If you’re not familiar with the term “hygge” let me break it down for ya. “Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment.”
In other words….. “Hygge is about coziness 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.”
A few other descriptions include, “the art of creating intimacy”, “coziness of the soul”, “focusing on spending more quality time with friends and family”, and “enjoying the good things in life.”
In my own words— Hygge is about coziness + comfort, but also simplicity + contentment. It’s about making small moments special + a creating a feeling of closeness with the people you love. It’s basically a form of self-care!
The most idyllic hygge scene for me is up north at our family cabin tucked away in the woods on the most peaceful, serene lake. It’s fall, and the colors on the trees are vibrant shades of red + orange. The air is chilly, and it makes you want to curl up in front of a fire with a mug of coffee or hot cocoa. You’re wearing fuzzy socks and warm, comfy clothes. Candles are lit, pot pies are in the oven, and you’re gathered around the coffee table with your family + friends playing games, laughing, and living in the present.
Sounds pretty spectacular, right? No need to wait to implement this cozy concept— we can all add more hygge to our lives right now, my friend!
OH— and by the way, you pronounce it, “hue-guh”!
Now let’s dive into how we can use hygge to make everyday life more cozy + special.
Make your home a sanctuary. Create a space that you loooove and that makes you feel *grounded*.
When a home is chaotic, cluttered, and overwhelming, it’s going to be so much more difficult to fully exhale + relax.
This doesn’t mean you need to have your dream home right this second— there are lots of house projects my husband + I plan to do down the road. But that’s not stopping us from creating a cozy, calm energy in our home right. now.
I’ll give ya some examples……
1. Alllllll the dim, moody, warm lighting (aka candles, salt rock lamps, and floor/table lamps that add just the right amount of light to a room)
2. Cozy throw blankets + pillows— especially ones with some texture + chunkiness to them.
3. String lights (we put ours on the pergola on our deck during the warm months + add fairy lights inside around the holidays!)
4. Get rid of the clutter. I like to call my style boho minimalist. I love all the textures, splashes of color, and lots of wood, buuuut I like to balance all that fun, spunky energy with a calm, minimalist feel. We do this by keeping our possessions to a minimum and only adding decor to our home that we truly love.
5. Make comfort food + sip warm beverages (n share with loved ones as frequently as possible!)
How have Danish people have learned how to get through the darkest, coldest months of the year with a smile on their faces?? One word: HYGGE.
Winter is without a doubt the most hygge time of year. And since I live in Wisconsin, I needed to figure out a way to enjoy about six months of the year a little more. And I am sooo serious: I genuinely enjoy each shift in seasons now— even the gradual shift from sunny + 75 to dark + 10 below. Because I have found a silver lining, a way to enjoy what winter brings. And one of those things is COMFORT FOOD (kinda my specialty).
And the thing I’ve learned that makes it 1000000x more special? Sharing comfort food with loved ones. Sitting down at the table with family + friends. Undistracted conversation over a delicious, filling meal.
Here are a couple of what I like to call “hygge recipes” perfect for sharing with others—
Warming Sweet Potato Sage Turkey Chili
Maple Almond Butter Banana Bread
Make the everyday feel anything but ordinary with special, little touches
“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.”
—William Morris
I read something once that said “you gotta start romanticizing your life.” This is so. freakin. true! There are no guarantees that we get more than this oooone, precious life. So why wait for “special occasions” to do special things?
I’m a firm believer in doing tiny things that make an otherwise ordinary day feel a little more cozy + enjoyable + sparkly + special.
Here are some examples of things I implement regularly……
6. Sip your coffee outside in the morning. Or if it’s winter, have coffee in bed or drink your coffee while reading a book for five minutes. Whatever you do, just make it enjoyable instead of quickly gulping it down before rushing out the door. Make *an experience* out of the things that you do daily.
7. Make your work environment as calming + stress-free as possible! Throw a cozy blanket over your desk chair, light a candle or diffuse essential oils, surround yourself with photos of your favorite memories/beautiful artwork/quotes/mantras.
And beyond the look + feel of your work environment — do things that make your work day more enjoyable. Take deep breaths, stretch, sip on a mug of tea, take a break for a walk outside (or even just to step outside for a moment!).
Hygge has helped me shift my mindset from…..
work hard / get it all done as efficiently as possible / work now, play later / hustle, hustle, hustle
to…..
work hard WHILE drinking my favorite tea / get it all done in an efficient way WHILE listening to my fav playlists / incorporate play into my work by taking breaks + going for a mid-day walk / hustle in a comfy, cozy, aesthetically pleasing work environment
Work does not have to be ALL stress/discomfort/waiting for the weekend. We just have to be conscious about taking those steps to make the everyday more enjoyable. Ya know what I mean???
8. Light a candle, play jazz music, and sip on a glass of wine while you cook dinner! I looooove creating a special little ambience + making an experience out of cooking.
9. Find clothing that is suuuuper cozy (and stop wearing uncomfortable things!).
Lol I miiiight take cozy clothing to an extreme (hello oversized sweatshirt, fleece lined sweatpants, and cabin socks!!)
If you know me, you know that my clothing has levels 🙂
Level 1: The COMFIEST OF THE COMFYS — you likely won’t catch me out in public wearing level ones. This level is reserved for pretty much any time I’m home with just my husband … Baggy sweatpants, soft fabrics, and anything a size or two too big.
Level 2: VERY comfy, but not my go-to if I’m about to settle in for a movie night at home. My joggers fall into this category. The *key difference* here— level ones have NO restriction….not even the ankles!!
Level 3: Comfy, but I mean…. I don’t hang out alone in leggings like all you crazy people out there. Level threes are usually better than jeans, but if fabric is skin-tight that is a a LEVEL THREE, LADIES.
Aaaaanyway. I think being as comfortable as possible is quite an important part of the hygge lifestyle if you couldn’t tell.
Final hygge thoughts + ideas
Hygge is pretty open to interpretation— simply do more of what makes you feel cozy, comfy, grateful, and present.
If candles, blankets, dim lighting, comfort food, baked goods, sweatpants, fuzzy socks, slippers, a hot cup of tea, decorating your space with photos of happy memories, listening to relaxing music, and sharing a meal with loved ones, aren’t enough to get you started, here are just a few more:
Game nights with friends, reading a good book curled up on the couch, movie nights with loved ones, sleeping in, warm epsom salt baths, expressing gratitude daily, snuggling with your pet, implementing a super grounding morning routine + calming evening ritual into your days, technology-free time, weekend cabin getaways, have a fire, meditate… guys, the hygge things are infinite.
With that being said, I want to hear how YOU create more hygge in your life. Give me alllll the details in the comments!
I hope these ideas give you the inspiration to create a life — little by little — with more ease, comfort, joy, and contentment. A life where we are focused the present moment. I know that’s what hygge does for me.
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