3 Ways To Instantly Make Your House More Hygge

To oversimplify, Hygge is the Danish art of making things cozier - so if you're looking for a way to beat the cold weather blues we have a guide of 3 ways to instantly make your house more hygge.

What Is Hygge?

Hygge is a way of living that incites coziness, happiness, warmth, friendship, and well-being.  Its a practice most found in Denmark where it is cold and dark for most of the year.  Things can be hygge or "hyggelig" if they fall into the cozy category.

Money Crasher defined hygge this way:

"The word “hygge” comes from an Old Norse word, “hugga,” which means to comfort or console. This is also the source of the English word “hug,” and that connection echoes in the way “hygge” is used today. Hygge is all about warmth, comfort, and closeness – all the feelings you get from a hug.

Danes use “hygge” as both a noun and an adjective. However, they also have a separate adjectival form, “hyggelig” (pronounced “HUE-gah-lee”), to describe things that have hygge. They also use “hygge” as an add-on to other words, as in “hyggebusker” (slouchy pants that you only wear around the house) and “hyggekrog” (a cozy reading nook).

In Denmark, hygge is more than just a word – it’s a central part of the culture. Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, says in “The Little Book of Hygge” that the idea of hygge is as fundamental to Danes as freedom is to Americans. He also argues that this is one of the reasons happiness economists rate Denmark as the happiest country in the world, in spite of a wet, chilly climate where it rains for nearly half the year. Other Scandinavian countries, with their generous social programs, also score high – but what gives Denmark the edge is the way hygge fills every corner of everyday life."

Make Your House More Hygge: Candles

Any student of the hygge lifestyle will tell you that hygge 101 is: CANDLES.  Lighting is very key to setting the appropriate hygge mood and no tool gets you there faster than candles.  Hygge lighting is not too bright or too dim.  Candlelight and firelight are the optimal types of light for hyggelig lighting.

Hygge House had this to say about candles and hygge:

"A great part of the year darkness rules in Denmark. From the beginning of October until the end of March, the lack of sufficient daylight influences the average Dane’s mental health. One of the means that the Danes are mobilizing against this gloomy period of darkness is the Danish “Hygge”.”Hygge” is a way for the Danes to establish comfortability indoors. One of the primary instruments for doing so are the candles. In the long dark period of the year, the Danes gather at home in the gleam of the candlelight. Lots of candlelight. And of course, if there is a fireplace in the house, the wood is set on fire. Together with the candles goes some kind of hot drink. Hot chocolate, coffee or tea or maybe a bottle of wine. Well, sometimes the hygge ends up in something completely different…"

Candles that we like are the Volcano candle found HERE

or more traditional candles found HERE

Make Your House More Hygge: Blankets

Hygge is about finding a cozy nook and experiencing physical as well as emotional and social warmth.  And the best way to make your house more hygge in an instant is to add cozy blankets.  There's nothing like a cozy blanket and pillow that encourages you to curl up with a good book on a blustery day like sumptuous warm blankets and throws.  And the best part about this hygge step is that it is easy!  Search around your house for some of your coziest throws to add to a hygge-type nook in your house.  Or invest in some online.  It's a small price to pay for happiness in the winter time.  The New Yorker said this about being hygge:

"Winter is the most hyggetime of year. It is candles, nubby woolens, shearling slippers, woven textiles, pastries, blond wood, sheepskin rugs, lattes with milk-foam hearts, and a warm fireplace. Hyggecan be used as a noun, adjective, verb, or compound noun, like hyggebukser, otherwise known as that shlubby pair of pants you would never wear in public but secretly treasure... It’s wholesome and nourishing, like porridge; Danish doctors recommend “tea and hygge” as a cure for the common cold. It’s possible to hyggealone, wrapped in a flannel blanket with a cup of tea, but the true expression of hyggeis joining with loved ones in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere."

Make Your House More Hygge: A Warm Drink

And to top it all off - make sure you include a warm drink and a treat in your hygge mix if you want to make your house more hygge.  Curling up in your book with your blanket and a candle flickering in the background just won't be the same without that yummy warm drink.

Your Nurturing Nook posted a great recipe for European-style hot chocolate that is sure to bring the hygge on: