When Temperatures Dip, Turn up the Comfort with Hygge!

Join Hardwood Specialties as we explore this Danish tradition of everyday comfort. 

Have you heard of hygge?

You might have seen this trend all over home decorating magazines and Pinterest. Over the past few years (especially in winter!) hygge has grown in popularity all over the world. 

Pronounced “hoo-guh,” this Danish word translates to “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being” (definition courtesy of the Oxford Dictionary online.) Basically, hygge is all the warm-fuzzies you feel when you’re snuggled up with your favorite Hallmark holiday movies, wearing your slippers, tucked in with a blanket and sipping hot chocolate with mini marshmallows floating on top. 

You may be thinking, “Well, yeah, that’s basically all my childhood memories from Grandma’s house!” And you are right, but there’s a bit more tradition to hygge than just fuzzy slippers and hot cocoa. If you know anything about winter in Denmark, then you know it’s often dark, and very cold and snowy. With so much time spent indoors, the Danish tradition of hygge helps people enjoy even the deepest part of winter! 

The holidays are peak hygge season.

People often get the holiday blues, all around the world. Luckily, the point of hygge is to make small details important, so that even the dreariest of days have some bright spots. Here are some easy ways to add hygge to your home this holiday season. You might find that you’re already doing hygge, and you didn’t even know it!

• Warm candlelight: give every dinner special ambiance by turning down the lights and burning candles. Even if you don’t have anything to celebrate, candlelight can turn the most humble of dinners--yup, even takeout pizza!--into something special. 

• Throw blankets and pillows: add a few of these cozy elements to your living room and bedrooms. Consider adding faux shearling covers to your dining room chairs. Anywhere you can, bring in soft, warm textures to add that subtle bit of comfort to your home. 

• Make time for quiet conversation: it seems like the holidays are scheduled full of shopping, cooking and travel logistics. Taking those ten minutes to quietly talk about the day with your spouse or friends can bring calm and enjoyment to your evening. 

• Get rid of clutter: because too much stuff can ramp up the stress! Remember our blog on tidying up? Hygge doesn’t mean piling up the stuff. It means cozying up to things that make you happy, and giving yourself permission to clear away all that stuff that makes you feel anxious. 

• Ditch the phone: staring at social media feeds or anxiously waiting for text replies kind of kills the mood. Get yourself into the habit of setting your phone aside each evening--and for different times throughout the day!--to give yourself a much-needed break. 

Bring hygge into your home renovation plans.

If you’re thinking of renovating your home in the coming year, consider hygge in your design plans. 

At Hardwood Specialties, we have experience with adding small, functional touches into any home to make it more beautiful, more liveable, and definitely more comfortable. We know hygge!

Consider heated floors in your bathroom for an added spa-like feeling, or under-cabinet lighting to better illuminate kitchen counters, or to create a subtle glow when you dim the overhead lights. Everything from tile to countertops, to ceiling fans and lights can contribute to the cozy feel of your home. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Hygge!

We at Hardwood Specialties wish you the very best--and coziest--holiday season. We care about helping clients make their houses into homes that reflect their personalities, and give them a place of comfort during times like this, when busy schedules and wintry weather can wear us all down. 

Contact us at Hardwood Specialties today. We’d love to hear from you, whether you’re a DIY-er, or looking for professionals to take the stress out of home improvement from start to finish, and everything in between.

Or, better yet, stop in and say “Hi!” We’d love to help you get inspired with tips to help you feel cozy this winter.