Last Updated on June 2, 2023

If you spend any amount of time surfing aimlessly across the internet these days then I’m sure (like a solid 87% sure) that you’ve come across the term Hygge. I see it everywhere, and it sounds pretty trendy which is probably why I have no idea what it is. But, I’m on a mission to find out in my pursuit of creating a cozy home.

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My big dream project for 2018 is what I like to call “The Cozy Home Project”.

In an effort to bloom where I am planted, I want to make the absolute best of what I’ve got and turn my house into a super cozy and peaceful place for my family.

Enter Hygge and why it might be the missing element in my project. Hygge is a Danish style of living and it is defined as “a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment”. Well that sounds alright, eh?!

My house has no natural character except what I create myself. (I also talked about that in this post.) I’m not trying to belittle my house, I’m just stating a fact. It’s a builder basic semi-detached house. Some day I’ll have my perfect cottage by the sea, but part of blooming where I’m planted is not dwelling on the things I don’t have.

I don’t want to spend today wishing for tomorrow. It’s like putting happiness on hold, and that just doesn’t make sense. There is so much in my life to be grateful for, like an insane amount actually. I don’t want to play the comparison game and convince myself that I don’t have enough just because someone else has more.

I have more than enough.

It doesn’t mean that I can’t dream about the future and work towards a worthy goal. But I won’t wait for future gains in order to be satisfied with my life and home right now. Home is what you make it, and I want my home to be full of peace and comfort.

I will always want my family to WANT to come home and spend time there. I want it to be their safe place to land at the end of a hard day.

 

Creating a Cozy Home

Hygge seems to be allll about the cozyness factor. All things warm and soft and comfortable and soothing. I want to see if I can incorporate some of these principles into my home-making.

For me, creating a cozy home means making it beautiful in a meaningful way.

Yes I could run out to Home Sense and purchase all kinds of stylish decor items that I would love, but they wouldn’t have any history. I want things in my home that either have a story to tell or a memory attached to them. Or things that are just too beautiful to be left sitting on a store shelf.

I want to fill our home with things we’ve made. From memories to family photos to knitted blankets to popsicle stick Christmas ornaments.

Homemade = time + love.

 

Candles & Setting a Mood

Apparently my house needs more candles, or so says Hygge. That can get a little tricky with the kiddos around, and I’ve never really been one for candles. It just never occurs to me to light them.

Also, I have terrible eyesight so I always have all the lights turned up to max so I can see better. What’s the point of a candle if the lights are on full blast?

I could light them for the smell I suppose, but according to serious Hygge-ers, candles should be unscented. I’m at an impasse already.

There must be more to this candle thing than I realize. Further research & experimentation is required.

Help me out, how do you add candles to your daily life?

(Never mind, I’m sold. these tea lights from Anthropologie are so gorgeous, is 20 too many?!)

Lighting in general seems to be important for a Hygge home and that typically includes fairy lights. Now that’s something I might be able to get behind. They’d be nice in the dining room for meal time. Plus I’ve seen lots of cute DIYs on Pinterest for fun fairy lights so I think I’ll give it a try!

I understand that the idea is to set a tranquil mood so I want to give ambiance lighting a chance. Really it’s just another opportunity to DIY something, and I never turn down a good DIY!

 

Plants & Alive Things

I’ve recently come to the realization that a home requires greenery. Up until a few months ago I had no plants or green things in the house. Then I acquired an aloe plant for practical reasons (thankfully I had it today when I spilled scalding hot tea on my wrist!) and I immediately observed how much life a plant breathes into a room. I’ve since added a few fake plants for the life without the danger of me killing them.

Not being one who has an aptitude for gardening, I’ve come to embrace the practicality of the fake plant. They are so much more realistic than they used to be! I just put them higher up so no one is tempted to touch them and find me out!

(Seriously, can you tell these are fake?!)

Commercial Silk  has a huge selection of very life-like faux plants. They are awesome for an office too since you can take your 2 weeks of vacation and not have to ask a colleague to water your plants! I love the little flower pots, and they are fire retardant so your boss can’t give you a hard time for them!

I am my boss, I never give myself a hard time. lol 😀

I’m tempted to try these fake plants outdoors too. I know that sounds a little wacky, but my gardening skills are really that bad! I’m trying to improve my home’s curb appeal as part of creating a cozy home and that entails a little landscaping.

Apparently these plants won’t fade in the sun and they can tolerate harsh climates, which is good because I live in Canada and we have approximately 127 months of winter per year.  I really like the idea of the ivy panels since they can hide ugly spots and will never get crazy overgrown!

Comfort & Hospitality

Hygge is serious about comfort. Comfy blankets, warm drinks and good books. I would like to start being more intentional with the comfort items in my home. We have lots of blankets but they’re a mish mash of inexpensive finds collected during college years and early marriage.

I would like to crochet some cozy blankets to drape on the 2 big armchairs in our living room. I’ll probably be picking them up off the floor 20 times a day thanks to the kids, but hopefully it will be worth it. I’d really like to try making a Hudson’s Bay inspired blanket (since I don’t think I could ever afford the real thing!) I really like this version with the fringe:

Another way I could add some comfort according to Hygge is with big comfy socks and I looove big socks! I could keep a little basket of them by the front door for guests to grab on their way in! It’s a small way for people to know that you take their comfort seriously.

I would like my guests to feel welcome and comfortable in my home. I’m all kinds of introverted so I find having house guests a bit challenging. (I find being a house guest challenging too. This introvert just wants to stay home alone!)

Despite my introverty-ness, I really do value hospitality and I want people to want to come to my home. I want it to be a calm and welcoming environment.

So I need to come up with ways to achieve this beyond blankets and big socks. How do you make guests feel welcome in your home?

Leave your tips in the comments!

Happy Hygge-ing!