Scandinavian Rugs

Learn More About Vintage and Mid Century Scandinavian Rugs

Scandinavia is known for their Rya and Rollakan Scandinavian rugs. Named after a town in southwest Sweden, Rya Swedish rugs date back to the 16th century.

At first the Scandinavian rugs designs were woven in solid colors, featuring black, gray, white and yellow but as time passed geometric shapes and floral designs were introduced. Used by nobility as bedding and a display of social standing, Rya Swedish rugs were often displayed as tapestries and exhibited as family heirlooms. Scandinavian design rollakan rugs are distinctive folk weaving and many are flat woven kilim tapestry rugs.

In recent months we have seen a tremendous increase in the demand for mid century modern rugs and for vintage rugs from Scandinavia especially. Vintage Scandinavian carpets work well as transitional pieces by adding an art deco feel and look which goes hand in hand with the current interior design trends. The shift towards mid-century modern decors has surely done wonders for the prices of Scandinavian rugs and they are finally being recognized for the great work of art that they truly are. Scandinavian Rugs can be found in both flat weaves as well as piled carpets.

Prices for the good vintage and mid-century modern Scandinavian rugs have been increasing tremendously. The recent spike in interest in Mid-Century modern interiors has rejuvenated the demand for rugs and carpets from Scandinavia in a big way.

Without a doubt, the Scandinavian rugs, from the mid 20th century, are amazing textile art pieces. They are sought after and appreciated by many Scandinavian rug collectors, interior home decorators and consumers from the four corners of our globe.

The great examples of Scandinavian rugs, such as the carpets by Marta Maas are usually more modernist and, in some cases, nostalgic. This recent surge in value as well as the massive increase demand seem to be here to stay – at least for the foreseeable future.

So now is the best time to shop for these breathtaking mid-century modern Scandinavian rugs!

Scandinavian Rugs Throughout History

In the Western world, the art of fine rug weaving is generally perceived as being a development unique to Near Eastern culture. When most Westerners are asked to imagine antique rugs, many will automatically picture something with an elaborate central medallion, ornate borders, and complex vine scroll and floral detailing; basically, they picture classically designed antique Persian rugs.

Though it is certainly true that artisanal rug weaving is a particularly important tradition in places such as Persia, Turkey, and the Caucasus, there are specific locales outside of this region where rug weaving has always been practiced.

Perhaps the most important such example is Scandinavia. Scandinavia boasts both an ancient history of weaving as well as a thriving new modern rug industry. What is most intriguing about the Scandinavian rugs is their unique development which is rooted in folk art.

For centuries, the Scandinavian people wove rugs out of necessity. The frigid winters and driving snows have always made the region particularly inhospitable, especially by European standards.

Of course, these adverse conditions have never proven too much for the people of Scandinavia whose culture dominated large portions of Northern and Eastern Europe as far back as the eight century. An integral part of this culture, which gave rise to the long-ships and complex social habits of the Vikings, was the art of weaving.

Scandinavia is comprised of the modern nation states of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. In these countries, rug weaving has long been an important practice. The arctic conditions and active lifestyles of the Scandinavian people combined to give rise to the practice of crafting traditional, distinctly regional rugs that had a wide range of utility.

As early as the sixteenth century, the Scandinavian weavers began to produce styles of rugs that were uniquely and distinctly Scandinavian – Ryas and Rollakans.  These fascinating styles are remarkable for several reasons.

First, they are distinctly Scandinavian in their overall aesthetic presentation. While these rugs were initially composed in muted, solid colors (often yellow, gray, or black), they would soon go on to incorporate patterns and design elements that were significant to their actual weavers.

Further, Ryas and Rollakans are notable for their transition from purely utilitarian works to pieces that were woven explicitly for decorative purposes. This mirrors the development of weaving in other cultures across the world and perhaps most notably in Morocco. In Morocco, the traditional weaving of rugs for utilitarian purposes evolved gradually into the production of pieces designed to be purchased and displayed.

In Scandinavia, beginning in the mid-seventeenth century, local weavers began to incorporate the geometric constructions and floral motifs that were (and remain) common in traditional Oriental rugs. Naturally, the master weavers of Scandinavian rugs made these designs their own by incorporating design elements that are significant to Scandinavian culture.

For instance, tulips were the flower of choice for Scandinavians. Therefore, the tulip motifs became a staple in Scandinavian rugs. Local animals and birds also made their way into these new designs – creating an intriguing synthesis of Eastern and Western aesthetic preferences.

The traditional use of Scandinavian rugs is best exemplified in the Rya rugs. When the Rya rug style fist came into its own as a distinct style of weaving, they were generally woven to be used as blankets or cloaks.

As time passed, this began to change. Initially, a widely available folk craft, Rya rugs were soon noticed by Scandinavian nobility. This began a transformation for the Rya rug. Ryas began to be woven for wealthy lords and patrons, who enjoyed decorating their manors with these distinctly Scandinavian rugs.

Generally speaking, the Scandinavian lords and ladies preferred to hang their Ryas on their manor walls – as tapestries – and also used them as bed coverings. Naturally, the very finest pieces would be considered to be a part of a family’s assets and would be handed down as familial heirlooms.

Perhaps it is this tradition of passing down Ryas between parents and their children that began the Scandinavian tradition of the wedding rug. That said, perhaps the inverse is true. Regardless, during the middle and late seventeenth century, it was tradition for marrying couples to have rugs made especially to commemorate their union. These dowry rugs would usually incorporate the initials of the bride and groom, the date of the weddings and imaginative representations of the couple.

Meanwhile, as the Rya rugs were enjoying this enormous surge in popularity and cultural importance, it was Rollakans that were preferred by the “common people” of Scandinavia. Regarded as folk art by the nobility, these mostly flat woven carpets were common throughout Scandinavia and were often found in the homes of those with even the most meager of means.

That said, over time, this began to change. Just as they had come into fashion rather suddenly, Rya rugs were soon forgotten by Scandinavian nobility. Once again, the Ryas were relegated to the commoner status that had been occupied by Rollakans for so long. This occurred at the beginning of an important transitional period. Not only for Scandinavia, but for all of Europe.

By the early decades of the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution had already begun to change the very fabric of European life. It is almost impossible to name a single aspect of the average European’s life that was not radically altered by the sudden arrival of industrialization.

Countries that had had limited trade with one another were suddenly trading commercial goods on a scale never before seen. As such, the average consumers were suddenly exposed to certain items which they had previously could not afford. This phenomenon had an especially significant impact on the rug industry in Norway, where the influence of contemporary European interior design trends had an enormous impact on the style of rugs that were being produced.

In the remainder of the Scandinavian countries, weavers stuck to more traditional styles and patterns. Certain design concepts were so important and so central to the weaving of Scandinavian rugs. So much so that they survived well into the twentieth century.

A tumultuous twentieth century, with two World Wars and countless other disastrous developments occurring throughout Europe, and the world, saw a radical re-imagining of many established traditional institutions. Perhaps most importantly, the general aesthetic preferences of the Western world began to shift.

For the first time, the abstract and the imaginative was given revered status which was previously reserved for the concrete and precisely executed. While this change affected just about every field of art and design in the Western world, a particularly poignant shift can be seen in the weaving traditions of Scandinavian rugs.

Possessing an artistic fervor, the designers and weavers of mid-twentieth century Scandinavian rugs not only accepted the broad aesthetic shift that was occurring… They seized it by the reins.

The result was the emergence of a textile artists of extraordinarily talent. Scandinavian rugs and their designers began producing distinctly modern carpets. These exciting compositions incorporated elements from traditional Scandinavian rugs, but were also boldly and assertively modernist. Deconstruction was a common artistic device for these mid-century modern designers who loved these retro rugs, as was reinterpretation of traditional elements and juxtaposition of disparate aesthetic ideas.

Soon, a huge body of distinctly modern, mid-century Scandinavian rugs were available to consumers – and many just could not get enough. These new Scandinavian rugs were brilliantly suited to mid-century modern interiors and their popularity soared as a result.

Today, in the midst of the mid-century modern revival, these uniquely modern carpets are once again in extraordinary demand. Representing a unique development in the world of fine rug weaving, Scandinavian rugs boast one of the most fascinating and captivating stories of any style.

Learn About Scandinavian Carpets

The name alone evokes images of freezing winters, cold oceans, and snow-capped mountains. It evokes images of seagoing Vikings, intrepid explorers, and roaring fires in stone fireplaces. With such a heritage, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Scandinavia is responsible for some of the finest rugs and tapestries ever made – after all, necessity is the mother of all invention, and when it’s cold like it is in Scandinavia, there is something of a need for a well-made rug.

In modern times, Scandinavia is renowned the world over for its unique and beautiful rugs, which have been handmade for centuries. Rya (or Ryijy) and Rollakan rugs, pieces that have been handcrafted throughout Scandinavia (in the countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark) since at least the 16th century, are highly desirable to collectors due to their impeccable craftsmanship and rich cultural significance.

Initially utilitarian and made in muted solid colors – often blacks, grays, whites and yellows – Scandinavian rugs would later feature geometric constructions and floral motifs inspired by the aesthetics of Oriental rugs. It was beginning in the mid-17th century that new elements began to appear in Scandinavian rugs — the tree of life design, floral patterns (with an emphasis on tulips), and depictions of birds and animals were introduced into the design of these rugs, bringing exotic appeal and a new beauty to traditional pieces.

The cultural roles played by Ryas – among the more interesting Scandinavian carpets – also changed over time as they became more ornamental and less utilitarian. Initially functioning primarily as blankets and cloaks early on in their existence, these rugs would later be used by nobility both as ornamental bedding and as proud displays of social standing, often being hung on walls as tapestries. The finest of these pieces became important family heirlooms, handed down through generations.

Ryas also went on to become an important part of traditional Scandinavian marriages. In many of these instances, the couple’s initials, the date they got married, hearts and figures (representing the bride and the groom) were incorporated into the designs of these “wedding rugs”. After falling out of favor with the Scandinavian nobility in the 18th century, Ryas would go on to become an important part of local folk culture, an avenue long occupied by the flat woven Rollakans.

Around the time when the Second World War ended, we begin to see that the Scandinavian rug weavers began creating more modernist patterns. This became even more apparent once the Scandinavian rug designers such as Alvar Aalto and Eero Saarinen came to prominence. Being such an old and essential part of Scandinavian culture, it only made sense for rugs to become an important medium for contemporary artists.

To know the beauty of a Scandinavian rug is to know Scandinavia. These works of art have evolved over the centuries alongside the people responsible for them. Each piece is a window into a different chapter of Scandinavian history and culture, a unique work of deep and powerful insight. Here is a culture where rugs began as necessities, but would go on to embody the rich cultural soul of an entire region.

Discover The Beauty of Decorative Scandinavian Rugs

Currently, the vintage rugs from Scandinavia are highly sought after by interior designers looking to add that special finishing accent to a room. The decorative Scandinavian rugs first gained international recognition for their pile and flat woven carpets between the 1920’s and 1970’s.

The time between the 1920’s and 1970’s was when designers employed the minimalism movement heavily. The result was stunning and often uncomfortable. Area rugs tended to relieve some of the uncomfortable, stark feeling that the minimalist approach often leaves.

This was due in part to the abstract designs used by many of the vintage rug weavers in their designs. Abstract designs are perfect as accent pieces. The Scandinavian rugs work well with a variety of different design styles.

They have a timeless appeal to anyone who leans more towards traditional designs, when area rugs defined various spaces in an open floor plan and provided warmth from wood, stone and tile flooring.

Recently, these designs have been making a comeback as part of the modern style. Trends are reverting to some of the minimalist approaches of the mid-20th century. The result is a resurgence of interest revolving around designs that can accent both the traditional and the modern.

The decorative Scandinavian Rugs are in high demand, especially designs and pieces created during the mid-20th century. They offer superior quality with an appeal that gives them the versatility to blend in with numerous designs and styles.

These rugs are perfect for adding that little final touch that brings a room together. It can help bring warmth to a modern design to keep it from being cold, add that extra touch that prevents minimalist from being stark, and can add that final touch to bring traditional from too much to just enough.

Interior Decorating with Mid-Century Scandinavian Rugs

In praise of Scandinavian rugs and carpets and their designers, there is certainly a lot to say. Almost everyone has their own opinion concerning why Scandinavian designs are so successful.

It could be their knack for balancing traditionalism and modernism. It could be their unique aesthetic – the freedom given to designers or their wide range of styles. It could also be their talent for divining and shaping the trends of tomorrow.

Of course, it is most likely a blend of these factors and others that make Scandinavian furnishings so enduring. Long before Ikea, there was Marta Mass-Fjetterstrom and her gang of well-trained and innately talented designers who were on the cusp of an important mid-century modern design movement.

The positive reputation of Scandinavian designs is longstanding, and its history goes far back. Folk art had an iron grip on Scandinavian and Viking Societies. There’s also significant evidence that Eastern arts reached Nordic countries centuries ago.

By the late 19th century, independent weavers and textile experts were tasked with revisiting textiles and consequently revived their designs. Just as the dark, sophisticated furnishings of the Karl Johan period dominated the early 1800’s and rustic regency pieces triumphed during the Gustavian period in the late 18th century, Marta Maas Fjetterstrom, Carl Malstem and pioneers of the Swedish craftsmen movement ruled the Mid 20th century.

Although Fjetterstrom created many groundbreaking designs, her best contribution might be the grassroots workshop model that ignited a creative hotbed of independent artisans. The freedom given to designers is a key element of Scandinavian designs.

This approach also worked for Marimekko, a brand that created a cohesive model by involving many disparate designs and designers.

Above all, the diversity and versatility of Scandinavian rugs are their defining traits. This range gives them a commonality, although their colors, designs and textures might be vastly different.

Scandinavian and Swedish kilims, pile carpets and ryas blend contemporary ideas with classical details, a unique combination that makes mid-century Scandinavian rugs ideal for a range of styles, from futuristic to rustic.

Decorating Your Home With beautiful Scandinavian Rugs

Scandinavian rugs are hugely popular in interior decorating because of their unique and beautiful blend of traditional and modern designs. The elegant and stylish patterns created using a combination of sparse lines, geometric shapes, and a pleasant mix of playful colors make them perfect for all kinds of interiors, including classical, contemporary, and ultra-modern.

Home Decorating With Scandinavian Rugs? Here are 5 Tips To Keep In Mind

Scandinavian Rugs Home Decorating

1. Use Scandinavian rugs to make a personal home decorating statement:

Scandinavian rugs provide an easy way to make a personal statement. They are among the first things visitors notice when they enter your home. So choose antique rugs that match your personal style. Look for the patterns and colors that you can identify with, but also that go seamlessly with the overall decor of your interior.

The living room should get the top priority, followed by the bedroom, dining room, bathroom, kitchen, hallway runners, stairway, and entryway.

Traditional Home Decorating with Scandinavian Rugs

2. Decorate With Scandinavian Rugs and Avoid wall to wall carpeting:

Wall to wall carpeting is usually not done in the Scandi decor; so most Scandinavian rugs are designed to be area rugs. Choose a spot to cover. Do you want to give it center stage or more of a supporting role? Choose the spot and rug accordingly.

Does the chosen stop have high or low foot traffic? Is it likely to be trampled by children and pets? Choose the material accordingly. Does the spot receive a lot of direct sunlight? Go for a rug that is sun proof and weather friendly.

Home Decorating With Large Scandinavian Rugs

3. Use different Scandinavian rug patterns and colors in different home decorating areas:

You can use the same rug or different rugs in different rooms in your home. But to create an effect of variety, use different patterns and colors in different places. This removes monotony and helps create a pleasant environment. If you are going to have two or more rugs in the same room, you can choose different colors and patterns.

You can even use carpets and area rugs to create a striking contrast. But whatever you do, make sure that the rugs conform to the overall mood of the room, otherwise it may look out of place.

Home Decorating With Scandinavian Shag Rugs

4. Use hand-woven Scandinavian rugs in your home decorating scheme for high traffic areas:

Since some rugs can become worn out fairly quickly in high traffic areas, use good quality hand woven Scandinavian rugs. Unlike knotted rugs, woven rugs are produced by actually weaving as apposed to knotting.

This weaving technique greatly reduces the time to make the rugs. The hand-woven Scandinavian rugs are very sturdy and can withstand daily foot traffic for years.

Colorful Shag Scandinavian Rug Decorating

5. Use round Scandinavian rugs to decorate and emphasize your home’s furniture:

Round or curvy Scandinavian rugs are great for giving emphasis to your furniture. A round dining table placed on a round rug creates a beautiful visual effect and makes the area the focal point of the room. In a minimally furnished room, a round rug takes the center stage, softening sharp and harsh edges.

Round rugs are also good for the bathroom, entryway and the corner of a large room. Combined with the right furniture, they can create a beautiful vignette.

A Guide to Scandi Home Decor and Interiors

Scandi decor and interiors have become popular right now. Scandinavian decor is also known as Nordic and nicknamed “Scandi,” it is a minimalist style that makes use of varied textures and contrasting colors to create the greatest impact without over-saturating a space. This general description, however, gives only a vague sense of how to actually go about creating a space using Scandi interiors. If you want to be able to exemplify this trendy design mode in your interior spaces, you’ll need to know more about where this design initially came from and how it is implemented in modern decorating. We’ll go in depth here as well as provide you with examples of how to make the magic happen.

Scandi decor focuses on contrast and minimalism.

The Origins of Scandi Interior Design

While the official introduction of Scandi design into the world began in the 1950’s, its origins go much further back and are more political than you may have imagined. In the mid- to late 1800’s, Art Nouveau took a nod from the Romantics by featuring naturalistic designs in the home. Yet this kind of design was still only available to the privileged classes who could afford to decorate their homes in such a way.

This changed to some degree after World War I, when people began to think that the old political systems were not working anymore. Art Nouveau was soon replaced with the industrialized and sleek design elements of Art Deco, which saw its peak in the roaring ’20’s.

Art Deco may have offered a refreshing new take on interior design that showed the glamour made possible by the industrial revolution. It certainly offered a different take on art than people were used to, in no small part thanks to its inspiration from the Swiss dadaist, Russian “constructivist” and German Bauhaus School movements.

Scandi interior design has its roots in art deco and the Bauhaus movement.

However, one thing remained the same: An elaborately decorated home was still the mark of privilege, and to truly actualize the Art Deco style, a homeowner had to have the funds to purchase all the required pieces. This was the last aspect of the pre-industrial aristocratic interior design philosophy that needed to fall before modern design could truly flourish.

It needed to fall in the sense that its fall was inevitable. Both the Great Depression and World War II sparked outrage at the ruling classes while people additionally were seeking to recover from the losses of the past decade. In this way, the rise of Scandi decor is interrelated with the rise of democracy in European nations. Products that only wealthy people could once afford were now accessible for people of much more humble financial means. In addition to this, a new emphasis was placed on functionality rather than just beauty.

The Scandinavian countries hosted several conferences that further cultivated these new values, leading to an expansion of this new “modernist” design through the ’40s. By the ’50s, Scandinavian interiors had established itself as a distinct style. In 1954 Elizabeth Gordon, editor of House Beautiful magazine, traveled to various places in Scandinavia, bringing public attention to Scandi decor and design.

In the USA, Scandi decor has been known for a while, finding a particular resurgence in the ’90’s and early 2000’s. While it is no longer associated with the pro-democratic political sentiments, Scandi design remains an enduring and beloved fixture in the world of American interior aesthetics.

A living room with Scandinavian interior design.

The Breakdown of Scandi Home Decor and Interior Design Elements

So what makes Scandi decor what it is? A home that demonstrates proper Scandinavian interior design elements will have multiple iterations of these elements:

• High contrasts, often involving black and white
• The use of natural light to highlight certain areas
• Modern furniture that goes easy on the color palettes
• Simple furniture that is orderly, not cluttered
• If featured art, often in multiples of a similar design

What holds it all together is the continuation of the theme throughout a whole house. If you have executed this correctly, things will seem well-spaced and harmonious while still being cozy and inviting.

Scandi interior design is characteristically uncluttered.

Scandi Interiors And Home Design Examples

To keep things simple and elegant, a muted gray or beige makes a good start. To make things cozy, try using such a unified and reserved color theme in combination with variation of textures. A bedroom that uses a single color for both the rug, curtains, and pillowcases while trying a different color for the sheets is another example of the effective use of colors. A recurring theme in artwork can add a fun and personal touch to the attitude of a home.

For instance, a set of prints featuring different assortments of vegetables and herbs would fit nicely in a kitchen or dining room.

If this article has you excited to try your own Scandi home decor and interior design theme, a good recommendation is to work from the ground up by starting with a fitting rug. Nazmiyal Rugs has an outstanding selection of both modern and antique rugs that can fit into this or just about any other design.

Click To See Photo Gallery Pictures Of Vintage Swedish Scandinavian Rugs

You may also what to consider the vintage area rugs by these renowned Scandinavian and Swedish rug weavers, textile designers and artists:

Anna Johanna Aengstroem | Ethel Halvar Andersson | Anne Marie Boberg | Eevahenna Aalto | Rakel Callander | Ingrid Dessau | Marta Gahn | Elsa Gullberg | Brita Grahn | Anna Gretta | Gavleborgs Lans Hemslojd | Klockaregardens Hemslojd | Judith Johansson | Berit Koenig | Barbro Nilsson Nee Lundberg | Britta Rendahl Ljusterdal | Marta Maas Fjetterstrom | Agda Osterberg | Brita Molin | Ulla Parkdal | Marianne Richter | Ida Rydelius | Ingegerd Silow | Ellen Stahlbrand | Barbro Sprinchorn | Gunilla Ullberg