Say hello to hygge style as a way to bring a sense of beauty and serenity to your home, your sanctuary from the outside world. Learn all about to create cozy pockets of joy and comfort in each room of your home through light, color, and pattern, and welcome this Danish virtue into your space.
What does hygge mean?
The word hygge is an old Norwegian word that means wellbeing, and it’s been adapted into the Danish language as a term that conveys a cozy, comfortable feeling. This includes creating spaces within your home that invite you to relax, but it also extends to an entire lifestyle that pursues contentment, simple pleasures, and joy.
What is hygge style?
In terms of home interiors, hygge style refers to a warm, inviting style. In a hygge home, things aren’t too fussy or precious. These spaces are the kind where you feel like you can kick up your feet, enjoy serene surroundings, and take a deep, relaxing breath. You won’t find piles of clutter or visual noise; instead, you’ll feel embraced by the space itself.
Is hygge still in style?
If you’re wondering if the hygge concept is still in style, the answer is a resounding yes! This Danish lifestyle (and subsequent design concept) made its way into American homes in 2016, but it’s certainly not some kind of passing fad. Instead, hygge gave us a way to identify and name something we were already familiar with and searching for. For many of us, hygge granted permission to eschew trending looks in favor of creating home interiors that felt authentic, peaceful, and naturally beautiful.
Characteristics of hygge style
What most people see as “hygge style” most closely resembles Danish interior design and comes with all of the hallmarks of rustic Scandinavian looks:
- light neutral colors
- natural light
- wooden furniture, floors, and accents
- natural fibers and textures
- airy, breathable rooms (e.g. no clutter)
In general, we’d use the words natural, neutral, comfortable, and soothing to describe these spaces. However, hygge can really be blend a variety of styles: shabby chic, bohemian, grandmillenial/traditional, global chic–all can find themselves happy at home in hygge style.
For some, hygge might refer to a space filled with personal collections and treasures while it may look like a clutter-free zone to someone else. Some might consider hygge style in a traditional Scandinavian sense: shades of white and grey combined with tokens from nature itself. Others might imagine a room filled with rich, deep colors as the ultimate in coziness.
There’s no one precise way to prescribe a hygge design since your interpretation of the idea will likely be different some someone else’s take on the notion. For example, you may find a fluffy shag rug cozy, warm, and inviting, but your best friend has serious flashbacks to the polyester-clad ’70s when she sees that same rug–it’s the opposite of hygge for her!
What we can largely agree on, though, is that a combination of natural, soft textures, beautiful lighting, and the removal of distractions really helps create an alluring space primed for comfort and relaxation. Here are a few other ways you can create that soft, cozy space in your own home.
Choose hygge colors
Naturally, neutral tones top the list of go-to colors for hygge decor: thinks whites, creams, browns, and greys.
Royal Mansour ~ White on White Fabric With Moroccan PrintIf you love color and find it calming, use colors that you’d naturally find in nature–blues and greens come to mind, especially those that are soft and inspired by the natural world. Gentle patterns and motifs along with (gentle) floral and botanical prints would be welcome here!
Enchanted - Ivory ~ Floral Fabric In French Provincial Style
English Gardens (CP) ~ White Fabric With Blue Botanical Print
Moonlit Taj (CP) ~ White Fabric With Blue and Green Floral PrintOf course, a deep red, burnt orange, or rich shade of blue will feel warm and cozy in the cooler weather, so consider using these saturated hues as accent colors in throw pillows, tablecloths, or other small pieces of home decor from season to season.
Orange Blossom ~ Orange Cream Fabric With Vintage Floral Print
Ruby Kilim ~ Red and Black Fabric With Turkish Geometric Print
Starry Nights ~ Blue and White Batik Fabric With Star Boho PrintAdd hygge style for a cozy bedroom
A cozy boho bedroom is at the top of our list when it comes to bringing more hygge into your home because your bedroom should be the most relaxing, softest, comfiest room of all! In this space–as in any other spaces that you decide to give the hygge treatment–choose soft textures, soothing colors, and the creature comforts you most desire.
Bedroom decor can be anything that sparks your joy and brings you a sense of peace. Add a soft, beautiful duvet cover, layer the bed with smooth sheets and warm blankets, and snuggle in for the night.
Orange Blossom ~ Mediterranean Floral Orange Duvet Cover
Royal Mansour ~ Moroccan Trellis White on White Duvet CoverHow to have a living room with hygge style
There are a few ways you can design a hygge living room that beckons you to sit back and unwind without having to do a complete furniture makeover. Put away any piles of clutter, open up the windows, and evaluate. Could you use more lighting–or softer lighting? Are your heavy drapes preventing natural sunlight from illuminating the room?
Light-filtering curtains in in a gentle pattern can be cozy, indeed. Once you clean up and let the light in, feel free to pile on the toss pillows and throw blankets–have plenty on hand! Bring in a plant or two for a nod to nature, and light a few candles for instant cozy ambience.
Enchanted - CP ~ Throw Cushion Cover
Ruby Kilim (CP) ~ Rustic Red Black Throw Pillow Cushion Cover
Royal Mansour Quartz ~ Moroccan Gray Trellis Toss Cushion CoverA cozy dining room for warm gatherings
You can have a cozy dining space in any style of decor, from formal to casual and anything in between. And you can bring oodles of hygge feelings to this room whether you want to have an inviting dining room for everyday meals or want to warm up the space for special gatherings.
One of the easiest–and prettiest–ways to cozy up your dining room is through fabric. Dress up a beautiful wooden table by spreading a table runner down the center or cover a table that’s seen better days in a gorgeous block print tablecloth. Placemats provide another way to bring textiles to the table. Dim the lights, serve up your favorite comfort food, and enjoy.
English Gardens ~ Table Runner
Moonlit Taj ~ Elegant Floral White Green Table RunnerMake the kitchen cozy
Even if we all aspired to have a kitchen equipped like the kind we’d find in a Michelin star restaurant, we’d still want it to feel cozy! A kitchen, after all, is the heart of the home, and while we want to be spic and span, we want to avoid an overtly sterile look. We achieve this by applying color, pattern, and texture.
One way to bring instant coziness–instant hygge, if you will–is to bring in seating. This might be a kitchen table and chairs, or it might look like a few stools at the kitchen island. (Is there anything more hygge than enjoying a cup of coffee or tea and conversation at the kitchen table? We think not!) Keep your counters as clutter-free as possible (easier to clean and they look better this way!). Add some fresh flowers or some potted herbs in a sunny window, and hang a lovely set of kitchen curtains for a textural delight
English Gardens (CP) ~ Kitchen CurtainCozy bathroom ideas
A hygge bathroom is a bathroom that feels warm, clean, and relaxing. Focus on the bath or the shower as a place to seek refuge from a busy day while indulging in one of life’s most simple (and luxurious) pleasures.
Store clutter out of sight in pretty natural weave baskets for hiding clutter and install a hook to hold a fluffy robe. An inspirational piece of artwork and your favorite scented candle can round out this usually small space and offer lots of hygge vibes. And remember to choose your shower curtain carefully: a white shower curtain will brighten your space and amplify natural light (which is hygge) while a fabric shower curtain rendered in deep colors will feel rich and cozy (also hygge).
Vanilla Glace ~ White Gold Romantic Elegant Shower Curtain5 more ideas for decorating with hygge style in mind
For a home to have that hygge feeling, make sure each room is mess-free since there’s nothing relaxing about seeing piles of books, magazines, and toys around (they all serve as reminders that you need to sort the mess and put things away!). Once the space is clear, consider your wall color. If they too loud or distracting, then swipe on a new coat of paint in a gentle hue. These two practices alone will bring more of a sense of hygge to your space, but you can go even further. Try some of these tips!
Fairy lights
Fairy lights aren’t just for the Christmas tree, you know. They create a magical feeling anywhere you hang them, whether that’s across your headboard, strung along your porch or deck, or even draped across your curtain rod. Just be sure to shut them off when you’re not home or overnight (and never overload the sockets!), and you can safely enjoy these twinking, sparkling lights and their enchanting glow all year.
Candles
Candles and hygge seem to go hand in hand! Light a candle and an ordinary moment suddenly seems all the more special. Dine by candlelight to create a scene for romance (at best) and cozy comfort (at the very least!). We have all the love for Mythologie candles–we share a love of storytelling and transporting our customers through sensory experiences (ours through pattern, color, and textiles; theirs through carefully curated blends of fragrances).
Faux fur
Faux fur provides a sensory delight all on its own. Can you even resist going barefoot through a fluffy flokati rug? The temptation would be just too much! Faux sheepskin, sherpa, even shag–these kinds of throw rugs designate a soft spot for you to land at the end of a long day, and the mere sight of them calls forth images of cozy comfort. They’re hygge all the way.
Scandinavian furniture
Scandi furniture goes far beyond a certain 4-letter build-it-yourself furniture store. Bring in some authentic Scandic furnishings for a perfectly hygge habitat of your own. Straight from Copenhagen, the Ingeborg Lounge Chair by Lassen epitomizes hygge style. The chair looks sumptuous, the fabric–so touchable–and the stool is the perfect place to prop your tootsies and wind down with a good book and a cup of chai.
Wooden bookshelves and plants
Cicero said “A home without books is a body without a soul.” Whether you’re a bibliophile or simply use books as decor, use pretty wooden shelving to display your novels and tomes. And while we’re at it, some feel about plants the way Cicero felt about books! Once again, whether you have a green thumb or whether a fine silk plant serves as a proper substitute for live philodendron, use lovely planters to show off your thriving (or faux) plants. This rainbow-shaped mini decorative shelf, offered by the Feel Good Wood Company, is handmade, understated, and simply charming.
What makes you happy is what you should use in your decor, since this will certainly feel hygge to you! Browse our collections and find the one that sparks your joy, invites your imagination to new design possibilities, and feels just oh-so-hygge to you.
