Design Battle: Typical Bedroom in Scandinavian Style

With Leroy Merlin, we asked Marina Sarksyan and Olga Rudakova to design a bedroom in the Scandinavian style for a family couple who prefer working from home. Which designer do you think did a better job?

Design BriefRoomBedroom8.6 sq. mOwnersFamily couplefreelancersPreferencesPlenty of lightScandinavian styleRoom layout of 8.6 sq. m in a 2-room apartment of 41 sq. m in a panel house series 1-335Solution by Olga Rudakova

Olga RudakovaDesignerPrefers simple, functional and cozy interior that will last for years

On the Layout

Our protagonists are a couple of freelancers who work from home or in cafes. Their days are irregular—sometimes they sleep during the day and work at night. I know this lifestyle well, so I designed the bedroom for myself.

Scandinavian style interior is not only simple but also affordable. Once the base is established, such an interior can be decorated with various cute details. In our case, the apartment serves both as a home and an office, which is why it's important to have flexibility in its appearance.

On the Stylistic Approach

The most budget-friendly and effective way is to decorate the walls with non-standard wall decor. In our case, the bedroom walls were painted in four colors, where the workspace area is highlighted with a calm green tone, and white skirting and door contrast it. The floor was finished with solid wood planks of light oak, which is a natural material perfectly suited for the Scandi style.

It's not desirable to clutter such a small room with furniture. To the left of the door is a full-length mirror, and to the right is an open clothing rack. I chose a comfortable size bed of 1600×2000 mm with a low headboard, which I complemented with several decorative pillows—Scandinavian style implies a lot of decor and cozy little things. These are bought gradually and changed depending on the season or mood of the residents.

On one side of the bed is a stool that turned into a nightstand. Not everyone needs a nightstand, sometimes even a small shelf is enough to place a book, phone or glass of water. The workspace in the room is suspended with shelves for books and decor—because laptops don't require much space. If desired, the workspace can be replaced with a chest of drawers, but that's a matter of priorities.

And, of course, flowers in pots, a large poster with nature views and light curtains. Roller blinds for window panes with blackout function are particularly valuable when you go to sleep only before morning.

You Will Need:Stool Pillow MinskCotton Sheet SeaportPaint for Walls and Ceilings Trend Farbe Color “Moss Green”White MDF SkirtingBoard White Door “Royalty”White Wall Clock with DotsSolid Wood Plank “Oak Prime PF”Solution by Marina Sarksyan

Marina SarksyanDesignerWhen working on an interior, she immerses herself in a new look to create for the client a harmonious and cozy space based on her knowledge and experience

On the Layout

I envisioned a young couple of freelancers who love to travel and have a soft spot for Scandinavia, so the bedroom interior is in calm gray tones, and the floor was chosen with warm natural oak parquet. The green accent was added through decor elements.

On the Stylistic Approach

Although our heroes’ bedroom is very small, we still wanted a full-size bed and two neat 30 cm wide side tables. On both sides of the door, storage systems were arranged: one side is a wardrobe, and the other is a vanity table. Above are suspended shelves, under which a small mirror with backlighting fits nicely.

The gray carpet on the floor with a subtle graphic pattern balances the overall color palette. The bed and side tables, however, are chosen in contrasting colors—white and black, above which are pendant lights. Their transparent drop-shaped shades remind me of the sky in Finland, pebbles on the Baltic Sea coast, and raindrops. Plants on canvases and a flower print on pillows harmoniously support the style.

It's easy to change the mood of such an interior: just add a pink tone to the pillows, hang a Roman blind in the same color, and replace the green blanket with a white one.

You Will Need:One-strip Parquet Plank Artens “Family”Prestige Microfibre BlanketFloor Skirting of Veneer, Color - OakWall Clock “Grand”Clima CarpetCanvas Painting “Monster Leaves”Blackout Roller Blind “Letter”Paint for Walls and Ceilings Trend Farbe Color “Pebble Grey”