Curious About…Hygge.
I was in Chicago yesterday watching the first snow of the winter fall, and was reminded of the sense of quiet contemplation that the muffling effect of a snowfall often brings, the comfort and warmth that comes with making our homes cosy, staying in and settling down, giving into the dark nights and stopping our fight against the elements for a second. The Danes have a word that beautifully encompasses this feeling - hygge.
Though the word hygge was originally Norwegian, it is associated most strongly with Danish. Most people understand hygge to mean “cozy.” More accurately, the word describes a particular state of mind, an atmosphere, the creation of a little mental and physical space where the turmoil and troubles of the outside world are shut out and a warm, intimate, convivial mood is created.
The desire for hygge is a hugely motivating force in Danish culture and has a lot to do with the long dark winters. From the beginning of October until the end of March, darkness rules the country and sunshine is in short supply. When it’s cold and gloomy outside for this long, moods tends to follow suit, so the Danes have developed the process of creating hygge into a fine art, almost a national obsession. 
The best way to see hygge in action is in a Danish home. Many Danes put a great deal of effort into creating a cozy, comfy atmosphere in their own homes. Another very good place to find hygge is in the small, family-run restaurants dotted around most neighborhoods that serve good Danish food. Here, as in the home, are the dim, soft lights (usually candles), comfortable furnishings and ‘homey’ feel so essential to creating a hggyelig atmosphere. Here, you’ll also find the other essential ingredient for hygge: husmanskost, which means “good down-home cooking.” Danish cuisine tends be the kind of hearty, solid fare you’d expect from a country with hard winters, a long shoreline and a cultural preference for comfort food — lots of simple, unpretentious dishes featuring seafood, dairy, beef and potatoes.
What Of It? The desire to create a home filled with both physical and emotional warmth is innate in most of us, but the Danes have elevated it to a whole other level with hygge. I remember staying at the Hotel Nimb in Copenhagen a few years ago (pictured above) and was struck by the deeply considered, warm quality of the light, the way that they came and lit candles in my room as the early darkness fell, the natural glowing wood surfaces and the beautiful textiles, all contributing to a deep sense of calmness. Tactile, sensory and emotional - hygge is a designer’s dream.
I Am Curious about cultures such as Denmark where good design is integrated seamlessly into daily life - a culture where people inherently design their homes and lives around the elements, their traditions and constraints, turning the long winter darkness into a positive rather than a negative.
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