Cozy season inspiration from the Danish and Norwegian word: Hygge♡
Hello from the Northern Hemisphere, where the sun currently sets before 4pm!!! :P With these shorter colder days, we find ourselves spending nearly all our time indoors — the perfect time to get our homes real cozy. Here at Belynda Chen Interiors, we’re borrowing inspiration from the Danish + Norwegian word Hygge, pronounced “hoo-gah” to get Winter ready.
THE ORIGINS OF HYGGE:
Hygge, which has no direct English translation, describes a mood of coziness, or a feeling of wellness and contentment. It comes from a Danish word meaning to give courage, comfort, joy. Wiki Says: “hygge might originate from the word hug. Hug comes from the 1560s word hugge, which means "to embrace". The word hugge is associated with Old Norse term hygga which means "to comfort", which comes from word hugr, meaning "mood". Elsewhere we’ve seen hygge translated to “A Good Life” which we love!
So, we’re setting hygge as our intention + mood for Winter 2022/2023.
More hugs & hygge!
We also love applying hygge as an approach to re-decorating and arranging space to really invite rest, comfort, and wellness into our homes.
How to invite more hygge into your life
CANDLES, CANDLES, and MORE CANDLES
The images above are from one of our favourite blogs, My Scandinavian Home. You can see her posts on a Swedish Country Home, and a Cozy Swedish Apartment for more Winter hygge inspiration!
When you look up Hygge, one of the first things you are led to is candlelight. In Scandinavian homes throughout Autumn and Winter, you find candles thoroughly peppered alllll throughout the home. There are candles on every mantle, in the kitchen, on windowsills, and work desks. I’ve even seen a gorgeous photo of a candelabra on a bathroom stool beside a gorgeous modern shower (+ what better season to bathe by candlelight???). It feels intuitive to want more light in the home when darker seasons set in, so we say: let there be light!
Scented candles can totally change the mood of a space if that’s your thing, and we love the way a fiery/woody scent can bring the mind comfort + ease. Like being snuggled up to a campfire. That’s hygge!
If candles aren’t your preferred path to brightness, you can introduce more light fixtures into the home. You can find all kinds of beautiful fixtures that are affordable, and simply need a little creativity and TLC.
LOTS OF TEA + HOT BEVVIES
Bring out your favourite mugs!!! Late Autumn and Winter ask us to cozy up quietly at home with a comforting hot drink. We recommend simmering a pot of hot chocolate and let the aroma waft through your living space ~ hot chocolate (or tsokolate as Filipinos say) brewing on the stove is such a Winter delight. Sip it slowly, with a favourite book or magazine, as a morning treat (and try to do it without screens! We’ve been experimenting with this out, and it feels so good to start the day this way).
Have you tried the spicy hot chocolate at SOMA? Their Maya chocolate drink is infused with chilli pepper, ginger, orange peel, and other spices. We highly recommend it, especially if you’re by one of their locations in Toronto.
BRING OUT ALL THE SOFT, WARM, WOOLY + COZY FIBERS
The Scandinavia Standard says, “Hygge is about cosiness and surrounding yourself with the things that make life good, like friendship, laughter and security, as well as more concrete things like warmth, light, seasonal food and drink.”
When I think of warmth and security, I think heavy knit blankets, plush wool socks, cozy clothes, and cuddling up on the couch to a Hallmark Christmas movie. :)
In the home it makes me think of the importance of soft warm and natural fibers! I love seeing the way most Scandinavian homes use sheepskin: either draped on the backs of couches, placed on the seat for extra coziness on a well loved armchair, or on the floor as a little footrug! Winter is the time for all things wool.
If you have big baskets, bring them out into your sitting areas, and fill them with blankets and throws. You can also swap out accessories like pillows, and bring in more warming tones to invite in a sense of comfort and ease.
INVITE THE OUTSIDE IN
Looking into Scandinavian homes embodying hygge, many homes had beautiful branches in room corners, sitting in big round vessels and vases, or hanging alongside light fixtures. These little nods to nature (pine and other evergreens) are a great embodiment of hygge. You can kindly borrow a small branch from a tree in your neighbourhood that has naturally fallen. Check out the simple pine needle holiday decoration below!
We hope some of these thoughts inspire you to find more moments of cozy in your home as we move into the darky snowy season. It’s beautiful that we can learn from and receive inspiration from other cultures who know how to Winter so Well :) Wishing you wellness and hygge!
