Black Is the New Blonde: Is the Scandi Light Wood Trend Over?

While we’ll certainly shout our penchant for chic minimalism from the rooftops, there is one trend we’re seeing move the decor pendulum in a different direction lately. We’re still digging the starker approach when it comes to decorating our homes, but we’ve been noticing the Scandi wood trend may, in fact, be on the way out. Swapping light wood for black or smoked wood—while still acknowledging Scandi’s roots in minimalism—may just become your new obsession as well.

And while your first thought might be “espresso-hued furniture is nothing new” as you look around your living room and take in the site of your black brown-finished HEMNES coffee table and media cabinet, let us explain. We’re not talking about relatively flat black(ish) furniture and flooring, but rather a matte black that looks like it was baked (burned?) straight through the very makeup of the wood.

We’ve been seeing the trend not just in furniture like the coffee table in this room via Finnish realty site Bo LKV, but also in more permanent applications like the smokey floors of the boho chic living room at the top featured on Milk Decoration, and the facade of the modern home (below) in Surry Hills, Sydney, by Australian designer Pamela Makin (via Vosges Paris).

If a shift toward black is too much of a jolt to the soothing, lighter wood you’re used to, introducing one or two pieces of smoked wood may make the transition a bit smoother (and deliver a punch of modern style). Plus, you might realize the addition of a slightly darker element is all you need to freshen up your space. These gray, almost weathered-looking pieces complement rather than contrast your existing lighter wood, furnishings, and floors.

Check out our picks below for items that will keep you ahead of the curve while not completely abandoning your penchant for all things Scandi: