Today we are going to talk about creating a feeling of hygge in your home. The best way to start is by thinking of the five senses and how you can create a cozy environment that encourages your family to slow down, put away their electronic devices and spend some quality time together.
Lighting is very important when creating a feeling of hygge in your home. Harsh overhead lighting does not make for a cozy environment. In our home we have table and floor lamps spread throughout. On the first day of fall, we bring out a strand or two of Christmas lights and keep them up until spring. We have candles (battery operated and real), two salt lamps, an old lava lamp and the glow of our pellet stove. Soft lighting can really add to the cozy feeling of home and it brings me so much joy during these dark days of winter.
What else might you see in our home? You may see baskets of books, mason jars of colored pencils, coloring books, house plants (good for cleansing the air), cozy blankets and pillows, the birds gathered at the feeders outside, half completed puzzles, family board games, our snowshoes and cross country skis in our garage ready for adventure and our basket of family yoga mats. These are all things that inspire creativity, togetherness and good health.
In our home hygge smells like a pot of soup or spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. It smells like mulled cider, hot cocoa or the smell of wood burning in the fire. You can use just about anything to create the smells of hygge in your home. We sometimes boil spices on the stove, burn soy candles and diffuse cozy essential oils (lavender, fir oils, frankincense, cinnamon and wild orange are our personal favorites).
The tastes of hygge go right along with the smells. Soups, stews, warm pasta dishes, hot tea and other warm foods help to create a feeling of hygge in your home. Maybe you pop a big bowl of popcorn for the movie you plan to watch together or sip on hot cocoa after a day playing outdoors. The tastes of hygge should warm you from the inside out but be nourishing. It is important to stay away from junk food and focus on delicious whole foods that will fuel your bodies and keep you and your family healthy.
Cozy blankets, soft pillows, fuzzy socks, flannel pajamas…..all of these are the textures and feels you want to have around you. Hygge is all about being comfortable and cozy. We have soft throw blankets and pillows on every couch to help create a feeling of comfort. One of my favorite parts of hygge is snuggling up on the couch with the people I love.
Soft music playing in the background, my husband and I playing our acoustic guitar and ukulele together, a crackling fire, laughter during a board game, good conversation, a family audio book or read aloud, a family movie….these are the sounds of hygge in our house.
I hope this post has inspired you to create a feeling of hygge in your own home. hygge does not need to cost a thing and is such an important concept in our busy society. You can start right now by putting on some soft music, lighting a candle, grabbing a cozy blanket and snuggling on the couch with someone you love.
I would love to hear how you invite hygge in to your lives.
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