Ultimate TV Trendsetters
From television to interior design, Scandi culture has been weaving its way through global life for some time. You have probably encountered it without even realizing, perhaps as you assemble a piece of flatpack furniture or settle down to watch the latest hit detective show.
When functional IKEA furniture first became a worldwide phenomenon, nobody could have predicted that Scandi culture would end up permeating so much of our lives — and our television screens. Nowadays we’re embracing Scandinavia’s most interesting exports in so many different ways, and our lives are richer for it.
A global love for Scandi exports
From flatpack furniture IKEA to Hygge, the trend which mixed minimalism with Scandi home comfort to find an effortless midpoint between the natural and the modern. More recently, Hygge has been replaced by Swedish Lagom, which roots itself in sustainability, and offers design solutions which are kind to the environment.
And for centuries, Swedish snus has been shipped across the world. The product – tobacco in a pouch that is placed under the lip – has recently had a renaissance after stringent smoking bans came into place in Sweden. Thankfully you don’t have to go to Sweden to buy your snus, with sites such as taxfreesnus.com offering internet surfers to order snus online and have it delivered worldwide. A surge in interest in snus has increased demand for new products, from menthol options to varying nicotine levels.
Norway tops the bill with an environmental thriller
The Scandi culture is rooted in the natural environment, and with the global climate crisis making the news headlines most days, it is no surprise that Norwegian thriller, Occupied has been a huge success across the globe. Hosted by Netflix, Occupied is the highest-budget Norwegian thriller ever produced, delivering a damning assessment on the global climate crisis. Touted by Vogue as the most relevant show to watch right now, Occupied presents a world in which Norway acts as the global conscience and focuses on fraught relations with Russia.
A Nordic bridging of gender gaps
Scandi TV has changed our viewing habits. In recent years, television and film has seen an increased interest in three-dimensional female characters. Many attribute this to the #MeToo movement, however Scandi TV has been ahead of the curve for some years. When The Bridge was first broadcast on the BBC in 2012, there were few shows offering a female lead like Sofia Helin’s Saga Norén. For many, The Bridge was a first glimpse into the world of Scandi television, and it paved the way for shows such as Occupied and The Killing. The chilling nature of the show, mixed with dark Scandi humor became a trademark for television made in the region, and has proven popular with viewers around the world.
Scandi culture is continuing to influence everything from our viewing habits to our interior design and it shows no sign of letting up any time soon. We yearn for a Scandi way of living, one which is rooted in nature, yet effortlessly modern. Although interest in Scandi culture might have started with flatpack furniture and high budget thrillers, it now offers a shift towards the sustainable, with a focus on a more measured life that has the earth in mind.