It’s January, and not to be a Debbie downer but it’s kind of my least favourite month of the year. All the festivities of the holidays are over and it’s time to go back to work and put down the shortbread. I wanted to focus on how winter can be not just bearable, but beautiful and celebrated so this month at Hacienda I wanted to focus on Hygge.
A word you hear a lot lately among home decor tastemakers is "Hygge". (pronounced Hue-guh) This Danish concept can be defined by Meik Wiking, the author of a book I am reading called "The Little Book of Hygge - The Danish Way to Live Well":
"Hygge has been called everything from 'the art of creating intimacy', 'coziness of the soul' and 'the absence of annoyance' to 'taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things', cozy togetherness' and my personal favorite, 'cocoa by candlelight'.
The book goes further to describe Hygge as creating an atmosphere of safety, being with those you love and being able to let your guard down and just be yourself in the comforting presence of friends and family. I couldn't imagine a better description of the ideal space. This is the kind of place I strive to create for myself and anyone who comes to my home.
While Hygge is much more than a decorating concept, decor also plays a major part in the creation of a Hygge home. If you know me you know I am a sucker for all things cozy. Soft goods are my absolute favorite and if there was ever a time to be cuddled up in a wooly blanket it’s January. I own a variety of different throw blankets for different seasons. I love the soft floaty cotton blankets for spring and summer and the heavy knits come out when it gets cold. I tend to like to give my home a little refresh after we’ve taken the tree down and packed up the decorations.
Since it’s nice to get a break from the excess of Christmas, I love a more minimal, quiet look in the winter months before spring. I put out lots of candles and incense to warm the house with spicy scent and warm light. I really love decorating with books and love to bring out my coffee table books to stack them in piles around the room. This is also a good little perch for large floor hurricane candle holders if you don’t have pets.
I tend to gravitate towards soft colours generally but winter brings out my interest in deeper hues. Something about Hunter green feels incredibly Hygge to me. Blue is always on my radar for any season but I love the moody elegance of blues in the cool winter light that just changes the way I experience it. A summer blue is so different than a winter blue! You will see some of this reflected in the items I selected for Hygge Hacienda. It’s a collection of things for the coziest space imaginable this winter. I would love to hear your thoughts on the Hygge concept and what you do to your place in the winter months to make it a snuggly haven :)