We decided to continue our annual tradition of creating a Christmas themed 3D visual, using SketchUp and Maxwell Render.  This gives us an opportunity to flex our interior design muscles and provides you with a little inspiration when it comes to Christmas styling and the amazing capabilities of photo-real 3D Visualisation.

Last year we used a colour palette of pink and teal, with the more traditional trappings of Christmas but this year we’ve decided to embrace a more minimal aesthetic, taking inspiration from a Scandinavian infused style.  Yup, we’re turning our back on twinkling multi-coloured lights, reams of tinsel and vintage glass baubles!  This means a seriously pared back look, which is actually much more challenging to achieve than you might think!

Whilst we, (the SketchUp Hub) tend to gravitate to a ‘less is more’ vibe, it’s still important to have a space that reflects your personality and style, whilst evoking an emotional response on some level.  Don’t forget that colour, texture and pattern still plays an important role, especially in a Scandinavian interior, as these design elements help to soften this minimalist look.

Let’s take a look at our MINIMAL CHRISTMAS design! 

You might notice that we used this interior for our Autumn Styling blog post a few months back.  We’ve decided to adopt this space as our virtual SKETCHUP HUB HQ!  This means that we’re going to use this space as our starting point for all future design schemes when creating blog and training content.  We might even have a little competition where you guys get to design this space too!

We’ve retained some of the staple design elements of this room, like the Herringbone floor, the fireplace, fitted storage, coffee table and mid-century styled chair.  But we’ve given this room a HUGE REFRESH just by changing the wall colour.  This is an amazing illustration of just how different a room can look depending on the colour of the walls!  We’ve opted for a very soft, chalky grey to help reinforce that minimal feel and calming atmospheric quality.

We’ve added monochromatic pattern with the inclusion of tiles from Fired Earth to help visually lift the room, and added a few splashes of brass via the West Elm chandelier and side table.  This is also a very effective way to inject a little bit of luxe to a contemporary Scandinavian design.  It’s crucial to make sure you add dollops of warmth to prevent a Nordic inspired scheme from appearing too cold and uninviting.  This is where the Herringbone floor also comes in handy, with its welcoming tones.

Brass side table available from House Curious

There’s no traditional Christmas tree in this room, we’ve opted for a more simplistic look with a wall hung, slightly rustic alternative.  The logs enrich this design further with their heavily textured appearance and we’ve added a little nod to more traditional Christmas decor by including simple fairy lights.  Get similar at Cox & Cox.  We’re not completely void of Christmas spirit, though!  There’s a miniature tree on the fireplace and some minimal little Christmas tree ornaments on the coffee table.

There are plenty of alternatives to the more traditional Christmas tree and if you are an advocate of minimalism, be brave and extend this to your Christmas styling. Embrace your individuality!

We’ve been selective with the use of art in this space.  It was super important to us that everything in this room had a purpose and that we stayed true to that pared down, minimal look.  The Stag print (which has strong Scandinavian associations) is from a talented Belfast based Artist called Aly Harte, and the abstract print, with its soft and inviting colour palette is available from Society6. 

Let’s talk about placement of art.

We decided to hang the abstract art above the chair and off-centre, so that it added cohesion to this area of the room.  This little cluster is a design feature in itself and works because of the different heights of each of the three main areas: the chair, art and the side table.  The Stag has been plonked on the top shelf to help draw the eye up.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ways to hang art.  Sometimes, in the right grouping, single pieces can have a HUGE impact.  Particularly in contemporary interiors.

Purchase some of the 3D models in this scene to add a contemporary vibe to your SketchUp interiors.  We’ve decided to offer these with a special 20% discount until 24 December 2018.  Click on the images below for more information about these models.  Don’t forget that all of our courses and 3D models can be gifted!  Go on, drop a few hints to friends and family and get some SketchUp goodness for Christmas!

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LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR GIFT CARDS

We hope that you’ve been inspired to try a more streamlined look for your Christmas styling with our minimal design. Are you a fan of minimalist interiors at Christmas, or do you go all out for traditional decorations?

Let us know in the comments!