A Normal Person's Guide to a Hygge Office

Have you heard about “hygge”?  I first heard about the concept when I read the book, “The Year of Living Danishly” by Helen Russell.
 
This book is on my list of must reads and another one that I talk about ALL. THE. TIME.  I read the book last fall and immediately began implementing the idea in my home.  And with another winter bearing down on us and going through an especially gloomy fall here in Ontario I’ve decided to get my home office cozy, warm and all around “hygge”. 

What is it?  Hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) translates very roughly to coziness and creating an atmosphere that gives you a feeling of contentedness and joy.
 
For me, it helps during those long cold winter months when the sun hardly comes out (remember last January – I don’t think it came out once!).  I don’t know how much hygge had to do with my moods but I really found last winter to be fairly “easy” to get through.
 
This year I’ve extended it to my office space.  I’m not a designer by any stretch of imagination and I’m pretty frugal, so I wanted to make a space that was cozy with few purchases and ones that can be multi-purposed throughout the year.  I know many people are the same so I wanted to show off my “normal” person’s hygge office.
 
There are five main hygge concepts that I really focused on:

CANDLES AND SOFT LIGHT
This is the best thing you can do to create a hygge atmosphere in your home and office. 

I have these two Maple Praline and Caramel candles that I got at Winners.  After taking these pictures I immediately lit them and writing resumes with their flickering light on a rainy day was wonderful. 

I also have a light that I got at IKEA years ago when I first starting working from home. ​It creates a nice soft light atmosphere, exactly what I'm looking for.

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GET WARM
Bringing in blankets, putting on the fire, cozy socks and sweaters - the point of this is to really just get warm and cozy.  I don't have a fireplace in my office (wouldn't that be the dream!) but I do bring in a space heater.  I always have a blanket wrapped around my legs and have a warm sweater on.  My aunt got me the Indigo Reading Socks for my birthday and I LIVE in them all winter long!  

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​BRING THE OUTSIDE IN
Since we may not spend too much time outdoors in the Winter, we want to surround ourselves with the outdoors inside.  So natural products like wood, marble, and clay are great.  I got a set of 4 coasters from Winners that I love - they are wood and marble.  I use them as coasters but also as candle holders!

From Holland Park in Burlington, I picked up this clay pot with 3 succulents in it.  When choosing a plant, I knew I needed something low maintenance as caring for a plant is not something I'm good at!  I love the different colours, textures and honestly I feel so much joy every time I look at it on my desk!

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WARM DRINKS
Nothing says getting cozy then curling up with a hot chocolate.  During the work day though, that doesn't really happen.  But I do love tea, especially tea that is comforting.  I recently picked up a STASH tea - chamomile with cinnamon and vanilla, talk about a cozy tea for a cold day! 

Years ago I picked up this teapot from Winners or Home Sense and I love filling it up and then drinking it throughout the morning or afternoon.  It feels so good for my soul.

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FAMILY AND FRIENDS
This is a big one but also a hard one to encapsulate in your office.  During the winter months, you want to spend time as a family in your living room all together.  We like to grab our books, games, puzzles and all congregate around the fireplace in our living room with our hot chocolates. In my office, I opted for lots of photos literally surrounding myself with my loved ones!  

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The final result:  It isn't designer or maybe even pinterest worthy, but it was created with less than $50 and during these cold dreary weeks has been exactly what I wanted - a comfortable and cozy office to spend my days in.

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