If you’re looking to renovate your new house, one of the first (& most important!) questions that you’ll need to answer is: what theme are you going for?
Tofu G initially wanted the house to look like a luxurious hotel with dark walls and all:
However, Tofu V always had her heart set on a Scandinavian design theme, and after many rounds of discussion… you know what we went for!
There are so many new interior design trends these days, and we’d be lying if we said that none of them caught our interest.
In comparison, Scandinavian does seem boring and common, but we personally feel that there’s a good reason why this theme has remained a hot favourite: it’s a timeless classic that looks good even after decades.
We’ve rounded up some of the reasons why we opted for a Scandi theme, which you may also use as a reference point if you’re contemplating whether to use this theme for your house!
Wanted the house to feel like a home
Making the house feel like a luxurious hotel or relaxed resort has grown in popularity in recent years, with many homes sporting Bali resort vibes aplenty with rattan furnishings and modern, marbled homes resembling 5-star hotels.
We deeply appreciate all the amazing interior themes that we have seen and have certainly drooled marvelled at some houses, but ultimately decided that to us, it is still important to feel like we are living in a home – not a place that we only stay in temporarily.
The resort & hotel vibes – we can certainly still bask in them while we’re on holiday, but we’ll keep our own home as ‘homely’ as possible.
A strong longing for hygge vibes
Tofu V has always been mildly obsessed with the concept of Scandinavian coziness, even more so during the pandemic & lockdown periods.
For some context, hygge is a Danish term which means creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people.
While stuck at home, she used to open Youtube videos of cosy fireplaces with chill, cafe music in a bid to create the same type of atmosphere. It brought a lot of comfort during those days, which was something she wanted to bring over to her own house.
We’re not sure if the pandemic or our age has made us homebodies, but now we’re very certain that a comfy and warm abode is our idea of paradise, and no other interior theme encapsulates this as well as Scandinavian.
An aesthetic that would withstand the test of time
Interior trends may come and go, but Scandinavian is a timeless design that will look good for years to come (or at least, we hope so!)
You may think that makes Scandi themes very outdated or boring – and it’s perfectly ok to hold that opinion!
For us, we are looking to stay in our current home for as long as we can. We had chosen a really convenient location and have no plans to move until we find somewhere even more central and surrounded with good amenities.
Hence, we hope that our current house design can withstand the test of time and still fit our tastes in the long run.
Easier maintenance over the long run
A clean & simple home with few complicated furnishings makes for much easier maintenance and cleaning. It also helps that everything looks naturally fresh and bright!
In addition, our original resale flat layout looked slightly cramped. Tofu G found the space too small (Tofu V: not even true tbh, it’s much bigger than the current BTOs), so choosing a Scandinavian interior theme helped to create the illusion of space and made the house look much bigger than it really is!
That being said, a Scandinavian home usually consists of white walls, white or light-coloured furnishings, and light-coloured wood & laminates. Most people would think of this as a recipe for constant cleaning, and we initially had that worry too.
It couldn’t be further from the truth: while stains are certainly more obvious, the right materials and proper maintenance can actually withstand dirt and grime better than expected.
There’s also the (unintentional) added benefit of prompting us to clean up much faster as we can’t stand the sight of our white furniture looking dirty!
If you have any thoughts on having a Scandi home or have any questions on how to best utilise this theme, feel free to drop a comment or reach out to us!
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