Naturally blonde, bleached, limed, oiled, waxed or light-painted wood helps to reflect light, and wood grains and tones lend warmth, texture and a connection to the natural world. Even if you don’t go the full distance with a Scandi-inspired look, a pale wood floor suits a range of interior styles. See how it can brighten your home — and add just a whisper of the fjords.
Kronfoto
Remember when? Some readers may remember the Age of Pine in the ’60s and ’70s — and may wish to forget that ubiquitous wood. It was yellow, knotty, inexpensive and everywhere — in armoires, coffee and dining tables, chairs, blinds, paneling and floors.
In the ’90s, the world rediscovered so-called Scandinavian Modern, which had been popular from the 1930s to 1970s, then waned in the ’80s. Pale wood is integral to this style, found in many Nordic homes, especially the subtle tones and textures of top-quality pine and birch from the heavily forested northern regions. If you love the look, start at the bottom with a pale and interesting floor, then dress the room up Scandi-style.
In the ’90s, the world rediscovered so-called Scandinavian Modern, which had been popular from the 1930s to 1970s, then waned in the ’80s. Pale wood is integral to this style, found in many Nordic homes, especially the subtle tones and textures of top-quality pine and birch from the heavily forested northern regions. If you love the look, start at the bottom with a pale and interesting floor, then dress the room up Scandi-style.
Scandinavian Homes
Expand your space. Floor color has a big impact on how you experience a room. Although several factors come into play, such as ceiling color and furnishings, a light floor generally can make a room appear more spacious, especially when paired with light walls.
Tip: Don’t overfurnish with bulky pieces and rugs that detract from the wood’s charm. Stick to simple, essential furniture, keep the profile low, and give the floor room to shine.
Tip: Don’t overfurnish with bulky pieces and rugs that detract from the wood’s charm. Stick to simple, essential furniture, keep the profile low, and give the floor room to shine.
Korla
Work with the walls. A light-colored floor opens the door to a range of wall options. It’s a great foil for dark walls; the contrast between walls and floor emphasizes the shape of a room and defines spaces. And pale honey-colored or light ash-toned wood is always nice with white.
Tip: Keep wall colors neutral, either in a warm white palette or a darker version of neutral gray, as in this stylish London home. Color accents are added through furnishings rather than on the walls themselves.
Tip: Keep wall colors neutral, either in a warm white palette or a darker version of neutral gray, as in this stylish London home. Color accents are added through furnishings rather than on the walls themselves.
Wood paneling has shrugged off its sauna-in-the-suburbs look and is rapidly becoming a contemporary favorite for an accent wall — more interesting and cozy perhaps than a coat of paint. Extend light-colored wood flooring to panel one wall; it’s a seamless way to integrate the room’s decor, give a bland space a character boost and inject a little Scandi charm.
Knotty and Nice: Highly Textured Wood Has a Modern Revival
Knotty and Nice: Highly Textured Wood Has a Modern Revival
ARCHIFORMS studio
Show off a rug. A pale floor is a wonderfully adaptable backdrop for rugs and throws. It recedes quietly into the background and allows for many color and texture options. The wide spectrum of tones in natural wood allows you to pick one and coordinate it with a detail in the rug for a harmoniously composed space.
Tip: For that organic Nordic look, try shaggy-textured or giant-stitch knitted or woven rugs in natural fibers, such as unbleached wool. Pale coir, sisal or seagrass also support the Nordic theme.
11 Area Rug Rules and How to Break Them
Tip: For that organic Nordic look, try shaggy-textured or giant-stitch knitted or woven rugs in natural fibers, such as unbleached wool. Pale coir, sisal or seagrass also support the Nordic theme.
11 Area Rug Rules and How to Break Them
KML Design
Shine a light on feature furniture. When you have a piece of furniture you want to spotlight, light floors and neutral walls are the perfect canvas. Go for shapes and colors that don’t blend into the background.
Tip: Highlight beautiful furniture with long, wide floorboards. In cold, heavily forested northern countries, native trees such as Norway spruce, Scots pine and Douglas fir produce superb-quality wood that, along with the abundantly available birch, can be turned into long, wide planks.
In this Danish home, every quirky curve and contour of these knockout Arne Jacobsen Drop chairs from Fritz Hansen is enhanced by the wide, silvery-gray floorboards.
Tip: Highlight beautiful furniture with long, wide floorboards. In cold, heavily forested northern countries, native trees such as Norway spruce, Scots pine and Douglas fir produce superb-quality wood that, along with the abundantly available birch, can be turned into long, wide planks.
In this Danish home, every quirky curve and contour of these knockout Arne Jacobsen Drop chairs from Fritz Hansen is enhanced by the wide, silvery-gray floorboards.
Chris Snook
Against a pale floor, there’s no chance of losing the beautiful silhouette and playful details of this Grant Featherston classic R160 Contour armchair and footstool.
T+E Arkitekter
Color up. Pale floors, neutral walls, functional furniture, large, uncurtained windows — are we feeling cold yet? While pale wood floors help a room feel bigger and brighter, they can also look a little cool. Counter this with color.
Tip: Although current Scandinavian trends embrace colors outside the traditional neutral palette, pale floors with black, white and gray is still a prevalent palette in the Nordic countries. Color is introduced in a restrained way, rarely with bright blocks of clashing shades. Against light wood tones, muted organics and greenery are used to soften spaces.
Tip: Although current Scandinavian trends embrace colors outside the traditional neutral palette, pale floors with black, white and gray is still a prevalent palette in the Nordic countries. Color is introduced in a restrained way, rarely with bright blocks of clashing shades. Against light wood tones, muted organics and greenery are used to soften spaces.
Kronfoto
Pastels are hitting the headlines with ashes-of-roses pinks, pale minty greens and milky blues. Pantone’s top colors of 2016 are Serenity and Rose Quartz, which has undoubtedly boosted pastels’ popularity. Pastels are beautiful in their way, but they can be a decor disaster if overdone or teamed with the wrong colors.
For a lesson in using them without a candy-sweet effect, check out the Scandinavian aesthetic seen here. One of the tricks is to bring in touches of black.
For a lesson in using them without a candy-sweet effect, check out the Scandinavian aesthetic seen here. One of the tricks is to bring in touches of black.
Scandinavian Homes
Turn up the heat with texture. Scandinavian interiors pile on the texture to warm up and relax a space. Here, a pale wood floor and a predominantly white, gray and black palette are cozied up with lashings of natural textures in the woven carpet, wool throws, leather, metallics, colored glass and foliage.
KML Design
Furnish to fit. If you live in a compact space, large furniture is impractical. Clean-lined, easily movable and functional midcentury design can save the day. The visual lightness — and often playfulness — of this period complements light-toned, light-filled interiors.
Tip: Nordic designers Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, Alvar Aalto, Poul Henningsen and Arne Vodder are well-known names from the midcentury modern period. To complement pale floors, look for furniture in their style, with clean lines and minimal detailing, such as this airy white 1958 Swan chair by Arne Jacobsen.
More guides to midcentury modern style
Tip: Nordic designers Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, Alvar Aalto, Poul Henningsen and Arne Vodder are well-known names from the midcentury modern period. To complement pale floors, look for furniture in their style, with clean lines and minimal detailing, such as this airy white 1958 Swan chair by Arne Jacobsen.
More guides to midcentury modern style
Verner Architects
Just one beautiful midcentury modern feature chair on a light wood floor, like this Womb chair from Finnish designer Eero Saarinen, gets you that less-is-more Scandi look.
Create informal spaces. Deep-toned wood or dark painted floors lend themselves to quite formal spaces and luxurious furnishings. A light floor can have the opposite effect, toning down the formality and giving a casual feel.
Sean Litchfield Photography
White-painted floorboards, a fun hanging chair, windows that let in plenty of light and bright vintage furniture combine a pinch of Nordic style with a good measure of kick-off-your-shoes beach house charm in this cottage.
Are You Gutsy Enough to Paint Your Floor White?
Are You Gutsy Enough to Paint Your Floor White?
risa boyer architecture
Mix it up. A light floor doesn’t mean you can’t use other wood tones in the same space. Make the difference between them obvious, so that it looks deliberate and not a failed attempt at matching. Pale wood floors against rich, dark-toned wood doors look striking in this kitchen with fresh white walls and countertops.
Key Piece
Another effective way of mixing woods is with a parquet floor in a mosaic of pale, medium and dark tones. By manipulating the proportions of light to dark, you can coordinate the look of the floor with other woods in the room.
Floor treatments that achieve the bleached Nordic look include lime-washing, treating with white oil, rubbing with white or gray pigments, or painting lightly so the grain is still visible. These techniques maintain a natural look while boosting the light-reflecting qualities so important in homes that have to stand up to northern winters.
Floor treatments that achieve the bleached Nordic look include lime-washing, treating with white oil, rubbing with white or gray pigments, or painting lightly so the grain is still visible. These techniques maintain a natural look while boosting the light-reflecting qualities so important in homes that have to stand up to northern winters.
Elaine Musiwa
Express yourself. A light-toned floor can partner with a variety of interior personalities. This New York loft, with its worn parquet, has individuality galore, with a midcentury piece or two mixed in with modern and vintage accessories, exposed brickwork and eclectic artwork.
Tell us: Would you opt for pale wood floors in your home, or do you prefer darker tones? Tell us why in the Comments.
More
9 Life Lessons From Nordic Style
Tell us: Would you opt for pale wood floors in your home, or do you prefer darker tones? Tell us why in the Comments.
More
9 Life Lessons From Nordic Style
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