Scandinavian kitchens are in the spotlight right now, thanks in part to the Nordic food movement, the New Nordic Cuisine and a growing interest in Scandinavian food. If you're interested in adding some elements of Scandinavian style to your home, you might be wondering how to get the look of a Scandinavian kitchen -- without breaking the bank, or spending a small fortune on kitchen renovations. Read on if you'd enjoy checking out some ideas and inspiration for decorating in this unique regional style.
The Scandinavian Pantry
Ample pantry space is an asset in any Scandinavian kitchen, since preserved, pickled and brined foods are essential components of Scandinavian cuisine. These kitchens are typically stocked with colourful jars full of pickles, sauces, relishes and jams, and so the Nordic chef needs plentiful space for storing these jars of preserves.
A spacious pantry is a smart feature to borrow from the Scandinavians and incorporate into your own kitchen. With some creativity and a little pre-planning, your food can become part of your décor. When you take this approach, you can combine your food budget and decorating budget to get more for your money and make your pounds go further than they would if you were to spend that money on décor alone.
But how do you display vignettes of beautiful preserved foods? Well, that's another important design idea you can mimic from contemporary Scandinavian kitchens. Open shelving is a noteworthy trend, and it's a look that you can easily adopt in your own home without overspending. Open shelving is far less costly than traditional cabinetry, and this type of project is easy even for DIY enthusiasts to implement.
To get this look, there's a minimal investment in pretty mason jars -- plus the cost of installing open shelving if you don't already have adequate shelving available in your kitchen. There's also a time investment required to pickle or preserve the food in your jars, and arrange the jars attractively on your shelves. Alternately, you could buy jars of attractive pickles and preserves to use for decorating your shelves.
Scandinavian Furniture in the Kitchen
In decades past, Scandinavia has been home to many brilliant furniture designers. Since the beginning of the modern era, Scandinavian furniture has been popular worldwide -- and the Scandinavian style remains relevant today.
Anyone decorating a modern or contemporary kitchen can look to Scandinavian kitchens for splendid design inspiration. Many Scandinavian kitchens include modern furniture pieces such as stools, chairs, and kitchen tables developed by local designers, including Verner Panton, Kaare Klint and others.
These pieces tend to be expensive, but you can often find them for sale at bargain prices on the secondary market. Check eBay UK and antique shops for possible deals.
Funding Your Scandinavian Kitchen
If you're in need of a home improvement loan from a reputable banking institution to make your new Scandinavian kitchen a reality, Clydesdale Bank has some additional guides, resources and information you can use to save money. Between those resources, the ideas posted above, and your own creativity, hopefully you can plan and implement the Scandinavian kitchen of your dreams.
21 May 2015
