How do you define what Scandinavian furniture is?

Scandinavian furniture has been an interesting furniture category around the world for the last 50 years. With humble beginnings, it gained international recognition as furniture built for a more modern audience of consumers wanting products with more form and function that many other types of furniture could offer. In this article we’ll take a look at Scandinavian furniture, its origins and what it brings to today’s home decor.

In the 1950’s a movement began in Scandinavia in how furniture was conceived and designed. Much of this came on the heels of WW2 which had ended years before. Many of the advancements made in the war in terms of production, specifically mass production were beginning to work their way into private manufacture ring. Much of this had to do social changes that had begun to develop post-WW2. One of these ideas that was very dominant in Scandinavia was the belief that quality furniture shouldn’t be for just the wealthy but be available to everyone at an affordable price. This belief was one of the major contributions to Scandinavian furniture in developing products for everyone.

This time period also saw the emergence of a particular style in design that was very unique to Scandinavia. Many of these manufacturers were experimenting with combining interesting shapes and forms using materials like steel, plastics, wood and many others to create furniture designs that were both unique and stylish. The designs however also followed up form with function. The function was in the way of new innovations in design built into the furniture. These included such examples as table leaves that were incorporated into the structure, furniture that would move with you when seated and concealed storage built into the furniture. Many of these innovations are still popular today as they continue to be incorporated into today’s furniture.

Scandinavia is actually an area in Northern Europe that includes the countries of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland. Scandinavian furniture has been made for centuries in various designs and forms and so the same traditions of building furniture have been passed down through the centuries and evolving into many of the modern techniques and designs used today.

In this article we studied how Scandinavian furniture incorporates the concepts of making affordable quality furniture for everyone and not just a select few. This furniture takes a modern approach to furniture design by incorporating form with function. Introducing different metals, plastics, woods and other materials to create furniture that is both functional and modern in design are the benchmarks of Scandinavian furniture.

About the Author:
Phil Pendleton is a furniture professional of over 15 years. He has worked in furniture production, distribution and sales. He continues to work with other furniture professionals to promote new trends in Scandinavian leather furniture as well as by manufacturers like Ekornes Stressless located in Norway.