Hygge-ing Away the Winter Blues
by mansii
Scandinavian style is known for its clean colors and edges, with high contrast. Think brilliant whites with striking red, softened by floral and wildlife designs with a geometric slant. What appears is a modern aesthetic that feels homey, while letting you breath peacefully in a room that lets in the light and is organized by useful objects that stand out by their artistic quality.
This external beauty can be an internal lifestyle as well. The Danes have designated this concept as "hygge" (pronounced hue-gah, rhyme with “cougar”) : setting apart simple pleasures as something very special, and cosying yourself away to enjoy them with good friends.
This is what winter is all about, and here are some books to help you feel the good vibes!
How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life
This book will give you a break down of all the delicious details and tips of taking things slow the Nordic way. Along with lots of warm, cardamom filled recipes, concepts such as enjoying kinship and nature, finding joy, self-care, and making lovely spaces enter these pages like a lick of ice-cream.
Scandinavian Gatherings: From Afternoon Fika to Midsummer Feast...
With a simple craft and some gorgeous and tasty food, Melisa Bahen elevates every day celebrations like tea time or brunch to something to wiggle your toes at and jump all in. I would check this book out just for the drool-worthy photographs.
The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living
Recommended by the New York Times, and authored by Copenhagen's think tank The Happiness Institute, this book also contains recipes and crafts, but stands out for its research-based look at this fast-spreading cultural phenomenon.
SO MUCH MORE can be found ON THIS LIST for endless inspiration in designing, gardening, cooking, baking, crafting, and music making to set apart your winter days as wonderfully memorable.
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Now that Winter is well
Now that Winter is well behind us, I've been wondering how to apply Hygge to the summer months! Hygge -dedicated to soft warmth, low lights, and clean colors- seems out-of-place in our Michigan June-August. These books widened my perspective on the Danish lifestyle, and they've been helping me find comfort in all my little nooks. (Even helping me to ground myself as somewhere as temporal as a passenger's seat.) I gravitate towards florals and bright primary colors -- a simple pressed cornflower in a bookmark can inspire serenity. Piping tea seems a thing of the past now that it's so hot outside. But the vessel can be just as important to the experience the drink itself, so I don't have to forgo while my Constant Comment. I find that the pleasure in iced tea can be magnified by a tall, bone white milk pitcher. :)