How To: Hygge In The Springtime

Hygge is usually considered a thing for the winter, but it isn’t just for the colder months. It’s a feeling of warmth, home, family, and belonging all year long.

There’s a lot that goes into it – travelling to see friends, eating fresh vegetables, enjoying the smells of the spring air and so much more.

We’ve discussed Hygge in the Home before, but we didn’t talk specifically about Spring. So here’s a little look at how to incorporate Hygge into your lifestyle throughout the Springtime!

The word Hygge, (pronounced hue-gah) is a Danish concept that comes from taking genuine pleasure in ordinary, everyday things, like the warm cosy comforts that make a house a home.

It comes from a Norwegian word meaning “well-being”. It works by having a complete absence of anything annoying or emotionally overpowering. Instead of taking pleasure from soothing gentle things that make you feel cosy.

While Hygge does not directly translate to any one English word, several can be used interchangeably to describe the idea of Hygge such as cosiness, happiness, comfort, being content, warmth, familiarity, reassurance, and simplicity.

Hygge is usually associated with winter due to the cosiness that is seen to be accompanied with it. However, it is not restricted to just that as mentioned beforehand. Hygge also works extremely well with the warmer seasons as well. However, there obviously has to be some changes made from the winter.

After all, who wants to be wrapped in a thick blanket next to the fireplace while tulips bloom and the birds tweet relentlessly? Nobody.

First & foremost, open your windows & let light in! Let the smells of spring enter and allow them to filter throughout your home. That feeling you get when you smell the springtime air is matched only by the warm glow of the summer sun.

Use the arrival of spring to brighten up your home with lighter fabrics and colours – swapping heavier throws for lighter materials and treating yourself to some new spring-style cushions.

An advantage to opening your windows is that it allows for natural light to enter the room and brighten up your interior.

Not only this but opening your windows allows for the noises of nature to enter which can be soothing and relaxing after a long day at work or just on a lazy weekend.

Spring is known for blossoming flowers, so incorporate this natural beauty by bringing more nature into your home!

Using flowers is a simple way to add brightness and colour to your interior decor. Having multiple floral elements in your home will lift your mood and leave you feeling calm and connected to the natural world.

This is one of the easiest ways to bring the outdoors in by gathering some branches and flowers from your garden or the local florist and keeping simple arrangements in a few rooms.

Also, flowers make way for insects such as bees and butterflies to pollinate. This is beneficial to most gardens as pollination assists with the growth of flowers.

Houseplants are also great natural air purifiers so embrace the greenery or easy to maintain pot plants!

Try to highlight any natural wood features that your home has, like flooring or ceiling beams. Use earth tones and organic materials such as variations of woods, stones, and metals.

You can even use items that you’ve collected from your travels and use them as decorative items. The best part about using these natural objects? They’re completely free!

Danish design is all about streamlined minimalism. So, to hygge authentically, you must take your Spring Cleaning seriously.

Living clutter-free is something truly embraced by the Danes. While the idea of spring cleaning may seem exhausting, no one can deny the pleasure of a perfectly clean home.

Minimalism and Hygge go hand in hand and work together perfectly. This idea of minimalism requires a certain level of decluttering but would ultimately make a room look better and more polished, even if it isn’t densely furnished.

The Danes believe in order to live an authentic hyggelig (hygge-like) lifestyle, you must be free from the things that do not bring you joy. So go through each category of your belongings, decide what stays and what goes, dust your surfaces and attack those cobweb-filled corners. After you’ve done that take a deep breath, sit back and enjoy your fresh, clean and joy-filled home!

No recipe for Hygge is complete without candles! Just because it’s Spring doesn’t mean you have to give up on your scented candles.

Candles can be used all year round as they’re not something you just do on dark winter evenings. But it’s best to know which scents are perfect for spring.

Instead of pumpkin spice and cinnamon, opt for fresh linen and floral fragrances like jasmine or lavender. Citrusy scents like grapefruit and lemon are also great, especially in the Summer when the bugs start to come out! They are brilliant for the springtime and will continue to give you the feeling of Hygge!

Find yourself a fresh scented candle in a bright colour and it will continue to bring that Hygge feeling to your spring days.

A key component to being cosy in the winter is the yummy food we indulge in. Come spring, however, it can feel just as good to make healthier eating choices with fresh fruits and salads.

Eating healthier will make you feel better within yourself, but also has the positive benefit that it will help you get into shape for if you’re looking towards getting a summer body!

Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on your kitchen counter and try experimenting with your own indoor herb garden. There’s a magic in the process of baking and cooking, so grab your friends or family for a weekly home-cooked meal and dessert.

Now it might not be warm enough to get your friends round for a BBQ and spend the night outside but that doesn’t mean you have to stay inside.

Springtime means warmer temperatures and brighter days, so go for a family walk after your afternoon meal and enjoy the spring weather, be it sun or rain!

Go for a walk in the countryside or woods to stretch your legs and breathe in the fresh air. The bluebells have arrived which makes for a gorgeous walk with friends, family, your dog or even by yourself.

So that was our guide on how to bring Hygge through to spring. The Danes are known as the happiest nation in Europe and after taking on board some of their ways of living, we can totally understand why!

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Have you caught onto the Hygge lifestyle? How are you going to make Spring more Hygge like? Leave a comment below, we’d love to hear your thoughts!