Have you ever stepped into a home and instantly felt at ease? If you want to repeat that mood in your own space, a hygge-style home brings in all the warmth of spring with neutral colours, soft blankets and natural accessories.
Hygge — pronounced “hoo gah” — is the Danish concept of being comfortable and cozy. The open, airy concept is refreshing to most people and will make your house feel welcoming.
Creating a hygge-inspired design can be inexpensive but have a significant impact. Follow these tips if you think you’d like to embrace the comfort and warmth of hygge this spring.
Declutter
A hygge home has only a few lovely elements that bring comfort. Spend time removing things you no longer use or placing them in storage. You can even sell extra items through online classifieds and use your profits to buy new stuff for your hygge style.
Choose Soft Patterns
A variety of patterns will give your room depth. Avoid anything too bold or geometric, as it can look harsh. Hygge is about curves and solid colors. Choose a soft floral pastel pattern to bring in spring elements.
Start with one pattern, ideally a solid. For balance, use a 60% proportion for the main pattern, 30% for the secondary and 10% for accents.
Go With Natural Materials
The soft look of a hygge-inspired design comes from using natural materials and different textures. Add a wool blanket to the back of the couch. Throw some cotton pillows in the corners — as big and fluffy as possible. Even your furniture should embrace natural woods and textiles.
Use a Neutral Colour Palette
Traditionally, the style is composed of white, beige, greys and other earthy tones. However, you can add an accessory here and there to brighten things up and bring some sunshine to your room. For example, you might hang a painting of a beautiful sunrise behind your sofa, place a pretty pink vase with fresh flowers on the table or put a glass pitcher with whole lemons in your kitchen.
Add Warm Light
A room’s lighting can give it a more casual or formal feel. Hygge is about let-your-hair-down comfort. If your lighting fixtures are harsh, swap them out for woven pendant lights with a natural texture and add wall sconces with frosted glass for more muted tones. I used Rub n Buff on our gold ceiling lights to tone them down a bit.
A few table lamps and candles scattered around offer variety and additional warmth to any room. The best light you can embrace is natural, so open up your curtains and let the sunshine in.
Go for Quality
A key component of hygge is balance — you must consider how every item you add interacts with the other features already there. For example, a big, plush sofa can be balanced with a small throw rug in front.
Invest in long term pieces, adding different touches to freshen up the look. When you only buy a few distinctive pieces, you can afford to spend more on them.
Find Rituals for Seasons
One way to bring spring into your home and still adhere to hygge is to create a ritual each year. Most people do spring cleaning, so it makes sense to add new decor simultaneously. Swap out a few throw pillows for something with seasonal flower prints or fresh colours, add daffodils or tulips to a vase, and include cute touches like a bunny figurine on a side table.
Stick to your neutral colour palette and introduce new textures to keep things interesting. Consider adding layers to embrace the feel of hygge.
Bring the Outdoors In
To embrace hygge-inspired design this spring, think about the colours and textures of nature and how you can bring them into your home. Remember that less is more when it comes to the concept. By changing a few things around, you’ll have a beautiful interior your friends will envy and a welcoming home they’ll flock to.
