7 Tips on How to Bring Hygge to Your Livingroom
Danish culture has a lot to teach the world about cozy living. So much so that it has a word that exemplifies that kind of lifestyle better than any other word you’ll find, in any language.
That word is hygge. When you think of a hygge lifestyle, picture taking pleasure in the simple things spread out all around you. And structuring your life and living space so you can more fully appreciate everyday activities that can easily slip into mundane tasks you hardly notice.
When you incorporate hygge, you make it easier to be mindful within your living room, so all you do within it carries an essence of joyful appreciation.
Here’s how you can capture that spirit in your living room — in seven delightfully simple steps.
Bring in More Light
Let natural light flood into your living during the day. It’s a known mood enhancer, and it makes the room feel much more inviting and welcoming.
But it’s not just natural light. Candles have a cherished place in Danish culture, and bringing them into your living room helps you find more of that subtle, light-given comfort you’re after.
The same goes for your artificial lighting, which you want to keep on the silent side.
Decorate with Soft Textures
Nothing defines the feel of your living room more than… well, how it feels. So make sure you have throw pillows and blankets that are pleasant to the touch.
And carry on the theme with the rest of your furniture, ensuring that it’s all unified by the goal of being gratifying at every point you touch. This makes your living room enjoyable as far as your sense of feeling, giving you one more perspective through which to appreciate it.
Fill Your Space with Warm Colors
Colors fit here too. Because the colors you choose for your living room invoke an instant emotional reaction.
To keep everything truly hygge, maintain neutral accents throughout the whole room. The colors you’ll want to go with include grey, white, and cream. They all enhance the sense of calm in the room and add a natural quietude.
But you can get more adventurous with the colors of your throw pillows. These can have louder colors, which can contrast the surrounding neutral accents for a striking effect — that’s still softened by lighter shades.
Create a Snug Space
There’s an important space your living room should have to truly incorporate hygge, and it’s called the hyggekrog. It’s the place where you can crawl up and get comfy, while you’re reading a book, sipping on some hot chocolate, or just skinning deeper into your inner zen.
Here, you can have pillows and soft blankets. Think of it as a little nest within your living room, a retreat.
Refocus Away from Screens
Another essential element of hygge is what draws the most attention when you step inside. Perhaps it’s the TV in your living room, as in so many homes.
Well, it shouldn’t be. It ought to be the fireplace instead, where you can sit around get warm with friends. So you should refocus the entire room so that the fireplace becomes the central point.
When you enter it, your mind is drawn to warmth.
Add Natural Features
Another thing about Danes is that they love nature. And its place in decor is well-deserved. It introduces an extra layer of calmness and makes the whole space feel more grounded.
You can bring those effects into your living room with aesthetic choices that also look incredible, like wooden accents. And you can also have neatly stacked logs laying around by the fireplace.
Meaningful Decor
Your decor is a big factor if you’re looking to embrace hygge. And, as you know with Scandanavian decor, simplicity is everything.
If something doesn’t serve to make you feel more welcome in your living room, it probably has no place there. But the things that carry meaning to you are the ones you should keep.
These could be sentimental gifts, like a vase an aunt gifted to you. Or they could be artwork that speaks to you. If it adds to the emotional experience of simply being in your living room, it has earned its place.
You’ll find that going by this thinking will help you identify the few things that matter and add genuine beauty to your living room — all the way from furniture to rugs.
Those seven tips are your guiding lights as you hygge your living room. Follow each one and keep them in mind, and you’ll soon have a living room that shines with simple, distilled beauty while radiating mindful comfort.
Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash
