Thin Slices of Joy
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Oh, my! It was rich!
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I'm working towards this!
http://mentalfloss.com/article/91378/10-ways-maste...
10 Ways to Master the Danish Art of Hygge in Your Home
Long, dark winter nights and stormy weather have us craving a roaring fire, fluffy slippers, and a soft blanket to curl up under. As the Danes would say, we want to get hygge. Hygge(pronounced hoo-gah) is the Danish concept of coziness and intimacy—as one tea companyputs it, hygge is "taking pleasure from the soothing, ordinary, and inexpensive things in life"—and it has made its way across the Atlantic. To achieve optimal hygge in your own home, grab a warm drink, put on your chunkiest sweater, and check out the below tips.
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Long, dark winter nights and stormy weather have us craving a roaring fire, fluffy slippers, and a soft blanket to curl up under. As the Danes would say, we want to get hygge. Hygge(pronounced hoo-gah) is the Danish concept of coziness and intimacy—as one tea companyputs it, hygge is "taking pleasure from the soothing, ordinary, and inexpensive things in life"—and it has made its way across the Atlantic. To achieve optimal hygge in your own home, grab a warm drink, put on your chunkiest sweater, and check out the below tips.
1. HEAT THINGS UP.
A flickering fire can instantly make any space feel intimate. If you don't have a fireplace in your home, create that warm and cozy vibe by arranging candles of different sizes and shapes into a cluster, says Kayleigh Tanner, owner of the U.K.-based blog Hello Hygge. "My favorites are Yankee Candles in scents like cinnamon and vanilla, but a bag of cheap tea lights will do the trick just as well," Tanner says.
2. BRING THE OUTDOORS INSIDE.
Take a cue from nature (which is innately relaxing and stress-busting) and add some greenery to your home. Can't keep plants alive? Add natural materials like leather, stone, and wood to your space.
3. TURN OFF THE LIGHTS.
Unless you have a dimmer, overhead lights are often too bright to create the homey feeling you're after. So turn off that light and rely on table lamps instead, Tanner says.
4. STREAMLINE.
Cozy spaces might be small, but that doesn't mean they're cluttered. Kate Marengo, founder and president of Interior Chicago, says you can't relax in spaces that are overwhelming. So before you add your hygge touches (candles, a throw, books), take a page from Marie Kondo's book and strip away any extraneous items that don't bring you joy.
5. REACH FOR SOMETHING SOFT.
Texture is a big part of hygge, says Pia Edberg, Vancouver-based author of The Cozy Life. Edberg suggests surrounding yourself with soft items like knitted fleece throw blankets, fluffy pillows, shag rugs, and comfy furniture.
6. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH OBJECTS THAT TELL A STORY.
"There are studies about how hygge in Denmark shies far away from consumerism," Edberg says. Instead of stocking up on mass-produced items, decorate your home with furniture and accents that are meaningful to you. Edberg says this could mean the items were given to you as gifts, you purchased them on your travels, or they are antiques with a rich history.
7. KEEP THE HOT DRINKS COMING.
Tanner recommends making your tea kettle your new best friend. She digs Hoogly Tea, a British company that makes hygge their business by selling creative tea blends such as Vanilla Chai, Around the Fire, and Marzipan. Not a tea person? Cocoa or coffee will also do the trick.
8. SET THE TABLE.
Time with family or friends, especially while sharing a great meal, is essential to the hyggephilosophy, so you'll need a great dining room table. Danes love a great wooden table and hand-crafted chairs (many will pass down an Arne Jacobsen or a Hans Wegner chair from generation to generation), but any dining room set will do—the important part is spending mealtimes together, says Helen Russell, author of The Year of Living Danishly.
9. SCRUB-A-DUB-DUB, HEAD TO THE TUB.
"Not many people think about the bathroom when they're making their home cozier, but think about making a more relaxing environment for the next time you take a soothing bath," Tanner says. You can do this by lighting a few candles and integrating essential oils and bath products with relaxing scents into your routine. Big, fluffy towels and a quality bathmat are also great additions.
10. GET SMART.
Technology is your secret weapon in making your home cozy, says Carly Pokornowski Moeller, owner and registered interior designer at Unpatterned in Chicago. Wireless speakers can help you use music to set the right mood throughout your home. And, Pokornowski Moeller says, adding a total smart home system (like Nest) can allow you to change the temperature or turn off the lights in any room right from your smartphone. This way you can stop running from room to room to adjust and can just be present.
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Hygge is my life's dream..
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Hygge is "taking pleasure from the soothing, ordinary, and inexpensive things in life"
GG - it sounds like thin slices of joy. I took a bath earlier, but lit a candle this time. I haven't been lighting candles in the past year. I already had a candle in my bathroom. This was a good reminder. My older daughter helps with the hot drinks because she loves tea in the evenings. My pup is always around for snuggly softness.
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What I find interesting is that in perusing Pinterest recently, I came across this word, hygge, and its meaning, having never heard of it before. Then it pops up on this thread. It can be surprising how many soothing, ordinary, inexpensive things there are in life that one can find pleasure in. Sometimes social media makes people think life is about the big stuff "look, I'm skydiving!" "Here I am in the Bahamas!" "My brand new Honda CR-V!" . Yeah, I get that people like to brag, I am okay with that. And big experiences really are great. But smart people know there are plenty of magical moments in life that can be experienced without all the bells and whistles.
I will tell you what is currently bringing joy to my hopeful heart. A duplex visible from my back door is in the process of getting condemned and torn down. It's been owned by a slumlord for years, meaning it has been allowed to comletely deteriorate in the middle of our nice neighborhood. (The slumlord lives in another city in a beautiful neighborhood).
My husband has been working with the city building inspector and safety director to address this house. Up till last month, it was occupied by people who sadly accepted living in such miserable surroundings. They have finally moved out, and we have word that the house will be demolished. It makes me so happy. My town demo's a number of old and dilapidated buildings each year, and they spray paint big red X's on the ones designated to be coming down. My husband's cousin is a city employee. He told us the paperwork for this house to be torn down is on the mayor's desk. He said he'd let us know when he is coming with the cans of red spray paint. When he does, that is when I will really know this house is really coming down. Can't happen soon enough for me! When I think of that house being gone, it really lifts my spirits!
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Divine - Definitely good for you and your property value to be rid of a dilapidated building so close to you! I don't believe in spending lots of money to be happy. When we were looking for a house, I didn't want to have a mortgage that required 2 salaries. I'm so glad we made that decision 5 years ago. I'm still not working full time, but we've been able to manage without my salary for months. Most of the suggestions in the hygge article above cost very little. Like you, I hadn't heard of it until now. I love the concept.
I've just lit a candle I've had for maybe 2 years. The scent is "Sun Bleached Denim". I don't think that's accurate, but I had picked it because it's a clean scent and the jar is blue, my favorite color.
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BS called saying biopsy results are good. He'll see me in a year.
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Great news, Serenity! Happy for you.
You're right, I am super happy for improved property values when the dilapidated place is removed. I also agree that you don't always have to spend money for happiness. This past fall, Dh, ds, his girlfriend and I hiked the trail around a local state lake and with the beautiful colors of autumn and mild temps, it was the nicest time, free.
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Hurray for your news, Serenity!!
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Divine~ That's great! The yard next door to mine is filled with junk. Luckily, there is a border of trees, but during the winter, it's more visible. The cedars I planted 7 years ago are growing tall and doing their job as a natural fence.
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Thanks, ladies!
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Happy dance for you, Serenity !
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Serenity, that news is a double slice of joy! I am so happy for you.
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Thank you!
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hi serenity and all the gang
Greetings from summer downunder
Wonderful slices of joy
just finished reading the past months posts. Will take time to relax on the deck each morning to view the videos and links0 -
Hi Bright! - Good plan to sit outside. Here it's too cold for that, but it's almost time for maple taffy (tire sur la neige). Haven't had it for a few years, but I'll try this year.
Went to Qi Gong at the wellness centre this morning and chatted with a few people afterwards. The fire was lit in the library. It was relaxing.
Time for a nap. Pup has a head start.
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Great news Serenity! Congratulations!
Hygge was a big thing in the UK media around Christmas time. I love it! I agree with you completely about preferring to work less and relax more. I haven't worked full time since having my second daughter 13 years ago. I don't know whether I'll ever want to do a 5 day week again, I work 3 days currently. I'm just snuggling under a furry blanket feeling very Hygge and catching up on all your posts. Divine, great news about the disappearing building! That sounds great. X
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Hi all
Almost hygg the other day cooler so the cardi made an appearance.
Today the drums and lions were prancing for chinese new year
No aircon so fan during hot times .its a joy to sit out under the fan this afternoon with crossword...just filled bird bath and put sprinkler on ..the 5 variety of birds were overjoyed and were darting into the spray. Bath almost empty so have to refill. Yes we are blessed with many comforts.
The
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Great shot of your luscious yard, Bright, and your toes!
I, too, believe in living below my means. Life is much less stressful that way. Dh and I have lived in our home almost 30 years. It was originally a "handyman's special". Over the years, we made one or two (very necessary) home improvements at a time, paid them off, then tackled the next one. And believe me, we learned as we went along, making plenty of mistakes but doing enough stuff right. The house gradually transformed into the rather nice, comfortable home it is today. Much easier to relax without a huge mortgage payment looming overhead.
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hi Divine mrsm
yes we are on the same wave length this abode is also the special do up in the area known as a ......pennisula special....started out as a 1920 one room fisher shack and like topsy was added on ...so we had to remove some of the sad additions and with a big open plan and deck is now perfect for family
Warm regards b
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ScotBird - I'm also under a blanket with a cup of tea catching up on posts.
Bright - Love your backyard!
Divine - Living below one's means feels good!
My husband and I have a simple celebration that started long before we were married: homemade chocolate-covered strawberries and a bottle of cava. I still have that first bottle.
We had some last night to celebrate the biopsy results. Side benefit of making the chocolate-covered strawberries is I get to lick the bowl.
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My teen daughter just put on Precious Puppies on Netflix. Lots of joys!
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CT results today: The suspicious nodule in my lung remains stable and small. No worries..
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Great news!
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Sometimes I get a slice of joy by saying no. Two of my sisters were going to visit a third sister's son and his family, about a two hour car ride. One of them messaged me asking me to go. I replied that I would pass but for them to have fun.
It made me happy because these two sisters have a special bond with each other and, much as I love them, it can be obnoxious to spend an entire day with the two, especially trapped in a long car ride. They are older than me and have had a way of including me in something and then ignoring me. In my younger years, I would feel obligated to be with them and put up with their behaviours. But, no more! When I can help it, I no longer put myself in places where I have less power and where I am made to feel invisible. Plus, I didn't make up an excuse for not going, just passed. It gives me joy to know I make good decisions for my own sake and sanityand do not fall back into old patterns that do not work for me,
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Divine - Good job! I'm still working on that. I have declined invitations to meet my brothers. They are best friends and are very much alike. I'm different in almost every way. It exhausts me to be with them because I feel I'm not myself. I still feel like a bad sister. I've been using my sciatica as an excuse. This summer one brother and his family will visit us. It's a good thing there's so much to see here.
Sunday night I went to dinner with 7 women who had attended a Women's March (Montreal and DC). I only knew 1 person beforehand. It was nice to meet them and hear their experiences. We will try to get together online. Three of them live off the island. I may have to get a FB account.
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Divine~ When I say, "no" I feel huge relief.
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Peeling a clementine releases the freshest citrus oils. The fruit is good, too.
I'm not the cook in the family, but I've been using the Instant Pot to cook (separately) eggs, potatoes, and rice to keep in the fridge for quicker meals or lunches to go. Bonuses are the eggs are super easy to peel and cooked-then-cooled potatoes and rice develop extra resistant starch that's good for you.
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