisable to only sand with a coarse grain. This gives your piece of furniture the ultimate look with small scratches, bumps and signs of use.
Again, as with acrylic paint, it is helpful to work with a primer so that the paint adheres better. Use a paint roller for large areas and a brush for smaller areas or decorations. Unlike acrylic paints, with chalk paint it is not that important to paint in the same direction. The color forgives an uneven application. You can even easily touch up some areas without being seen afterwards.
Chalk paint is also absorbed very quickly. Furniture painted with chalk paint is usually dry in about two hours .
A little tip: For a particularly long-lasting result, you can seal the chalk paint with wax. For example, transparent wood wax is very suitable.
Painting furniture – are there stencils?
Scandinavian painted furniture: If you don’t just want to give your furniture a new color, you can either draw some freehand on it or make it easier for yourself and use stencils. You can buy these on Amazon , Ebay & Co., as well as in craft shops. Whether mandalas or other cool patterns – in the following YouTube video you will find out how you can easily embellish your furniture with stencils and chalk paints! In this example, a mural is made, but the same applies to your furniture:
Painting furniture with a vintage flair
Would you like to give your painted furniture a little vintage flair? Then we have the ultimate tip for you here:
Get fine steel wool from the hardware store and use it to carefully treat the painted furniture . In particular, chalk paint works directly and your home accessory gets nostalgic effects!
Painting furniture ideas
So, now we have given you some tips and tricks – but how should your furniture look in the future? We’ll show you some ideas here on how to paint your furniture. Let yourself be inspired and discover the ultimate look for your furniture!
