At My Cosy Store a concept that we live for is hygge – pronounced “hoo-gah”.
If you’ve never heard of hygge let us explain it to you. Hygge is a Danish concept of creating a quality of cosiness that generates contentment and wellbeing through life’s simple pleasures. This is a state of mind and can be achieved anywhere every day.
Now you know what Hygge is, we are sure you are on board with this concept too. Let’s bring together our tips and your ultimate cosy pleasures to help you achieve Hygge in your life.
Setting the Scene
Creating a cosy and serene environment is a great starting point to achieving a sense of cosiness and hygge. The goal here is to make your space relaxing and enjoyable for you.
There is no one way to create ambience but as a rough guide have a clean space that is decorated with meaningful items.
Lighting plays an important part in achieving a relaxing ambience. Use light that is warm and low, light candles and then light some more candles to create a lovely glow. Make use of multiple light sources including lamps and candles to create soft lighting in your chosen room. The effect of switching on a lamp instantly gives your home a cosy glow.
Do take advantage of natural light too, sitting by a window can give you a great mood boost while also creating a calming effect.
Use music to create a relaxing spa-like vibe. Curate a playlist with your favourite chilled out tunes. Or use a music streaming service such as Spotify that have countless Hygge playlists to choose from.
Making yourself comfy is an absolute must. Remember you choose your setting, be it a super cosy chair in a snug with lots of pillows and blankets. Or a warm bubble bath with plenty of candles dotted around your bathtub.
Think about colour too and introduce soft creamy whites and neutral shades. These colours are naturally calming and match them with soothing fabrics such as faux fur, chunky knit and cashmere.
Be at One with Nature
Enjoy the changing seasons. During autumn, the changing colours from green to golden yellow, burnt orange and rust red are a real treat.
Surround yourself with nature whenever you can and take opportunities to get outdoors. As we venture into autumn, sunsets are much earlier in the day, head out for a sunset stroll and soak up the colours around you.
Take a walk and experience one of our favourite sounds of autumn, the sound of crisp crunchy leaves beneath your feet.
Head into the garden to pick fruit from your apple tree, take a trip to a local orchard or go for a walk to forage for some in-season berries.
Looking to do something a little different? Visit a pumpkin patch where you can choose your own pumpkin. Be it just for Halloween, or to expand your baking repertoire with a homemade pumpkin pie, knowing you handpicked your own pumpkin will fill you with joy.
Of course, bringing the outside in keeps you close to nature too. Keeping plants and flowers is said to boost your mood and can bring about a sense of calm. If the thought of keeping a house plant alive fills you with dread, skip that. Opt for dried natural pinecones and twigs to decorate your room.
Wear it Cosy
The whole point of the hygge concept is to make yourself feel comfortable. This means your most fashionable outfit is out and your most comfortable is in. It’s not about the look, it is about the feel.
Think loungewear, relaxed yoga pants, soft leggings, or jogging bottoms as cosy wear. You could even pick out your cosiest pyjamas. There are no what to wear rules if you feel cosy and comfortable, that’s what you are going for.
Cosy loungewear is not complete without some cosy socks. For us, it has got to be a pair of super cosy cable knit bedsocks.
If you are heading outside make sure you are cosied up with a hat, scarf and gloves.
Togetherness
Another element of Hygge is togetherness. Just being connected with loved ones can bring us real comfort.
Invite friends over to your home to spend some quality time together. Or head out with your significant other for a date night.
Spend quality time with the kids by reading stories together as a family. Join a book club and come together with like-minded people.
Be apart and yet be together with a call or facetime a family member. We have all got used to overcoming distance during the pandemic with modern technology so we have no excuse not to reach out to our family.
Be with people in your community by visiting a crackling bonfire this bonfire night. There is a real sense of togetherness and local events plus the bonfire makes us feel toasty warm too.
Comfort Food & Drink
When it comes to comforting feelings, food and drink can play such a key part. Give in to your cravings and enjoy a sweet treat or a warm comforting pie.
If you enjoy cooking or baking, carve some time out of your day to make something you’ll really enjoy. We are thinking homemade soup, cottage pie, pancakes, and toffee apples.
Enjoyed a little fruit picking and foraging? With apples and blackberries, we instantly think of a sumptuous crumble with thick vanilla custard. Add a good helping of ground cinnamon into the crumble mix and you have the perfect cosy comfort dessert.
Sometimes just warm drinks like a hot chocolate or a steaming mug of tea will do the trick. We have come up with some cosy pleasures inspired autumnal drinks you can make and savour over on our blog, Cosy Pleasures – Autumn Drinks.
It’s not just what we eat but how we eat that can create a sense of cosy and well-being. Try a candlelit dinner to slow your meal and be at one with your food. Maybe acknowledge your company too to keep the sense of togetherness.
Presence
It is important to slow down and be in the moment whether you are trying to find cosy comfort at home or outdoors.
Enjoy the now, put that to-do list to the side, slide your mobile onto aeroplane mode and unplug.
Sometimes we are so busy that we forget to slow down but when we do, we begin to see the good all around us.
Celebrate each season for its uniqueness and whatever it brings. Right now, we are at the start of autumn where there are so many changes happening around us, the light is changing, the weather is changing, birds have migrated away, the leaves are dropping creating a crisp carpet on the pavements. Just take a moment to notice what is around you.
Do something you enjoy or pick up a new hobby that you have been meaning to do for ages. Knit a sweater, read a book or play a game with your family – do something that you can enjoy in the moment.
As the concept of Hygge is a feeling, take some time to really engage your senses. Make sure your environment is comforting to be in with some of your favourite things on display. Surround yourself with your favourite calming and comforting scents, baking, hot chocolate or even a beautifully scented candle. Eat comfort food that makes you happy and satisfies that craving. Wear soft textured clothing and accessories that will keep you snug. Play calming music in the background or listen to the rain or wind outside your window.
Live cosy every day and be content.