Category: Guides – Nordic Decorating

5 Ways to Incorporate the Color Red Into Your Swedish Styled Home

Tullgarn Upholstered Chair By Nordic Style

Red has been known to be one of the richest colors of all colors available to us, and it just so happens to be one of the main colors in the Swedish decorating style.  The color red is a fantastic choice to use as an accent color, such as in fabric choices, painted furniture, and accessories.

Red can also be used on the walls, and through out a room if it is done right.  The color is rich, vibrant and powerful.  Red can have a very distinctive country flavor, when it is paired with certain fabrics such as the Swedish check fabric, or floral textiles.  It can also present itself to be a courtly aristocratic look simply by pairing it with the right Swedish furniture.

Swedish country ladder back chairs look very country, compared to the square back Louis XVI dining chairs which are more formal in appearance.  Both velvet and raw silk are more stately fabrics which can be used to create a cultured Swedish interior.  Cotton or linen based fabrics work in both a stately interior, as well as a country home scheme.  There isn’t another color with quite the impact that red has.

Here are 5 Ways to Incorporate the Color Red Into Your Swedish Styled Home

1. Consider Using A Red Check Pattern

There are three main patterns which work with every other pattern, and that is the stripe, solid fabrics and the classic check fabric.

Check fabric is almost a must-have element in a Swedish home.  If you plan on decorating around any of these colors, consider adding in a check element of some sort.  Whether you decide to go after a country look, or an upscale courtly look, gingham can be used in either decorating styles.

Pair gingham with a painted chair for a country look.  Look for off white paint colors, or gray toned hues.  Dark gray paint can look terrific against white and red.  For a grand more opulent look, consider gold based furniture that is gold leafed for a regal appearance.

You can add in a couple throw pillows, or base your entire room around one single pattern.

See these posts as examples- Ted and Lillian Williams chateau in France, Jeffrey Bilhuber’s Manhattan Check Wallpapered Apartment, or Clare Fraser’s Swedish Bedroom.

Finding an over-sized check pattern can be difficult, and at times I felt like I have resorted to using tablecloths that are widely available online to upholster with.  Ebay is one of the best places to buy “lot” fabrics at discounts.

Here are some fabrics that caught my eye:

LinenTablecloth’s rectangular tablecloths are durable, and are made of a heavier fabric than most other tablecloths on the market.

DII Flame Red and White Checkers Tablecloth 60 x 84″ Made of 100 percent cotton

This classic red and white check pattern that features flowers is very Swedish looking, except I have had a hard time finding it in 100% cotton than vinyl.

Decorating With Red Check From Country Living Magazine

House Beautiful Magazine Cover

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Tour Through Drottningholm Palace, And Drottningholm Theatre


Drottningholm-Theatre

Drottningholm Palace also has a theatre that sits directly beside the palace.  The Drottningholm Palace Theatre, or in Swedish called “Drottningholms Slottsteater” is an opera house from 1766.   Today it is run by a private foundation, but still functions as a real theatre!  The theatre was built for Gustav III by his mother in 1766.   Gustav III loved the theatre so much and was often known as the theatre King. In 1792 when he was assassinated, his mother Louisa Ulrika of Prussia decided to close up the theatre at Drottningholm.  Then in the 1920s it was rediscovered, and because the theatre had not been used or touched in so many years, almost all the original equipment is still there.

This wonderful group of pictures came from TC4711 on Flicker, and Sim 1 Travels

I am so thankful to people like Hansn’s Flicker who have taken pictures for us to view.  King Gustaf III had this lobby made as an addition to the Court Theatre in 1791. It was also used for having breakfast. Musicians then sat on the upper floor making the music sound like coming from the heaven painted on the ceiling! When the King was murdered one year later the theatre was closed and it stayed closed for 130 years. Check out the marble finish on the walls. There are so many colors of faux marble wallpaper that you can put up to give the look of a high end interior marble. Add a tinted glaze over top of the wallpaper to mute the overall look so it doesn’t appear to be wallpaper. There are also many free videos on You tube today with Master Painters who show How to achieve these looks. If you are willing to learn, it just takes some practice.

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