How To Get Happy Cosy with Danish Hygge?

The Danes have always had some great ideas; Lego, Google Maps, dry-cell batteries and of course, hygge. While most of us will be pretty familiar with the first three concepts (especially just after Christmas), that final one might stump you a little bit if you’re not from a Scandinavian household.

Hygge, pronounced hyoo-guh, doesn’t directly translate into English but it’s, in essence, a word, used in Norway and Denmark, to convey a mood of comfort and cosiness that has associated practices that involve wellness and being contented. Given the long, dark winters of Northern Europe, it’s perhaps not too surprising then, that this idea is central to Danish culture.

With the festive season now out of the way and the UK still stranded in the midst of bleak mid-winter, perhaps it’s time for us to be a little more Danish in our thinking but how do we get that cosy hygge feeling? Well, there are several key aspects to the notion that will help you achieve a little bit of Scandi snugness.

Togetherness

A core tenet of hygge is togetherness and sharing the cosiness you’ve created with others. This can be achieved by having friends and family round for hot cocoa or mulled cider and just enjoying each other’s company in warm, familiar surroundings. Your furniture can go a long way to help curate a more intimate atmosphere for this. For example, a well-placed corner sofa can get people to sit and talk to one another over coffee and a statement centrepiece like an Oslo Chunky Oak Coffee Table could be just the thing for it. 

Likewise, kitchen and dining areas have long been a place for people to gather, laugh and talk over tasty pies and pastries, perhaps even a few drinks, and a dining table with bench in the place of dining chairs can really contribute to a communal feel. The padded Wessex Smoked Oak Grey Cushion Bench offers both style and comfort perfect for sharing a meal and good times together.

Comfort

Comfort is a big part of hygge. From the living room to the bedroom, curling up and feeling safe and warm gives you the calmness needed to deal with whatever may lie ahead. This can come in many forms, such as hiding under the covers of your luxurious Florence Grey Painted Super King Size Bed with a good book as the rain pitter-patters on the window. 

Alternatively, that comfort can come from less obvious places, like a subtle Bergen Grey Lamp Table that allows you to bring extra light and warmth into the room while also offering somewhere to keep odds and ends, or a Sienna Silver Frame Leaner Mirror that helps to reflect light around a space to create a brighter, lighter ambience while also providing some great wall decor. 

Serenity

Serenity is not an easily achieved state of mind but one way Danes do it is by immersing themselves in nature, making the most of their rugged coastline and glorious forests and breathing in the fresh air. Of course, this isn’t always possible, so bringing the outside in with rustic or natural-looking furniture helps create the right mood. A Rustic Oak Console Table can bring the feel of the natural world, with its dovetailed drawers and undeniable rustic charm, into the home and combine it with modern technology. 

Likewise, a Winchester Oak Display Cabinet can be a great storage space for knick-knacks or other items that give you a sense of comfort, or maybe even just a spot for mugs for soothing warm drinks, while giving that naturalistic look of unpainted wood that can really bring the outside in.