A Hygge Home
A hygge home. It’s so much more than just a hype word ever popular around the holiday season. To be completely honest, for me, it was a lifestyle I was mindfully trying to create for myself and my family before I’d ever even heard of the word. When I first saw the home we live in today, before it was ever ours, I knew it had the bones to be everything we wanted. Sure, it was outdated, but there was a feeling you get when you arrive. A feeling I craved in our old home but just never felt. It needed to be loved and nurtured and lived in. Truly lived in. And so we did.
I’m told that today, when you enter our gate or walk through our front door, you feel it. A welcoming hug inviting you in to stay a while. To take a deep breath. To slow down. To pause and breathe. I wanted to share with you some of the subtleties that I believe give our home that comforting hygge feeling:
Candles. (or levende lys as the Danish call them) There’s always at least one or two soy or beeswax candles lit in our home. Some hand rolled, some with our favorite scents that make you feel like you’ve just stepped foot into a ski lodge. No hygge home is complete without them.
Blankets, pillows and rugs. Every piece of furniture we own has a handmade crochet blanket draping its corner. And our favorite reading nook bay window is lined with soft comfy pillows and a fuzzy furry rug. It’s all about adding subtle touches of texture and warmth to your space.
Fireplace. We are fortunate that our home has a large, three-story river rock fireplace that is quite literally the heart of our home. There’s something so mesmerizing about watching logs burn on a fire. The crackling. The smoky smell when my husband opens the doors to throw on a log. And the warmth it brings the entire home. It just doesn’t get more hygge than that.
Cozy nook. Every home needs a nook but it doesn’t have to be a traditional sitting window. It can be any comfortable, calming place where you can retreat to read a book, sip a glass of wine or cup of coffee and just breathe. We have a few in our home, but my favorites are our sunroom and west-facing bay window. A cozy nook is not complete without lots of cozy details…all the items above are a good start!
I've created a list of my favorite wintertime children's books and Christmas-themed children's books.
Natural elements. Over the years, I’ve filled our home with items made from natural materials such as wicker, bamboo, wood, hemp, wool and cotton. Anything to make you feel closer to nature. And April through September, you will always find a vase of fresh flowers on the table in our home, sometimes five. Always.
Lighting. It matters. Like it REALLY matters. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into people’s homes and the lighting was so cool and stark that I felt as if I was about to be asked where I was on the night of October 17th. Our home, rather, is filled with soft light (clean but not cool), mostly in the form of vintage-inspired Edison bulbs. With so many beautiful options these days, it’s easy to find a bulb that fits the style of your room and the shade that adds warmth and brightness without being too cool and sterile feeling.
So, have I started the wheels turning about how your can make your home more hygge?
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