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Home & Garden

How to embrace hygge, the cozy home trend we love

This Danish concept wraps you in a hug

In the center, a person reading in a cozy room. Images of a lamp, a blanket, pillows, and a candle surround the center image. Credit: Reviewed / Getty Images / Aleksandar Nakic / Target / Adyrescia / Amazon / Maison Louis Marie

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A bitter storm rages outside. Inside, you’re curled up by the fireplace with a glass of mulled wine. You’re beneath a thick blanket surrounded by your plush throw pillows and dim lighting while feeling totally relaxed. This is the essence of hygge décor.

The word hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is the Danish concept of overwhelming coziness. While Danes have mastered it, there’s no direct translation in English—perhaps because hygge’s meaning is meant to be felt more than explained.

While winter can be tough on the body and mind, hygge can help many embrace the season and potentially ward off seasonal affective disorder.

Here’s how to bring hygge décor to your home this season.

What is hygge?

A red and pink background with the Little Book of Hygge against it.
Credit: Reviewed / Little Book of Hygge

Hygge is about making your home a restful and comfortable environment.

In the The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living, author Meik Wiking writes, "Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience.” He should know, as he’s the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen.

Hygge is about making your home a restful and comfortable environment.

Naturally, winter is the most hygge season: It’s dark and cold, and most of us are longing to stay at home. It’s the perfect time to focus on making your home a peaceful abode.

Our favorite ways to incorporate hygge décor

The best way to bring hygge home is by making it feel uniquely your own through cozy elements like blankets and pillows. Hygge décor is all about finding pieces that create comfort and feel true to you.

Here are our favorite pieces of hygge décor you can shop.

1. Throw blankets

A cashmere throw blanket on a bouch. A chunky knit blanket against a pink background.
Credit: Reviewed / Quince / Adyrescia

Cozy up with an ultra-soft throw blanket of chenille or cashmere.

When the temperatures drop, it’s all about bundling up both outdoors and indoors. Getting your space fill with blankets warms up the space–literally. We like something extra luxurious that’s also got some style.

Quince’s Cashmere Knit Throw is as soft as your favorite sweater but big enough to envelope your whole body. Or go with a chunky knit made from smooth chenille fabric. It will look stylish draped over the sofa, and will be delightful when you need some warmth.

Buy at Quince

Buy at Amazon

2. Pillows

Colorful, flower shaped throw pillows on a couch. Faux fur throw pillows against a yellow background.
Credit: Reviewed / Urban Outfitters / Amazon

Complete your living room nest with cozy throw pillows.

To complete the nest you’re making on your couch, you’ll need fluffy pillows to really bring the hygge décor. You want something both cute and functional since you might find yourself curled up taking a snooze on one.

Pillows are a great way to add a pop of color,like this vibrant corduroy option from Urban Outfitters.

For a 70s shag appeal, Amazon Basics has a set of funky faux fur pillow covers that make for a cozy spot to rest your head.

Buy at Urban Outfitters

Buy at Amazon

3. Shag rug

A bedroom staged with a shag carpet next to the bed. A shag carpet with a geometric pattern against a teal background.
Credit: Reviewed / Ruggable / Mercury Row

Your feet will thank you for how luxurious a shag carpet feels.

Don’t forget about your floors when it comes to decking out your home with hygge décor. A shag rug seems a little retro but is actually all the rage. Plus, your feet will thank you for how luxurious it feels.

Ruggable makes a shag rug that we love here at Reviewed.

If you want a more non-traditional shag rug, this geometric designed option from Mercury Row can liven up the space while still feeling homey.

Buy at Ruggable

Buy at Wayfair

4. Candles

A stack of candles against a green background. On the right, a candle against a swirled background.
Credit: Reviewed / Maison Louis Marie / Diptyque

Not only do candles add soft lighting but they can also provide a welcoming scent to make you feel even more at home.

The Hygge home décor theme is also about creating the right ambiance with candles. The soft light of a candle creates a dark and snug environment that hygge represents, inviting you to kick back and curl up for a relaxing time at home.

Not only do candles add soft lighting but they can also provide a welcoming scent to make you feel even more at home.

For a cold winter’s evening, Maison Louis Marie’s scented candle in No.04 Bois de Balincourt can warm you up with it’s wintry woodsy scent.

Since we’re not all lucky enough to have a fireplace at home, a candle that smells like firewood will have to do. Treat yourself to the opulence of a Diptyque candle. Specifically, the Diptyque Feu de Bois candle, which smells like a crackling wood fire.

Buy at Sephora

Buy at Nordstrom

5. Ambient lighting

On the left, a lamp with an orb shade against a green background, on the right the same lamp on a table lit up.
Credit: Reviewed / Target

A dimmable lamp will make your space feel soft and relaxed.

Diffuse any stark lighting in your space by adding softer lights that will make your space feel soft and relaxed. Swap out an cool blue light bulbs with soft white LED bulbs to soften the ambiance.

A dimmable lamp, like Project 62’s Globe Ambient Lamp, looks sophisticated with its brass finishing and orb shade. however, when you turn it on it will fill the room with a gentle glow.

Buy at Amazon

Buy at Target

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