Hygge Your Home This Autumn
You’ve probably heard of hygge. It came into the mainstream in full force here in the UK a few years ago, hailing from Norway. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or wellbeing.”
But you’ll know it more by design than definition. It’s a calm and serene style of living, neutral colours, soft furnishings, smart wood, sultry interior lighting design. From your living room to your bedroom, hygge is all about living in a space that inspires inner peace and tranquillity.
Joanna Thornhill, interiors stylist, writer, and author of My Bedroom is an Office and Other Interior Design Dilemmas says: “It’s akin to a wellbeing philosophy; a desire to be surrounded by comfortable materials and items which bring warmth and tactility and, in turn, those feelings of cosy, contented comfort.”
Hygge can mean something different to everyone, it’s your way to create a space that makes you feel homely, and the transitioning of the seasons is the perfect time for you to embrace this. As the autumn and winter months approach, hygge comes into its own, creating a serene haven indoors against the cold, rainy weather outside.
Follow some tips from the experts to help you adopt this Danish-inspired way of life.
Interiors writer Lisa Dawson says autumn and winter is the perfect time to reassess your living spaces to create a cosy environment as the nights draw in.
“Switch up your textiles—add throws, cushions and cosy rugs in earthy tones and colours to make your home feel warm and welcoming,” she says. “Surround yourself with your favourite things to create a space where you can feel comfortable.”
Athina Bluff, founder and Senior Designer of Topology Interiors, says you should “add thicker textures to your space – for example instead of light and airy cotton or linen, think about wools, velvets, and generally thicker textures to add extra warm layers.”
But one of the most important elements of hygge is the lighting…
Candles
Both Dawson and Bluff advise lighting candles to achieve the ultimate cosy atmosphere at home, as well as “add ambience and scent”. Bluff also notes how peaceful it is to watch the flame flicker, and suggests opting for the candles with “wooden wicks that ‘crack’ and ‘pop’, just like a real wood burning log fire,” which are particularly soothing to have on in the background.
Lighting
No hygge lifestyle is complete without a candle or two (the Danes are the Europe’s biggest consumers of candles), but ambience can also be achieved through warm lighting.
“With the days shorter and it getting darker outside, it's important to get your lighting scheme spot on so that when you want to unwind for the day you can do so in ambient, atmospheric light,” says Bluff.
She recommends you add dimmable bulbs to your space that come in an array of colours—so you can create soft pools of light around a room and can choose to lower the intensity of the light as the evening sets in.
If you’re looking for interior lighting design for your home, get in touch with us today.