How to Hygge
The greatest practice you’ve never heard about
Despite being drenched in menacing darkness and cold for half of its calendar year, Denmark earns an unexpected annual accolade:
It’s one of the happiest nations in the world.
And oddly enough, it might be attributable to a concept we all know and love, without even knowing it: hygge.
What is hygge?
Hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) is a Danish word that describes essentially anything that induces a feeling of well-being, contentment, or comfort.
I first came across the definition of the word in The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Dane author Mike Weiking. As indicated by the book’s subtitle, Weiking claims that the Danes have a few unique cultural norms and tactics that keep them among the most content people on earth.
Just like the rest of us, Danes love coziness—they just do an even better job of cultivating it.
To them, any space can be hygge—whether it’s a home, office, workspace, or restaurant—as long as it provides that sense of warmth, well-being, and intimacy that we all crave.
Though hygge is welcome at any time of year, the concept is best exemplified by practices Danes use in the colder months. These activities include nestling down by a fire with loved ones, relishing a comfort meal, enjoying a hot beverage, or savoring a good book.
That vital respect and devotion to feeling good, safe, and snug undoubtedly contributes to Denmark’s resilience against its long, ruthless winters.
But at its root, hygge is about embracing simple pleasures, fostering meaningful connections, and finding joy in the everyday.
How do you cultivate hygge?
Based on the Danish experience, I don’t see why everyone shouldn’t try enhancing their lives with a little hygge—especially if that gives us a fighting chance to stay afloat when grim seasonal depression looms.
Luckily, even those who aren’t in the depths of a blizzarding winter can feel hygge’s benefits, too.
Here are 10 ways that you can bring the essence of hygge into your everyday life.
1. Light your space thoughtfully.
When you walk into a room, lighting is probably one of the first factors that decides whether you want to keep being there, or dash ASAP.
Danes wholeheartedly agree. In fact, they see lighting as one of the most crucial prerequisites to a hygge space.
When Danes infuse a space with hygge, they often opt for soft, warm light sources like candles or string lights. Instead of detracting from the atmosphere—as harsh, clinical, overhead lighting might—these light sources enhance it. By casting a gentle glow, they naturally envelop the room in pleasure and warmth—sometimes without you even realizing it.
If overhead lighting is a non-negotiable for you, consider employing dimmer switches. These are relatively easy to install in any space with running electricity, and allow you to soften your primary overhead lighting. This permits you to create a more relaxing ambiance when you do want to douse your home in hygge—even if just for an evening.
Danes also take advantage of layered lighting. By combining various sources—floor lamps, table lamps, and pendant lights—Danes add depth and dimension to a space, while still keeping it inviting.
Even natural light can be harnessed to enhance the hygge of your home. In fact, strengthening the connection of your indoor space to the outdoors through natural lighting calls on other essential principles of hygge—vitality, simplicity, and resourcefulness.
Modulate the timing and quantity of light that enters your home using layered drapery. Incorporating blackout curtains will give you a better sense of privacy and security when you want it! Feeling safe and at home in your space is what will keep hygge at maximum.
2. Surround yourself with cozy things.
As expected, another huge prerequisite to feeling cozy is to feel safe and comfortable in your space. And there’s no better way to infuse safety and comfort than by embracing tactile hygge.
Prioritize softness by including lots of throws, blankets, cushions and pillows in your living areas. You can absolutely diversify textures while still keeping comfort as your first priority, too. Contrasting velvety, earthy, wooly textures with plush, light, smooth ones is a great way to cater to any guest’s preferences.
Natural materials like wood, wool, and cotton evoke a sense of warmth and connection to nature, while plush sofas and armchairs create an irresistible serenity. Doing a little bit of both is sure to make anyone feel at home in your space!
In addition to making things feel comfortable, experimenting with textures adds to the visual appeal of your space. Build upon this by including lots of personal touches, too! Family photos or handmade decor can exponentially increase the sense of intimacy and belonging within your hygge home.
3. Find yourself a nook.
If you’ve spent any amount of time watching home makeover TV, you’ll know that there’s one renovation element that appears in virtually every dream house one way or another: a reading nook. There’s something uniquely soothing about spaces that are precisely small enough—and we all seem to want one.
Whether it’s a window seat bathed in natural light, a snug under-stairs space, or a cozy ledge tucked into the wall, these intimate retreats are ripe spots for self-reflection and rejuvenation. Of course, this also means that they are perfect for cultivating hygge.
If you’re lucky enough to already have one of these built-in, you’ve hit the jackpot. Add some pillows, grab your tea or coffee, and take some time to feel cozy.
Thankfully for the rest of us, you don’t need to remodel your home to create a hygge nook. Any underused corner of your home can work for this! You can use cushions and blankets to make it comfortable, and incorporate furniture as you see fit.
To create a bit of separation, you can use the decorative elements of your home that you might even have in stock already. Bookshelves and leafy plants are great tools for turning any corner of your home into a nook—without executing a time-consuming, stressful, and costly home reno.
Personalize the area with favorite books, photos, plants, tapestries, and soft decor. Pillows and blankets can go a long way in enhancing hygge!
And remember that ultimately, these are sanctuaries for you. Your little haven should be yours, well-used, and not afraid to show it. Keeping it cozy is more important than maintaining a space that belongs in Architectural Digest!
4. Embrace stormy weather.
There’s a reason that people love rainy days.
Even though it might be your first inclination to feel bad during bouts of bad weather, you might also take the leap and embrace them instead.
Snuggling up with a warm blanket and a hot beverage while listening to the rain and wind can be deeply soothing and grounding. Soak up the outdoors from inside the comfort of your own home with activities like reading, baking, or binge-watching movies with loved ones.
By taking stormy weather as an opportunity to slow down and find comfort indoors, one can even take advantage of all that even the worst that nature can bring.
And there’s nothing more hygge than that!
5. Savor comfort food.
Comfort food is another inevitable way to evoke hygge. Whether you’re dining alone or with people you love, simple dishes that leave you feeling satisfied are perfect for generating this feeling of relaxation and safety.
Even the process of preparing these meals can help with hygge! The inviting smells of hearty soups, stews, or casseroles on the stove are a perfect way to highlight how comfortable your space is. If you want to crack it up a notch, throw some freshly made cookie dough in the oven, too.
Curate your meal with care by slowing down to get it just right. In the winter, take the time to prepare hot beverages such as tea, cocoa, or mulled wine, adding a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to bring the focus to flavor. In the summer, crafting up an iced tea or fresh juice can have the same effect.
While you can feel it alone, you can aim for another important facet of hygge by inviting some friends over! Sharing meals with loved ones hits at the essence of the idea, emphasizing a genuine connectedness and cohesion across yourself, your community, and the greater environment around you.
6. Relish the process of crafting a meal.
In our fast-paced and demanding world, it’s easy to slip into prioritizing meals that are quick and easy for the sake of time and convenience.
Unfortunately, rushing through our food preparation deprives us of some of the most pleasurable experiences our senses have to offer!
Since hygge is all about indulgence and pleasure, Danes make a habit of relishing in the process—especially when it comes to cooking or baking. They nurture a deeper appreciation for the culinary process by taking pleasure in each step, engaging the senses perpetually with aromas, textures, and tastes.
To take a first step in this direction, consider choosing recipes that require time and attention, such as slow-cooked stews, breads, and other foods. Cooking longer, more complicated meals typically require ritual and intentionality—both great precursors to hygge.
Your meal doesn’t have to be overwhelmingly elegant or expensive, either—just something that requires a bit of thought!
Slowing down in the kitchen adds to the enjoyment of your meal once you’ve sat down at the table, too. Knowing exactly the level of effort and care that goes into your dish is an incentive for you to relax and dine mindfully. Take pleasure in the sensory masterpiece that you’ve assembled—you deserve it.
7. Dress comfortably.
Like we said: to create hygge, your space has to feel comfortable. And that includes your own personal space!
Dressing for hygge means choosing garments that make it easy for you to connect with your surroundings comfortably and practically, no matter the season.
So, when I personally think of hygge clothing, my mind immediately heads for soft, plushy apparel: sweaters, scarves, hats, and all of the other accessories of a classic cold winter. During this season, opting for soft, flexible fabrics like wool, cashmere, or fleece is a simple way to elevate your personal hygge.
But since hygge is available every season, we can generate the same level of comfort in a different way during the summer. Loose-fitting, relaxed silhouettes allow for ease of movement and encourage relaxation while in a warmer climate.
Overall, as long as you feel unrestricted and content in your clothes, you’ve already made a crucial stride toward hygge!
8. Take a walk or hike.
Your home isn’t the only place that can give you that enviable feeling of hygge. Charm, nostalgia, and connection to nature are also great elements that can enhance comfort. And sometimes, the best way to achieve these is by being outdoors.
Hiking or camping is a perfect way to induce hygge while outdoors. Reduce to the essentials and embrace all that nature has to offer more intimately! By calling on your resourcefulness, you’re cultivating a different—but very powerful—form of serenity and comfort. Gathering around a campfire or preparing a meal outside with friends or family is a guaranteed way to deepen your bonds to one another and the outdoors.
If you’re in an urban center, taking walks around the more calming and quaint neighborhoods in your area can immerse you in a little bit of that charm, too. Strolling through picturesque streets lined with cozy cottages, little gardens, and tree-sheltered sidewalks feels tranquil in a way that is characteristic of hygge.
The most important part is to take your time! Hygge requires that you slow down so that you can more deeply and consciously appreciate the serenity of your surroundings. Being mindful enhances the sensory experience, and only adds to your feelings of contentment and belonging.
9. Unplug.
If you want to feel like you belong in a place, you have to be there first.
Although far from easy, freeing yourself of distractions makes it exponentially easier to connect with others and our environment—the undeniable first step to familiarity and contentment in any space!
I know, I’m attached to my phone too. Believe me.
With more data at our fingertips than ever before, and 24/7 access to our attention, it’s become hard to fathom how we can create reasonable limits for consuming information and making ourselves reachable.
We can make unplugging more feasible by doing it in chunks! A small amount of time away from technology can go a long way in cultivating hygge, especially if you take advantage of these slots consistently.
If needed, communicate your time away to those who typically need to reach you. By taking some control back from your devices, you can make huge leaps forward in improving your attention, being thoughtful, and connecting with the people who matter most.
10. Unwind with a group.
While you can absolutely feel it alone, hygge in a group setting can be even more potent. In fact, togetherness, community, and connection drive at the core of hygge as a concept.
Sharing your space, resources, and time with others you care about is perhaps the best way to feel genuine contentment. Even the most reserved or solitary among us crave sincere community, friendship, and companionship!
The perfect example of a hygge gathering is one around a campfire. If everyone can fit around one, it’s primed for hygge.
Gatherings larger than 6-8 people can start to diminish hygge by reducing intimacy. Ideally, everyone is fully engaged with one another, and the group acts as a unified whole rather than splitting into subgroups. But truthfully, it doesn’t matter what the gathering is for, where the conversation falls, or even whether the conversation is active and lively.
As long as quality time is spent with those you care about—in a place that feels comforting and safe—you can call it hygge.