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"Down in the winter decorating dumps? Lars Bolander&amp;#039;s Scandinavian Design is full of bright ideas  January&amp;#039;s usually a big organizing month for me (it always feels good to clear the decks after the holidays). But then February rolls around and the cold weather and general dreariness seem to sap me of my home improvement energy. Planning a project just seems like too much effort; I&amp;#039;d rather sit on the sofa or in bed and read about other people&amp;#039;s projects. Luckily, one of the many reasons I love my job is that nearly every day brings another gorgeous design book to my desk. I&amp;#039;ll be sharing that wealth with you here, starting with my latest favorite page-turner, Lars Bolander&amp;#039;s Scandinavian Design.   Lars Bolander&amp;#039;s Scandinavian Design by Heather Smith MacIsaac; Vendome Press; $40 I can&amp;#039;t stop looking at this book. I think it&amp;#039;s because the bright, light-filled rooms pictured throughout (see three, below) are such a perfect antidote to the dark, cold, short days we&amp;#039;re living through here in the Northeast. &amp;quot;Inside Scandinavian houses, no matter the season, it&amp;#039;s all summer, all the time,&amp;quot; writes Heather Smith MacIsaac in the book&amp;#039;s introduction. It&amp;#039;s also a lesson in Scandinavian simplicity (and no, I don&amp;#039;t mean the Ikea version\u2014my house already speaks Ikea fluently). Even the most ornate rooms\u2014from dining rooms to bedrooms\u2014have a pared-down aesthetic that makes them feel both clean and elegant. Gustavian furniture design may have been inspired by King Carl Gustav III&amp;#039;s stay at the court of Louis XVI at Versailles, but there&amp;#039;s little of the ostentatious styling left in the muted, often grey- or white-washed Swedish translation. Take this dining area here\u2014it&amp;#039;s pale, quiet, formal but unfussy. The mix of &amp;quot;done&amp;quot; (the ornate gilt-framed bas-reliefs) and &amp;quot;undone&amp;quot; (the practically crumbling walls) feels very current, despite the absolutely traditional elements within the space.   Okay, I&amp;#039;ll admit it: I&amp;#039;m partial to just about any room with walls lined with books. And particularly one with a comfy-looking chair to curl up in while reading. But what&amp;#039;s really interesting about this next space is that while it&amp;#039;s casual\u2014even messy, one might argue\u2014the delicate lines of the mismatched furniture, and the bold, bright pattern on the floor make it seem effortlessly elegant.   In this last bedroom photo, I love the contrast in textures\u2014the rough wall, the smooth painted surfaces, the soft cotton fabrics\u2014and the clever use of space: The easy addition of a curtain rod turns an awkwardly sloping space into an inviting hideaway.   It makes me think that our long-neglected bedroom could use a Swedish accent or two. Maybe I&amp;#039;ll repaint the too-dark walls a lighter shade of sky blue, and swap out our old foot-of-the-bed clothes-repository/trunk with a delicate bench upholstered in a simple stripe? A pair of lamps with white-washed wood bases and natural linen shades would complete the picture. Now\u2026where&amp;#039;s that Ikea catalog? Want more inspiring decorating ideas? Check out our Home Decor Gallery. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/decorating-ideas/a24133/scandinavian-decorating-ideas-for-bedrooms-and-more/>