What is hygge?

The Oxford Dictionary describes hygge (hoo-guh) “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” Like the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, the Danish hygge is hard to translate exactly. The word hygge comes from the sixteenth century Norwegian term hugga which loosely translates as “to comfort” and is related to the English word “hug” (love that!).

Hygge is similar to the German gemütlichkeit and the Dutch gezelligheid, and was likely born out of the Northern European need to create visual and physical warmth to survive depressing, long, dark winters and SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Today, Danes pride themselves on being some of the happiest people on earth, so hygge seems to be working.

Hygge is more of a feeling than a concept or something you can buy. People often describe hygge as coziness — that warm comfortable feeling you get from slowing down to watch a fire, cuddling up with a book, or sipping your favorite tea or coffee from your favorite mug. In short, it’s enjoying life’s simple pleasures. And while the hygge lifestyle is about minimalism, it also makes room room for a bit of indulgence.

When it comes to design and decor, hygge is about decorating with natural colors, wood furniture and cozy throw blankets like our sustainable, home-made mendils. Hygge spaces are welcoming. People enter them and instantly feel like they want to be there, even if they can’t explain why. They are places where you wouldn’t hesitate to throw yourself on the couch, or even better yet, on the floor in front of a fire. Don’t have a fireplace? Candles are pure hygge. I like to throw little votive candles into washed out Nutella jars. Call it a hygge life hack.