Budget-Friendly Scandinavian Design choices for Busy Mums

Calling all ‘scandi/minimal style’ home loving Mama’s. 

So you want a Scandinavian-inspired home, but the destructive skills of your child(ren), and the rising cost of childcare depleting the budget, means your unable to achieve the aesthetic appeal you’re longing for. Sound familiar? Well keep reading because mama, I’ve got you covered. Here are my top five budget-friendly design choices for creating that child friendly, stylish and functional space... scandi/ minimal edition!

1. Neutral colour palette

Why: Scandinavian design involves a neutral colour palette. Why? because this helps to create a calm and cohesive look, bringing a sense of serenity to your home, whilst making your room feel warm and inviting. 

How: To achieve this look use whites, griege and earthy colours on the walls and larger furniture. 

Mum Hack: These colours (particularly on the walls) are easy to maintain. If your toddlers are anything like mine, your walls will inevitably be scuffed within 5 minutes of them waking up. A neutral palette makes replenishing your paint for touch ups much easier! A hack I’ve seen on TikTok… fill a paint pen with some of your leftover wall paint to allow for quick and easy touch ups on the go!

Bonus Win: Neutral walls will also make your room feel larger!!

2. Functional furniture 

Why: Because multifunctional furniture saves on space and reduces clutter. 

How: Did somebody say IKEA trip!!!!!… HOORAYYYYY (unless you’re a husband or boyfriend reading this)! IKEA offer budget-friendly furniture, which also fit the Scandinavian theme. Look for furniture with built in storage, like sofa beds, ottomans or coffee tables with hidden storage. 

Mum Hack: Find a storage solution for your children’s toys which fits in with your living room or whichever room your child frequently plays. This will allow for a quick “reset” (as we call it in this household), when the number of toys on the floor are becoming overwhelming to both yourself and your toddler. 

In our house we have adopted the 8 shelf IKEA Kallax Unit as a TV stand. Not only has this put the TV out of reach from those tiny little fingers (which tend to enjoy throwing toys at the screen!), but it has also allowed for 8 additional storage boxes, which fit all of our boys toys in. 

Bonus Win: Want an extra budget friendly storage option. Poundland are currently stocking these storage boxes at £3 each!! Which, at 33cm X 33cm, fit the Kallax unit perfectly! They do a number of different styles in store and I managed to pick up these bamboo style ones for £3, which fit my scandi theme perfectly.

3. DIY Wall Art

Why: Doing it yourself allows you to personalise your space whilst allowing you to stick with any budget you may have.

How: Create simple wall art by using designs you have printed at home or your children’s own artwork. For a scandi look, frame them in minimalistic frames.

Mum Hack: Get the kiddies involved!!! Have them paint a canvas in your choice of colours. Or make some handprint/ footprint art. Getting the children involved means you can work on styling your home whilst also entertaining the children and creating an exciting activity for them. Not to mention the pride and joy on their little faces when they get to show off their work to every visitor!

Bonus Win: If you’re a mama like me who loves to change things up in the house to prevent it feeling stagnant, you have probably seen online the children's art frames, where you can store your children’s artwork whilst displaying them proudly in your home. Using these allow for a storage solution for your sentimental pieces of art, whilst giving you the freedom to change up the the wall art on demand, which will automatically make your room feel like it has had a refresh! 

4. Maximise Natural Lighting

Why: The Scandinavian home style is all about maximising natural light to create the illusion of bigger and brighter spaces. 

How: Open them curtains mama and whilst you’re at it, make them sheer. Choosing sheer curtains will allow for additional light flow into the home, whilst still maintaining your privacy. 

Mum Hack: Hanging/ placing mirrors opposite light sources will help to flood additional natural light into the room. The mirrors will reflect the light coming in, brightening up your home. Not only is this great for the illusion of space, but mirrors are a great for allowing your little ones to explore their faces and develop more self awareness. It’s a win win!

Bonus Win: Placing mirrors next to your window will reflect the outdoors and give the illusion of more space. 

5. Incorporate natural materials

Why: Natural materials will help make the room feel more cosy. 

How: Another IKEA trip me thinks!! Wooden furniture will be your new best friend! Also consider adding Cotton and Wool to add warmth and texture, cotton rugs or woolly throws are great for this! 

Mum Hack: Natural furniture in your child’s room is a great way to save you money in the longer term. Let’s be honest, colourful plastic creates a very childish feel and whilst this is great in the younger years, children grow up quickly! Opting for natural materials allows you to incorporate the furniture into any redesign you may do over the years! 

Bonus Win: Charity shops and online marketplaces (like Facebook) are a great budget-friendly way to purchase natural material furniture! 

So there you have it, my top 5 tips to making your home "Scandiless" whilst maintaining your child friendly space and not breaking the bank! Time to get creative!

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Please note that this blog post is not affiliated in anyway with the companies listed and linked above. All views expressed in this blog are that of my own and not necessarily that of the companies whose products I am discussing.