As autumn approaches, it’s time to start thinking about how to make your home feel restful and inviting. This season, our latest Scandi-style home collection offers a warmer, zen style that will create a peaceful atmosphere – perfect for when living returns indoors. Here are tips and ideas for a calming home, Zen-style.
What is Zen-inspired Interior design?
This year, we are taking a little inspiration from traditional Japanese design - which focuses on creating a calming atmosphere with a serene and uncluttered look. Zen-inspired interior design is a minimalist approach to decorating, so it marries well with our minimalist Scandi collection. Zen design incorporates natural materials - much like the Scandinavian style, and uses neutral colours in the same way to promote relaxation, mindfulness, and a sense of balance.
Tips and ideas for a Zen-style home
With this focus on creating a quieter style - this look should feel clutter-free. Add only pieces that serve your living well, and opt for furniture with a pale oak finish and a sleek or slender frame design. Choose a versatile clothes rail for a minimalist storage option for the bedroom, and for your accent chair, go for a feature wooden frame in open spaces to keep the look light. Pairing pieces from the same collection will also coordinate the look and help communicate the calm and natural woven storage baskets work better than functional storage boxes in open cupboards.
Zen style: where nature meets design
To infuse Scandi goodness into your interior and design rooms with a restorative feel, place an emphasis on natural material. Choosing warm wood and organic lines creates a wholesome style, and by introducing statement design details and trims, like the feature handles that characterise our Fremont collection - with lots still to discover in the details. A stylish Scandi storage cupboard provides a good solution for clutter and will set the tone of your new zen-style space.
The best faux for a minimalist, Zen-style home
A central focus in Scandi interior design is bringing the outdoors in. Plants are a great way to do this, providing natural decoration and freshness to your zen-style home. For Scandi-style plants, opt for a statement fiddle-leaf fig to add drama, a snake plant if you need vertical interest, and for a whimsical feel, a Pilea with its delicate leaves. Alternatively, a simple glass vase with a few sprigs of faux eucalyptus is a zero-maintenance option to enliven the look.
The impact of lighting on interior design - Zen-style
Incorporating soft lighting into your home can have a significant impact on your well-being and enhance the overall feel of your living space. Soft light in our homes can reduce stress and anxiety levels, lighten our mood, and promote better sleep - as well as reduce eye strain and fatigue if you spend a lot of time reading or working at home. Unlike bright lights, the soft light provided by a scheme of table lamps and floor lamps can set a comfortable, cocooning ambience that makes us feel more at ease in our surroundings, and so it is central to achieving this year's zen interior style.
Create a Zen vibe with thoughtful interior curation
We all know by now that mindful rituals like taking a few deep breaths before eating a meal or lighting a candle before bedtime can help ground us and promote a sense of calm, and being more aware of your daily routine can create a zen calm at home. Be purposeful about mealtimes, with a table laid for getting together using place settings and beautiful dinnerware. In order for everyone to get more out of the moment of gathering over a meal, elevate your dining space with statement Scandi-style tables and chairs for a sense of occasion that savours the time spent together.
Create a zen-inspired interior reading nook
Whether creating a cosy reading nook or a relaxing spot to unwind after a long day, our modern Scandi furniture and home collection has everything you need to switch off. The essential ingredients for zen-calm when incorporating a reading nook into your home are comfortable seating, good lighting, a side table, cosy textiles and decorative touches. Choose a cushioned chair that is cosy yet supportive - and for a touch of Scandi-goodness, keep to natural colours and fabrics.
Zen style rug designs for a serene home
The comfort levels will naturally increase at home with the introduction of cosy plush blankets and soft zen-style cushions, but one key factor to comfort in our homes is having the right flooring. Underfloor heating solutions for hard floors have really contributed to the cocoon feel of home - If we can connect to the floor, and it still feels warm and inviting, you can shed more of the everyday additions like shoes and slippers. Add a new plush rug to old carpets to renew the look and feel of your zen-style space, opting for warm, earthy tones and lots of natural texture and pared-back patterns.
A tranquil bedroom with zen minimalist sophistication
To make your bedroom feel like a spa retreat, focus on creating a clutter-free and restful environment. Remove all unnecessary items, and keep surfaces clear with good Scandi-style under-the-bed storage. Woven baskets and end-of-the-bed storage benches provide small storage that will complement this style. Use a soft neutral paint colour of the walls - ideal for a calming atmosphere in the bedroom. Add quality layers to the bed in winter, choosing natural materials like cotton and linen for your quilts and throws to regulate your temperate at bedtime. Decorate with a potted faux plant - and a touch of scent to feed the senses, and you will achieve a Zen atmosphere in no time. Add a bedroom chair so that you can enjoy the space before bedtime.
Whether looking to create a cosy bedroom retreat or a relaxing living room, with our tips for Zen style, its focus on natural materials and simplicity, you can create a space that feels comfortable, peaceful and relaxing. Why not go a little more Zen this autumn?