Characterized by bold, clean lines and simple, sturdy symmetries, Scandinavian Modernism is perhaps the warmest and most organic iteration of modernist design. Beginning around 1930, Danish, Finnish and Swedish designers began producing furniture and decor pieces that stressed quality craftsmanship and the ideal that beauty should enhance even the most humble of accessories of daily life.
Scroll through the below images to see how different interior designers have used Scandinavian Modern pieces in their work — and then, shop similar items from our collection.
An Arne Jacobsen Egg chair adds a cool, modern note to the living room of a Manhattan penthouse designed by Neal Beckstedt. Photo by Marili Forastieri
Architect and interior designer Deborah Berke‘s light-filled aerie at the new 432 Park Avenue building in New York features Paimio armchairs by Alvar Aalto. Photo © DBOX for CIM Group & Macklowe Properties
Jacobsen’s Egg and Swan chairs are paired with Poul Volther’s Corona chairs in the lively sitting room of architect Charles Deaton’s 1963 curvilinear Sculptured House on Genesee Mountain in Colorado. Photo © Richard Powers, courtesy of Abrams
In this converted Manhattan loft designed by architect and interior designer Lee F. Mindel, Poul Kjærholm‘s marble coffee table echoes the right angles that dominate the room’s layout. Photo © Michael Moran/OTTO
With their lithe profile, Poul Kjærholm’s wicker PK22 chairs offset the vivid, patterned textiles in the media room Richard Mishaan designed for his family’s home in Cartagena, Colombia. Photo courtesy of The Monacelli Press
In this Manhattan high-rise, Mishaan employed a teak-framed NV 45 chair by Finn Juhl to evoke a seductive, mid-century mood. Photo courtesy of The Monacelli Press
Elegant, clean-lined Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs ring a dramatic marble dining table in this interior by Patricia Urquiola. Photo © Alessandro Paderni
The same Wegner chairs look equally chic in this Brooklyn kitchen by design firm Workstead. Photo by Matthew Williams
In these two rooms, Parisian designer Pierre Yovanovitch presents highly refined visions of Scandinavian Modernism with armchairs by Karen & Ebbe Clemmensen (left) and a Flemming Lassen sofa (right). Photos © Lux Productions
Wegner’s black leather Ox chair — as seen in the Los Angeles bedroom of designer Cliff Fong — echoes his lifelong fascination with Pablo Picasso. Photo by Mary Nichols
A chaise lounge by Swedish designer Bruno Mathsson provides an understated yet unexpected touch in Fong’s living room. Photo by Mary Nichols
A dramatic wingback chair by Frits Henningsen adds a moody touch to this Michael Dawkins-designed study in New York. Photo by Craig Dennis
