Hygge is not a decoration style. It is a feeling. Here are 7 way to create it.

What living in Denmark taught me about home — and about life.

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There is a word I hear often when people talk about Scandinavia. Hygge. You see it on book covers, in interior magazines, on Pinterest boards filled with throws and candlelight. And while all of that is beautiful — I want to tell you something I have learned from actually living here.

Hygge is not a decoration style. It is a feeling.

I remember one of the first things that struck me when I arrived in Denmark. Candles. Not saved for birthdays or dinner parties or special occasions — but lit every single day. On the kitchen table in the morning. On the bathroom shelf. In the window of almost every home I passed on an evening walk. White candles in simple, beautiful holders — burning quietly as if they had always been there.

That small thing changed something in me. It made me understand that hygge is not about how a space looks. It is about how a space makes you feel. And the Danes have understood this for generations.

Over the years I have travelled to many beautiful spaces — stunning interiors, luxurious architecture, carefully designed restaurants and hotels. All of them were beautiful. But there is something about a Danish space that is different. Something that goes deeper than style or budget or trend. In this post I want to share what I have learned — not from books or magazines — but from living here, feeling it every day, and slowly understanding why it works.

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01

Light & Candles — the easiest way to change everything

If I had to choose one single element that captures the essence of hygge — it would be light. Not bright, harsh, overhead light. But soft, warm, living light. Candlelight.

In Denmark, candles are not a luxury. They are a daily ritual. A white candle in a simple holder on the kitchen table in the morning. A soft glow on the bathroom shelf in the evening. Candles in the window, on the dining table, on the coffee table — burning quietly as part of everyday life, not saved for a special occasion.

This is something that truly moved me when I first arrived here. In many cultures candles are reserved for birthdays, romantic dinners or religious moments. But in Denmark they are simply — life. And that small difference changes everything about how a home feels.

The Scandinavian approach to light is also very intentional beyond candles. You will rarely find harsh ceiling lights in a Danish home. Instead there are floor lamps, table lamps, wall lights — all creating pools of soft warm light at different heights around the room. The goal is never to illuminate everything. The goal is to create atmosphere.

And recently something wonderful has happened — portable lights. Beautiful, cordless lamps you can move from room to room, from table to sofa to garden. This is hygge thinking at its most practical — light wherever you need it, whenever you need it.

You don’t need to redecorate. You don’t need to invest in new furniture. Just light a candle tonight — and notice what happens to the room. And to you.

If you are ready to take the first step with light, these are the pieces I would start with:

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02

Natural Materials — why what you touch matters as much as what you see

There is something you notice almost immediately in a Scandinavian home — and it is not always something you can see. It is something you feel. The fabric on the sofa. The texture of a cushion. The weight of a throw. Everything invites you to touch it.

This is not an accident. Scandinavians have a deep and instinctive preference for natural materials — linen, wool, cotton, wood, stone, leather. Materials that come from nature, age beautifully and feel honest under your hands. You will rarely find shiny synthetic fabrics, bold artificial textures or polished plastic surfaces in a Danish home. Not because they cannot afford them — but because they choose something different.

I noticed this so clearly when I arrived in Denmark. Coming from a culture where shiny surfaces, bold colors and luxurious synthetic fabrics are often seen as a sign of beauty and status — the Scandinavian approach felt almost quiet at first. Understated. But then something shifted. I began to understand that there is a deeper luxury in a piece of heavy linen, a chunky wool throw, a worn wooden table. It is the luxury of something real.

And what I find so beautiful about Scandinavian design today is how it has evolved. Yes, there is more color now — more personality, more playfulness. But even when Scandinavians use color, they use it with such care and intention. Always the right nuance. Always in service of creating a space that feels calm, welcoming and deeply comfortable.

Because that is always the goal. Not to impress. To feel like home.

If you want to bring that luxury of something real into your home — these are the pieces I would start with:

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03

Cleanliness — when even your cleaning products are beautiful

There is something the Danes understand that I think the rest of the world is slowly catching up with — a clean space is a calm space. Not sterile. Not cold. But considered and cared for. In Denmark cleanliness is not separate from hygge — it is part of it. A space cannot truly feel welcoming if it feels neglected.

But what has always impressed me most is how Scandinavians approach even the most practical side of keeping a home. In many cultures cleaning products are hidden away — under the sink, behind cabinet doors, out of sight. And honestly, with most brands you can understand why.

But then there is something very Danish that changed my thinking completely. I remember discovering Humdakin — a Danish brand that started with cleaning products and grew into something much more. Their bottles are designed with the same intention and care as any piece of Scandi interior design. The color palette is soft, natural, quietly luxurious — the kind of colors you would choose for a cushion or a ceramic vase. The products are completely environmentally friendly, with no harsh chemicals. And they have expanded beautifully into kitchen towels, napkins and home textiles — all with that same calm, considered aesthetic.

The result is something very Danish — your cleaning products sit on your kitchen counter or bathroom shelf not because you forgot to put them away, but because they are beautiful enough to be part of the styling. Cleaning and living beautifully are not opposites. In a Scandi home they are the same thing.

That is hygge thinking applied to every corner of your home — even the practical ones.

A few Danish favourites that prove cleaning and beautiful living are never opposites: 🌿

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04

Togetherness — the heart of hygge that no interior can create alone

I can tell you about candles and natural materials and color palettes — and all of that matters. But if I am completely honest with you, none of it is the real heart of hygge. The real heart is this: the people around you.

I have a memory I return to often when I think about what hygge truly means. It was a Christmas arrangement at my daughter’s kindergarten. I was pregnant with my son at the time — he is 21 years old now, so this moment lives a long way back in my heart. The children had made risengrød — that simple, traditional Danish rice pudding with cinnamon and sugar that appears every December like an old friend. Candles were lit on every table. We sat with other parents, talking, laughing, the room warm and glowing.

And then one of the pædagoger walked past our table, looked at us all gathered together, and said with a smile: “Hvor ser det hyggeligt ud.”

How hyggeligt it looks.

That moment has stayed with me ever since. Because it was not a luxurious restaurant. It was not a beautifully designed space. It was a kindergarten, a simple traditional dish, candlelight, and people who were genuinely happy to be together. And it was one of the most hyggeligt moments I have ever experienced.

This is what I think the rest of the world sometimes misses when they try to recreate hygge. They focus on the aesthetics — the throws, the candles, the neutral colors. And yes, all of that creates a beautiful foundation. But hygge only truly happens when the people in the space matter more than the space itself.

In Denmark it does not matter if you are in a Michelin star restaurant or a kindergarten classroom. What matters is the company. The conversation. The laughter. The feeling that right here, right now, with these people — this is enough. This is everything.

Hvor ser det hyggeligt ud.

May you find that feeling in your own home.

A few pieces that make every gathering feel more special: 🌿

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05

Bringing Nature Inside — when the garden becomes part of your home

One of the first things I noticed when I arrived in Denmark was the windows. Not just their size — though Danish windows are wonderfully generous — but what was missing from them. Curtains. Or rather, the absence of heavy ones.

In many cultures windows are dressed heavily — thick drapes, layered fabrics, closed at night and sometimes even during the day. Privacy, darkness, separation from the outside world. But in Denmark I saw something completely different. Simple linen or cotton panels if anything at all. And even in the evening, curtains left open — letting the inside and outside exist together, connected, almost as one.

At first it surprised me. Then slowly I understood. The Danes do not want to shut nature out. They want to live alongside it — through every season, every weather, every light. The grey of a November morning is not something to hide from. It is something to include.

When we bought our 1970s home I fell in love with it immediately for one reason above all others — no matter where you stood in the house, there was a window to the garden. Every room connected to the outside. Every room had that thread to nature.

And even now, after 23 years, I still feel a quiet excitement every single morning. I wake up, walk to the window, draw back the curtains and see the light and the garden outside. Some mornings it is golden and warm. Some mornings it is grey and still. But every morning that simple act — opening the curtains and connecting with what is outside — changes everything about how the day begins.

Nature is not a backdrop. It is not something you visit on weekends or look at occasionally. It is a daily companion — brought inside through open windows, through plants and branches and flowers, through materials that come from the earth. The more we connect with nature, the more calm we feel. The more human we feel.

And it costs nothing. Just open your curtains. Let it in.

If you want to make your table feel more hyggeligt — these are the pieces I love:

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06

Color Palette — the quiet power of natural tones

I have been lucky enough to travel to many countries and experience some truly beautiful interiors. Bold colors, rich patterns, dramatic contrasts — all of them stunning in their own way. And I genuinely love seeing how different cultures express themselves through color. There is real joy in that.

But when it comes to the place where I actually live — the space where I wake up, make my coffee, read my book, breathe — there is only one color palette that makes me feel truly at home. The natural, quiet tones of Scandinavian design.

Warm whites. Soft greiges. The color of linen, of birch wood, of morning light on a pale wall. These are not boring colors. They are breathing colors. Colors that let your mind rest.

And what I find so beautiful about the Scandinavian approach to color is the way nature is always the guide. When Danish designers introduce color — and they do, more and more in recent years — it is never aggressive or demanding. It is the soft green of a forest in early spring. The quiet blue of a Scandinavian sky in autumn. The dusty rose of a dried botanical. Colors you would find on a walk outside — brought gently inside.

I think of it this way — a bold color can be exciting to visit. But a natural color palette is somewhere you can truly live. And for me, that difference is everything.

For a welcoming, calm and genuinely cozy home — let nature choose your colors. She always gets it right.

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07

Texture — where Scandinavian design finds its magic

There is a question I am sometimes asked about Scandinavian interiors — doesn’t it get boring? All those natural colors, all that quiet simplicity — doesn’t it all start to look the same?

And I always smile when I hear this. Because the person asking has not yet discovered the secret.

Texture.

This is where Scandinavian design truly comes alive. Where it finds its depth, its warmth, its endless interest. A room decorated entirely in natural tones is never boring when you layer it with different materials and surfaces — because that is exactly what nature does. Think of a forest floor. Rough bark and soft moss. Smooth stone and dried leaves. Hard wood and delicate lichen. Nature never uses one texture. It always layers. And it is always beautiful.

Scandinavian designers understand this instinctively. In a Scandi home you will find a chunky knit throw next to a smooth linen cushion. A rough brick wall beside a silky wooden floor. A ceramic vase with a matte surface standing on a polished stone shelf. Hard and soft. Smooth and rough. Light and heavy. All living together in perfect, quiet harmony.

This layering of texture is what transforms a simple, natural color palette from something flat into something rich. It is what makes a room feel lived in rather than decorated. It is what makes you want to reach out and touch everything.

And for me personally — this is the magic of Scandinavian design. The colors whisper. But the textures speak. Together they create something that no bold color or dramatic statement piece could ever achieve — a space that feels completely, deeply, genuinely alive.

That is hygge. Not a style. Not a trend. A feeling — built from nature, light, honesty and the quiet beauty of things that are real.

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I hope that after reading this post something has shifted a little — in how you see your home, and perhaps in how you see your everyday life. Because that is truly my goal. Not to show you a perfect interior. Not to sell you a style. But to share something I have been lucky enough to experience living here in Denmark — and to help you bring that same feeling into your own home.

Our home is the only place in the world we can completely create ourselves. In a world that is often loud, fast and chaotic outside our door — home is our escape. Our shelter. Our place to breathe.

So please — light a candle. Open your curtains. Layer a throw over your sofa. Invite someone you love to sit at your table.

And if this post moved something in you, I would love to hear about it. Write to me. Share your thoughts. Tell me about your home and what hygge means to you. Because I truly believe that together — by making our own homes more beautiful, more calm, more human — we make the world a little better. For ourselves. For each other. And for our children.

That is worth starting today.

You may like to read: What is Scandinavian Design? A Beginner’s Guide to the Timeless Style

With love,
Marjan — scandilivingmood.com 🤍