What is Scandinavian design?

Scandinavian design , associated with the countries of Northern Europe, is characterized by simplicity, functionality and beauty,

Why is Scandinavian design so popular?

Because Scandinavian design focuses on craftsmanship and clean lines, it is a style that lasts the test of time. Designed to maximize light and focusing on minimalism and functionality, it is very aesthetically pleasing.

What does Scandinavian design look like?

Bold, clean lines and simple, sturdy symmetry help define what Scandinavian modern design looks like. For furniture, designers working in this style often use native woods such as pine, ash and beech, giving pieces a light color palette. The emphasis of Scandinavian modern design is on functionality over ornamentation, so most furnishings have little to no decorative embellishment. Some iconic examples of Scandinavian modern design include Arne Jacobsen's Ant chair, Greta Magnusson-Grossman's Grasshopper table lamp, Alvar Aalto's Stool 60, Poul Henningsen's Artichoke lamp and Hans J. Wegner's Wishbone chair. On 1stDibs, explore a wide variety of Scandinavian modern furniture.

What is the difference between Nordic and Scandinavian design?

There isn’t much of a difference between Nordic and Scandinavian design in that when it comes to furniture and decor, the descriptors “Nordic” and “Scandinavian” are often used interchangeably. The term Scandinavia is primarily used to refer to Denmark, Norway and Sweden. (It is sometimes inclusive of Iceland and Finland, too.) The Nordic region of the world also includes the likes of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden as well as Iceland, Finland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland. Scandinavian modernism is a warm and organic iteration of modernist design that chiefly originated in Denmark , Sweden and Finland during the 1930s. It was introduced to the United States during the mid-20th century and had a profound influence on American mid-century modern design . Scandinavian modernists are known for their emphasis on craftsmanship and use of natural materials such as ash, pine and beech. Scandi interiors are minimalist, bright and airy , and feature neutral palettes and classic shapes. Characteristics of the work of such Scandinavian modernists such as Hans Wegner , Finn Juhl and Greta Magnusson Grossman include bold, clean lines and simple, sturdy symmetries. Finland produced a truly ingenious Scandinavian modern furniture designer in the architect Alvar Aalto , a master at melding function and artistic form in works like the Paimio chair , created in collaboration with his first wife, Aino . Yet Finnish glassware was pre-eminent, crafted in expressive, sculptural designs by Tapio Wirkkala and Timo Sarpaneva .For design enthusiasts all over the world, the promotion of functionality and simplicity associated with Scandinavian modernism and Nordic design continues to prove irresistible .

Who designed the Anglepoise desk lamp?

British designer George Carwardine designed the Anglepoise desk lamp. Before creating the light fixture, he worked as an engineer designing automobile suspension systems. The first Anglepoise lamps debuted in 1931. You can find a variety of Anglepoise desk lamps on 1stDibs.

Scandinavian Design Desk

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French wooden rectangular desk - scandinavian design by Eric Gizard, Paris

$4,763 / item

French wooden rectangular desk - scandinavian design by Eric Gizard, Paris

By Éric Gizard

Located in Pontaubault, NORMANDIE

Collection ÉGÉE This desk is part of the ÉGÉE collection designed by Eric Gizard in Paris.

Category

2010s French Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood, Ash, Lacquer

$4,200 / item

wooden handcrafted writing table, scandinavian design by E. Gizard Paris

By Éric Gizard

Located in Pontaubault, NORMANDIE

Collection ÉGÉE This desk is part of the ÉGÉE collection designed by Eric Gizard in Paris.

Category

2010s French Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood, Ash, Lacquer

Gustavsberg Vinyl Record Stand, Orange Plastic, Scandinavian Design

$420

Gustavsberg Vinyl Record Stand, Orange Plastic, Scandinavian Design

Located in Stockholm, SE

This orange vinyl record stand was produced by Gustavsberg in Sweden during the second half of the 20th century. Executed in molded plastic, the piece reflects the functional yet gra...

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1990s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Desk Sets

Materials

Plastic

Scandinavian midcentury design office chair atr. Ilmari Tapiovaara

$2,046

Scandinavian midcentury design office chair atr. Ilmari Tapiovaara

By Ilmari Tapiovaara

Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj

Scandinavian midcentury design office chair atr. Ilmari Tapiovaara professionally stained and repolished.

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Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs

Materials

Wood

Desk, Danish design, 1960s.

$2,519Sale Price|20% Off

Desk, Danish design, 1960s.

Located in Chorzów, PL

Danish desk from the 1960s Very good condition. After Renovation Wood: teak Dimensions: H 73 cm / W 130 cm / D. 70.5 cm.

Category

Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks

Materials

Teak

Peter Lovig Flip-Top Partners desk rosewood Lovig Denmark 1960

$5,285

Peter Lovig Flip-Top Partners desk rosewood Lovig Denmark 1960

By Peter Løvig Nielsen, Løvig Design

Located in Etten-Leur, NL

Refined flip-top partners desk designed by Peter Løvig Nielsen and produced by Løvig, Denmark 1954. A celebrated example of Danish mid-century cabinetmaking, it is crafted in richly ...

Category

Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Rosewood

$795

Pewter Desk Set with Sculptural Horses designed by Ernst Svedbom, 1930s, Sweden

Located in Værløse, DK

Sculptural Pewter Desk Set featuring distinctive horse figures designed by Ernst Swedbom in 1938. * Four-piece pewter desk set comprising an inkwell set, letter holder and letter k...

Category

Vintage 1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Desk Sets

Materials

Pewter

Kidney-shaped design desk by C. F. Christensen Silkeborg, Denmark 1970

$1,591

Kidney-shaped design desk by C. F. Christensen Silkeborg, Denmark 1970

By CFC Silkeborg

Located in Radomsko, Województwo łódzkie

Its smooth, organic shape reflects the focus on simplicity and functionality characteristic of Scandinavian design. The desk’s unique form provides both visual appeal and practical u...

Category

Mid-20th Century Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Pine

$3,895 / item

Hemm Desk

Located in Los Angeles, CA

The Hemm Desk is a contemporary design inspired by the classic drafting table of the Mid-Century Modern movement. An exercise in simplicity, with all the necessary details to support...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Scandinavian Modern Desks and Wri...

Materials

Ash, Oak, Walnut

Danish Modern Peter Løvig Nielsen Flip-Top Teak Desk

$5,034

Danish Modern Peter Løvig Nielsen Flip-Top Teak Desk

By Peter Løvig Nielsen, Dansk

Located in San Diego, CA

This flip-top partner desk by Peter Løvig Nielsen for Dansk in Denmark has been immaculately restored. It has a gorgeous deep hue, old-growth quarter-sawn teak with beautiful flecks ...

Category

Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks

Materials

Teak

Peter Løvig Nielsen for Laurits M Larsen Scandinavian Modern Teak Desk

$5,600Sale Price|20% Off

$15,346

Rare Desk, Pauli Blomstedt, J.Merivaara Oy, 1930s

By J.Merivaara, Pauli Blomstedt

Located in Helsinki, Uusimaa

Rare desk, designed by Pauli Blomstedt, manufactured by J.Merivaara Oy, 1930s. Black painted wood frame, chromed legs and corners of the table top, green table top. Shelfs are adjust...

Category

Vintage 1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Unavailable

Unavailable

H 30.32 in W 43.31 in D 18.9 in

Vintage Writing Desk 1960s-1970s Danish Design

Located in Szczecin, Zachodniopomorskie

Sensational desk from the 1960s-1970s. Minimalist form, Scandinavian design.

Category

Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks

Materials

Teak

H 26.75 in W 49.25 in D 27.5 in

Teak and Oak Desk by Hans Wegner for GETAMA, Danish, Mid-Century Modern

By GETAMA, Hans J. Wegner

Located in Houston, TX

Beautiful desk with an oak base and teak top designed by Hans Wegner and manufactured by GETAMA. This desk was professionally restored and is in excellent condition. The desk was ori...

Materials

Metal, Brass

Scandinavian Modern Rosewood Dining Table or Desk with Self-Storing Leaves

Unavailable

H 28.5 in W 55 in D 35.5 in

Scandinavian Modern Rosewood Dining Table or Desk with Self-Storing Leaves

Located in Houston, TX

Rectangular rosewood dining table or desk with self-storing leaves. This beautiful table has an intricate design on the table top as the rosewood has an illusion of outlining two sq...

Category

Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Tables

Materials

Rosewood

Unavailable

H 28.75 in Dm 9.06 in

Louis Poulsen Desk Lamp

By Louis Poulsen

Located in Mere, GB

This is an original Louis Poulsen designed and manufactured desk lamp from the early 1970s. It features a Directional shade and an adjustable stem, which offers the lamp versatility ...

Materials

Rosewood

$6,400

H 30 in W 47 in D 26 in

Danish Mid-Century Modern Teak Asymmetrical Z Shape Base Low Profile Desk Mint!

By Peter Hvidt, Hans J. Wegner

Located in Rockaway, NJ

Danish Mid-Century Modern teak asymmetrical z shape base low profile desk mint!

Category

20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks

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French Art Deco tambour screen room-divider

By Alvar Aalto

Located in Oakland, CA

French Art Deco tambour room divider / folding screen crafted of heart pine, can be coiled and shaped into multiple positions to fit the space as needed. Possibly Baumann et Fils, Me...

Category

20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers

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Scandinavian Design Desk For Sale on 1stDibs

With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the Scandinavian design desk you’re looking for. Each Scandinavian design desk for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using wood, hardwood and teak. Find 267 options for an antique or vintage Scandinavian design desk now, or shop our selection of 7 modern versions for a more contemporary example of this long-cherished piece. Your living room may not be complete without a Scandinavian design desk — find older editions for sale from the 20th Century and newer versions made as recently as the 21st Century. A Scandinavian design desk made by Scandinavian Modern designers — as well as those associated with Mid-Century Modern — is very popular. Peter Løvig Nielsen, Dansk Designs and Løvig Design each produced at least one beautiful Scandinavian design desk that is worth considering.

How Much is a Scandinavian Design Desk?

The average selling price for a Scandinavian design desk at 1stDibs is $2,490, while they’re typically $65 on the low end and $54,052 for the highest priced.

A Close Look at Scandinavian Modern Furniture

Scandinavian modernism is perhaps the warmest and most organic iteration of modernist design. The work of the designers associated with vintage Scandinavian modern furniture was founded on centuries-old beliefs in both quality craftsmanship and the ideal that beauty should enhance even the humblest accessories of daily life.

ORIGINS OF SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

Emerged in the 1930s
Scandinavian design and Nordic design originated primarily in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Norway
Introduced in the United States in mid-20th century
Informed by the Bauhaus ; influenced American mid-century modernism

CHARACTERISTICS OF SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

Bold, clean lines and simple, sturdy symmetries
Use of natural materials — native woods such as pine, ash and beech
Open, airy spaces
Promotion of functionality
Emphasis on craftsmanship; rooted in cabinetry profession and traditional construction techniques
Minimal ornamentation (little to no embellishment)
A neutral or light color palette owing to prominence of light woods

SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

ICONIC SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS

VINTAGE SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

The gentle, organic contours that are typical of Scandinavian design appear in the furnishings and decor created by Danish, Finnish and Swedish designers not as a stylistic gesture, but rather as a practical, ergonomic — and, as importantly, elegant — response to the human form.

Each nation produced exceptional talents in all areas of the applied arts, yet each had its forté. Sweden was home to Greta Magnusson Grossman and Bruno Mathsson — creators of the classic Grasshopper lighting series and Berlin daybed, respectively — but the country excelled most notably at ceramics. In the 1920s at the great Gustavsberg porcelain manufactory, Wilhelm Kåge introduced pieces in the Scandinavian style based on influences from folklore to Cubism; his skills were passed on to his versatile and inspired pupils Berndt Friberg and Stig Lindberg.

Likewise, Finland produced a truly ingenious Scandinavian modern furniture designer in the architect Alvar Aalto, a master at melding function and artistic form in works like the Paimio chair, created in collaboration with his first wife, Aino. Yet Finnish glassware was pre-eminent, crafted in expressive, sculptural designs by Tapio Wirkkala and Timo Sarpaneva.

The Danes excelled at chairs. Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen were exemplars of the country’s facility with wood, particularly teak.

Wegner created such iconic pieces as the Round chair and the Wishbone chair; Jacobsen — while the revolutionary architect and furniture innovator produced the best-selling plywood Ant chair — designed two classic upholstered pieces of the 1950s: the Swan chair and Egg chair. The list of great Danes could go on and on, including Finn Juhl, a stylistic maverick and maker of the bold Chieftain chair; Poul Kjaerholm, with his lean metal-and-rattan aesthetic; and Verner Panton, who introduced a vibrant Pop note into international design.

Today, decades after their heyday, the prolific, ever-evolving Scandinavian modernists continue to amaze and delight, and interior designers all over the world use their pieces to bring warmth to any given space.

On 1stDibs, you will note both instantly recognizable vintage Scandinavian modern chairs, sofas, rugs and tables — those that have earned iconic status over time — and many new discoveries.

Questions About Scandinavian Design Desk

What is Scandinavian design?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertSeptember 11, 2019
Scandinavian design, associated with the countries of Northern Europe, is characterized by simplicity, functionality and beauty,
Why is Scandinavian design so popular?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertFebruary 22, 2021
Because Scandinavian design focuses on craftsmanship and clean lines, it is a style that lasts the test of time. Designed to maximize light and focusing on minimalism and functionality, it is very aesthetically pleasing.
What does Scandinavian design look like?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertApril 22, 2024
Bold, clean lines and simple, sturdy symmetry help define what Scandinavian modern design looks like. For furniture, designers working in this style often use native woods such as pine, ash and beech, giving pieces a light color palette. The emphasis of Scandinavian modern design is on functionality over ornamentation, so most furnishings have little to no decorative embellishment. Some iconic examples of Scandinavian modern design include Arne Jacobsen's Ant chair, Greta Magnusson-Grossman's Grasshopper table lamp, Alvar Aalto's Stool 60, Poul Henningsen's Artichoke lamp and Hans J. Wegner's Wishbone chair. On 1stDibs, explore a wide variety of Scandinavian modern furniture.
What is the difference between Nordic and Scandinavian design?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertAugust 2, 2023
There isn’t much of a difference between Nordic and Scandinavian design in that when it comes to furniture and decor, the descriptors “Nordic” and “Scandinavian” are often used interchangeably. The term Scandinavia is primarily used to refer to Denmark, Norway and Sweden. (It is sometimes inclusive of Iceland and Finland, too.) The Nordic region of the world also includes the likes of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden as well as Iceland, Finland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland.

Scandinavian modernism is a warm and organic iteration of modernist design that chiefly originated in Denmark, Sweden and Finland during the 1930s. It was introduced to the United States during the mid-20th century and had a profound influence on American mid-century modern design.

Scandinavian modernists are known for their emphasis on craftsmanship and use of natural materials such as ash, pine and beech. Scandi interiors are minimalist, bright and airy, and feature neutral palettes and classic shapes.

Characteristics of the work of such Scandinavian modernists such as Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl and Greta Magnusson Grossman include bold, clean lines and simple, sturdy symmetries. Finland produced a truly ingenious Scandinavian modern furniture designer in the architect Alvar Aalto, a master at melding function and artistic form in works like the Paimio chair, created in collaboration with his first wife, Aino. Yet Finnish glassware was pre-eminent, crafted in expressive, sculptural designs by Tapio Wirkkala and Timo Sarpaneva.

For design enthusiasts all over the world, the promotion of functionality and simplicity associated with Scandinavian modernism and Nordic design continues to prove irresistible.
Who designed the Anglepoise desk lamp?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
British designer George Carwardine designed the Anglepoise desk lamp. Before creating the light fixture, he worked as an engineer designing automobile suspension systems. The first Anglepoise lamps debuted in 1931. You can find a variety of Anglepoise desk lamps on 1stDibs.

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Dagmar Has Become a Go-To London Address for Mid-Century Scandi Design

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Design Icon Ilse Crawford on Her Colorful New Hans Wegner Chairs

If anyone is brave, humble and adept enough to recolor these mid-century masterpieces, it’s Ilse Crawford. Here, she gives us the details on her five earthy paint choices and tells us how she feels about design collaborations.