Monopoly and Scrabble have been fixtures of family game nights for generations, but their colorful boards and familiar pieces rarely stay out once the competition ends. When the last property has been traded or the final word spelled, everything usually disappears back into a cabinet. WS Game Company is rethinking that relationship between play and display.
The new Nordic Collection gives the two classic board games a Scandinavian-inspired redesign, replacing conventional folding boards and cardboard boxes with warm wood, understated graphics, and carefully considered details. Launched last month, the collection draws on the principles of Scandinavian modernism to create games that feel as much like design objects as they do as games.
Photography courtesy of WS Game Company
“The Nordic Collection was inspired by the rich design history of Scandinavian modern design,” explains Kerry Addis, co-owner and COO of WS Game Company. She points to designers such as Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, who combined natural materials and traditional craftsmanship with modern production techniques to create objects that were both innovative and inviting. For the Nordic Collection, the goal was to bring that same balance of familiarity and innovation to the games’ form, construction, and functionality.
Photography courtesy of WS Game Company
The goal was to create something that could fit comfortably into an existing interior while offering meaningful innovations in form, construction, and practicality.
A Familiar Game, Reimagined in Wood
The most immediately noticeable change is the material palette. Both Monopoly Nordic and Scrabble Nordic feature wooden game boards made from individual panels that connect through concealed magnets. Instead of unfolding a conventional board, players snap the pieces together, creating a sturdy playing surface that breaks down for compact storage.
Photography courtesy of WS Game Company
The assembly itself was designed to be as satisfying as the finished product. “The intuitive magnetic connections allow the user to snap the panels easily together, creating a solution that is as elegant and functional as it is satisfying to use,” explains James Fuschetti, WS Game Company’s senior industrial designer. Cork backing adds warmth while helping prevent the boards from sliding during a game.
Working with manufacturing partners, the designers selected woods and stains that would produce a warm tone with a subtle luster. Generously rounded corners on the storage boxes and other components soften their appearance while making them more comfortable to handle.
The result is a collection designed to complement a range of interiors rather than compete with them. Each game comes in a coordinating beechwood box that can sit comfortably on a shelf or coffee table, with the components stored neatly inside.
Each game comes in a coordinating beechwood box that keeps the components neatly organized while allowing the games to remain on display between uses.
Photography courtesy of WS Game Company
Scandinavian Details Meet Familiar Gameplay
Beyond the wooden construction, smaller details reveal how WS Game Company balanced Scandinavian influences with the visual identities of two instantly recognizable games.
In Monopoly Nordic, the traditional houses have become miniature pine trees. Instead of placing four houses side by side on a property, players stack them vertically to create increasingly tall conifers. As the game progresses, the board begins to resemble a Scandinavian forest.
Photography courtesy of WS Game Company
The graphic design draws on the region’s history, too. Monopoly’s Chance and Community Chest cards have been recolored light blue and red, a subtle nod to early Swedish editions of the game. The railroad icon has been reimagined as an electric trolley, while the custom money takes cues from modernist Scandinavian banknotes, pairing crisp graphics with patterns inspired by traditional folk art.
Despite these updates, the game retains its recognizable corner-square icons, Chance question mark, and classic playing tokens, including the top hat and shoe. A wooden banker’s tray, die-cast tokens, and custom property deeds round out the set.
Scrabble Nordic takes a similarly considered approach. Its scorepad features graphics inspired by Scandinavian banknotes and folk art, while wooden letter tiles and racks bring warmth to the familiar game. The set also includes a microsuede tile bag, a pencil, and a sand timer with wooden end caps.
Photography courtesy of WS Game Company
The designers were careful to preserve the details that make Scrabble instantly recognizable, from the size and weight of the letter tiles to the small triangular markings along the edges of premium squares. Those markings help players identify bonus spaces even when tiles cover the board, preserving a small but important functional detail of the original design.
Together, the two editions demonstrate how familiar games can be updated through materials, graphics, and playful details without losing the elements that make them enjoyable in the first place.
Designed for the Way We Live
The collection builds on an idea WS Game Company has explored for years: Board games can be part of a home’s décor rather than hidden away between uses.
Photography courtesy of WS Game Company
Its Vintage Bookshelf Collection takes a similar approach, packaging classic games in formats intended to blend into a bookshelf. The Nordic Collection extends that thinking through natural materials, a more sculptural presentation, and an emphasis on the physical experience of playing.
“We’ve always believed that good design should have staying power,” Addis says. Rather than chasing fleeting trends, the company aims to create products that can evolve with people’s interiors and remain relevant as their lives change.
As more daily activities migrate to screens, WS Game Company sees an opportunity to bring analog experiences back into everyday life. “Board games are a natural fit, bringing people together for shared experiences,” Addis says.
Photography courtesy of WS Game Company
The Nordic Collection makes a case for finding new possibilities in objects we already know. Monopoly and Scrabble don’t need to be reinvented to feel fresh. Sometimes, a thoughtful change in materials, a more intuitive construction, or a miniature forest of wooden houses is enough to make a familiar game worth leaving out long after everyone has gone home.
Editorial Transparency: This article was developed with the assistance of AI tools, which may have been used for research, outlining, editing, or copy refinement. Reporting, fact-checking, and editorial decisions were made by the Design Milk editorial team.
