Image credit: Etsy.com

Whether you get your interiors fix from TikTok, Instagram or Pinterest, you’ll have spotted playful pastel tones making a big splash in recent months. During the pandemic, demand for pastel hues skyrocketed as our homes became somewhere to escape and shelter.

The more flamboyant sister of Scandi style, Danish Pastels are characterized by (you guessed it) pastel tones, colourful candles, gingham textiles, checkerboard prints, eclectic gallery walls and curvy lines. Anyone else remember those wavy full-length mirrors from the late nineties and early noughties? They’re back!

Image credit: @meredithlynndesigns

Danish Pastels is a whimsical and heavily nineties-inspired aesthetic, embraced by Gen-Z twenty-somethings and renters who maybe can’t make significant changes to their living space but can afford to treat themselves to a statement special something. Think Oliver Bonas vases, framed Modernist floral prints, statement cushion covers and those zeitgeisty Anthropologie mugs.

This aesthetic is equally appealing (and we speak from personal experience here…) to nostalgic millennials who have fond memories of growing up with wacky, ‘changing-rooms’ makeover shows on the TV. Those of us how grew up during a time when the colours of childhood were overtly gendered – think My Little Ponies in their eighties peach, lilacs and pinks – might now reach for these colours for a sense of comfort and uncomplicated joy, and perhaps a bit of tongue-in-cheek. 

Image credit: Carbon Magazine

The pandemic has massively changed how many of us use and feel about our homes. For many, lockdowns were the catalyst for bringing more joy and optimism into the home when we couldn’t get out and pursue this in the outside world. Danish Pastels play beautifully into this thirst for a simpler home that takes itself far less seriously than it used to.

Pastels have never really gone out of fashion, though, having ebbed and flowed through interior design and fashion throughout the twentieth century. Think 1950’s style kitchens and retro American diners in pale blues and minty greens, sixties mini dresses in baby pinks, floaty seventies ‘flower power’ kaftans and the blocky Memphis Design of the eighties. Pastels are all kinds of vintage, and nostalgia mixed with optimism is where we’re all at right now.

Dayna Isom Johnson - Etsy trend expert - believes that using pastels in the home provides both a relaxing effect and a ‘rosy optimism’ that fits in with the current climate. We’re on the cusp of spring and of a post-pandemic world, and oh-so-ready for a fresh start.

 “Whether you choose to fill your home with sky blues, seafoam greens, or peachy pinks, these muted tones can help create tranquillity,” says Johnson.

Danish Pastels “soothe the senses and strike a nice balance between minimalism and maximalism, depending on how you use them. Plus, they pair perfectly with abstract shapes.”

Image credit: @paintthetownpastel

Pastel accessories integrate seamlessly with minimalist, IKEA-style furniture and bring a playful pop to cottage-core homes. It’s a vibe you can subscribe to in its entirety or a mood you can simply experiment with.


Image credit: @meredithlynndesigns

“There’s no wrong way to apply this calming colour scheme,” says Dayna Isom Johnson. “For example, you could construct a cool, calming corner with a mint-green wall hanging, or go all out and transform your whole home into a dreamy, rainbow sorbet-coloured escape. 

Here’s how to bring a bit of laid-back Denmark delight to your home without making major changes or big spends.

 

Woven Tableware from £10.50

An effective way to embrace Danish Pastels is at your table. The simplest addition – a gingham tablecloth or a collection of scallop edged napkins – will bring an instant injection of whimsy and joy to any mealtime. Give your dining chairs or table legs a lick of chalky pastel paint for a big impact with low investment, and add table mats and coasters with a pop of pastel for all occasions.

Dried flower bouquets are seeing a long-lasting revival and look great displayed in striped ceramic or coloured glass vases. For evening meals, pastel coloured candles in twisted or bubble-shaped holders will delight the eye. See Matilda Goad for a masterclass in nostalgic table-scaping. 

 

Styling your desk

Bring a sense of playfulness to your work space with an embroidered Shell basket for your pens and pencils. Pop your favourite houseplant in a sorbet-tone woven planter and hang a fringed wall hanging (or a collection of them) on the wall behind you for a swoon-worthy Zoom background. Statement lamps or lampshades are an impactful way to embrace a trend without making major changes or investments; see Urban Outfitters for glass pastel lamps and Etsy for whimsical gingham lampshades.

Bags

ZIWA: Neo Mint Wool and Sisal Tote Bag £ 95.00

Take that laid-back Danish vibe with you wherever you go, with a handwoven tote in Miami-beach inspired ice cream tones. Perfect for taking to the work and the gym, and for festivals, holidays and day trips.

KIFALME: Mellow Rose Wool and Sisal Tote Bag £ 95.00

Storage

Shop the Danish Pastel basket collection

Choosing home storage is an opportunity to make a big aesthetic impact on a room whilst ticking a practical box at the same time, and we’re all for that! Colour block laundry baskets with lids serve as a piece of furniture in their own right, offering valuable space to stash away toys, blankets or indeed laundry whilst offering up a bit of surface space on the lid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shop the Danish Pastel basket collection now!