Monday 16 January 2017

How To Hygge Your Home On A Budget

The term Hygge has taken the world by storm in recent months and it's easy to see why, especially when we delve into the the subject more. Hygge is one of the fastest trending search terms on several internet platforms and even the Oxford dictionary included it in their top ten words of 2016


What Is Hygge?

Hygge, pronounced hoo-ga (rhymes with cougar), is more a concept or feeling rather than something tangible. It's not new amongst the Danes who claim that hygge is woven into the fabric of life for them.

Hygge doesn't translate directly but it's thought to derive from an obsolete meaning for the word hug, which was to make oneself snug. In essence, higgle can be interpreted as a feeling of being cosy and content. The Danes make an effort to hygge things up. Whether that's enjoying a warm bowl of porridge for breakfast by candlelight, whilst wearing chunky knit socks and wearing a soft dressing gown.

Hygee favours times of old rather than technology so candlelight instead of LED lighting, natural fabrics instead of synthetics and creating a sense of occasion from what is usually a menial task.





How To Hygge Your Home


It's relatively easy to hygge your home, remember, that hygge isn't tangible as such, it's a feeling. With that in mind, you need to create a tranquil atmosphere conducive to happiness, cosiness, and calm. Let's take a look at a few cost effective changes that you can make to your home to improve your hygge on a budget. 


Hygge Lighting


First of, candles are one of the must haves in any hygge home. There's no hard and fast rules on which type, if you're going to go all out to hygge then you're going to go through a lot of candles to it makes sense to buy them in bulk. Amazon offers some great deals on tea lights and candle holders.


Lamps are fine also, as long as they are well shaded and add to the ambience, harsh lighting is a big no, no. We're looking to create a certain mood, not a certain headache. 
Think subdued, calming, look for natural materials such as stone or wood lamp bases and hessian or paper shades. 
Less is more but don't forget that this is your choice, it's what makes you feel hygge.





Hygge Blinds, Curtains and Soft furnishings 

Again, we want to achieve that zen look and avoid anything that looks synthetic, it's up to you if you prefer colour or neutrals, your own personal taste will dictate that. Look for chunky knit cushions, faux fur throws, to hygge up that sofa.

For the windows, choose natural woven textiles or vibrant printed vertical blinds or wood blinds, hessian curtains and try to tie these things in with a contrasting or matching long pile rug.


Hygge blinds Hygge Window TreatmentsHygge wood blinds

Click the images above to see more hygge blinds


You can replace your vertical blind slats at a fraction of the cost of a new blind. Replacement blinds slats start from just 50p each. You can see a selection of specially selected hygge blinds here.

Wall colours are again a personal choice, if you've chosen heavily coloured blinds then you may want to keep the walls neutral or vice versa. You can buy hygge wallpaper online or simply choose a scheme that you like from any decorating store.


Hygge Activities



Hygge is about finding comfort, now that you've got your home lit correctly and your furnishings are in place, you might want to start to think about creating a sense of occasion, anything and everything can be made to be more hygge. 

Choose a night per week where you don't put the tv on, instead, light the candles, pull the sofa closer to the fire and read a book with a cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows. 

Turn chores into hygge times, put your favourite music on, light some incense and crash through that pile of ironing. 

Light candles before dinner each evening, warm the plates, serve a small glass of wine, encourage conversation from other members of the household. Take it in turns telling each other about your day but remember! No negativity, why not get others to tell tales of their day focusing only on the positives. Even the worse day has positives. 


Improve Your Hygge Even Further



Spend some time in the kitchen preparing some hygge food, make it enjoyable, you can find some great hygge recipes on the BBC website

Invite friends round to share some simple but satisfying food, light those candles, burn some incense, have some low background music on and create a sense of occasion. Wear that chunky knit jumper, make your bathroom an oasis of calm, before you know it, just like the Danish, you'll be feeling better about yourself and your home. 
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