Alarmingly, I turn 30 at the end of this month! The big 3-0 – bloody hell. It’s been a funny decade. In 2011, I was in my first year at uni, in an on-off relationship that wasn’t good for me and my pancreas hadn’t yet given up the ghost. I was living in central London,…
Book review: I Wish I Knew This Earlier
It’s not often that a book has such a profound effect on me that I feel compelled to tell everyone I know to read it. But this is one of those very rare times, and so: you have to read this book. I Wish I Knew This Earlier: Lessons on Love by Toni Tone isn’t…
A beginner’s tips for cross stitch
The rumours are true – I’m a dabbler. I really enjoy popping along to a one-off workshop, learning the very basics of a new skill and skipping away safe in the knowledge that I can do approximately 2% of everything I might want to do with my new tools and knowledge. But in lockdown #3,…
The best fragrances for hygge
I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to write this post, to be honest. I’ve written before about the scent of hygge, where I briefly touched on perfume, but I think it’s time for me to dedicate a full post to my combined love of both hygge and fragrance. The usual caveat that…
The DIY guide to feeling better in lockdown
Oh I am just so over all these lockdowns now! I miss eating a panini in a garden centre café, I miss the hygge of post-work pub drinks and I miss having a friend over for a catch up over a pizza. But this is the situation we’re in, and it is what it is….
The best autumnal homeware for hygge
Is it just me or is September absolutely flying past? Now we have some nice chilly mornings and darker evenings, my mind is turning to nesting. I LOVE buying homeware more than anything else, and even though you don’t need to buy anything to hygge, that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up a couple of…
Cosy autumn bakes and makes
WE MADE IT! September is finally here, signalling the start of the best third of the year, and my annual lobotomy is well underway. I feel giddy with anticipation about conker hunting, my first hot chai latte of the year and slipping back into a jacket, and while you can of course hygge anywhere, anytime…
A very hyggeligt summer
Oh it’s been a weird summer hasn’t it? I don’t think any of us quite expected to spend almost half the year in some sort of lockdown. To be honest, I’ve had a lovely old time pottering around at home, going for lockdown walks and staying out of the sun, but I know it hasn’t…
Hygge in the time of self-isolation
Buckle up, friends – we’re in for a strange few months. Coronavirus (COVID-19) has torn through the world, and health risks aside, perhaps one of the biggest challenges will be the (temporary) move towards self-isolation. Virtually all of the worst-affected countries are telling their people to stay indoors and minimise contact with other people to…
Can I hinch myself happy?
I’m late to the party. The hinching party, that is. I’ve been vaguely aware of Sophie Hinchliffe, aka Mrs Hinch, for a fair while now, but until a few weeks ago I’d never taken much of an interest in the biggest cleaning sensation since British national treasures Kim and Aggie. View this post on Instagram Happy…
Something good is brewing: Bake & Brew Box review
Anyone who knows me knows that I communicate using the little-known sixth, and most hyggeligt, love language: baking. I LOVE baking for so many reasons – it’s therapeutic, it’s productive, it’s creative and it’s just plain fun. But what I don’t love so much is measuring out all the ingredients. If you’ve ever messed up…
How joining a choir made me happy
In bleak old January, I finally took the plunge and joined a choir. My friend Rob had been telling me I should join for a good couple of years, and I knew I had a relatively free few months, and popped along to the taster session for Soul of the City choir in Brighton with…
Win a hygge hamper this winter!
HOW HOW HOW have we reached this point in the year?! As I write this post, it’s grey, misty and murky outside, and I love it. I’m so much happier in this weather than in the oppressive heat. Today I wanted to do something to say thank you to everyone who’s read my blog this…
World Mental Health Day: it’s never just you
It’s World Mental Health Day 2018, and I am BIG on supporting mental health. It’s something that most of us have issues with at least some of the time, but it’s so easy to feel isolated or like it’s just you when you’re standing in the street with a racing heart and mind and you…
30 reasons I love September
It’s here! I know we shouldn’t wish the year away, but… autumn! I can already feel my energy levels rising, and the world just feels more ‘right’. The -ber months are my favourites by far, but in this post, I’m focusing on the first -ber. So, one reason for every day of this beautiful month…
Hygge and Jante Law
Have you ever heard of Jante Law before? If not, you’re far from alone. Jante Law, put simply, is a set of rules underpinning (certain parts of) Scandinavian society. It’s named after the fictional Danish town of Jante in Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose’s novel, A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks. Jante Law is all about equality,…
Capturing everyday hygge
I see a lot of articles these days decrying millennials for not living in the moment and being too glued to our various screens to look up and experience life. I agree that while spending an entire gig watching the band on stage through an Instagram filter is no way to live (and it’s not…
Where the wild roses grow
Last weekend, I went to Preston Park. It’s two minutes away from my new flat and my favourite park in Brighton, and I wanted to show a friend the roses, so off we went on Saturday evening. It’s not big, but there are hundreds and hundreds of pink and peach and white and yellow roses….
Little ways to give something back
I’ll be honest: my monthly direct debit to The Brooke came about after I saw a TV advert featuring lots of sad donkeys and horses when I was EXTREMELY DRUNK one night. I came home from a night out, flicked on a show and then clearly felt so deeply upset about our four-legged friends that…
Making memories
When you’re remembering things from your life, which are the memories that jump out to you? Are they times of sadness, grief, stress, worry? Or are they happy times – childhood trips to the beach, your first (legal) night out, your wedding day? Memories are funny things, aren’t they? The mere act of thinking about…
Danes apply for UNESCO status for hygge
Did you know that our Danish friends have applied for UNESCO status for hygge as ‘intangible cultural heritage’? I must admit, I was pretty surprised about this when the press release dropped into my inbox. I always thought UNESCO was for physical sites of cultural heritage – I had no idea that an intangible concept…
All the small things
I’ve accidentally on purpose been away for a little while. Accidentally because I didn’t intend for it to happen, and on purpose because I just haven’t been in the right head space to write. Real life has been going on, and while there hasn’t been a whole lot of hygge recently, I’ve still been basically…
Not quite winter, not quite spring
February is a funny old month isn’t it? We’re ricocheting wildly between screaming winds and sheets of rain and clear blue skies and gentle breezes. Until now, I’ve always considered February a bit of a depressing month, but I’m actually quite enjoying this one. What’s changed? Nothing major, really. I haven’t been in education for…
Share the hygge with a compliment
January is finally behind us! I don’t think anyone is too sad to see the back of it, right? Now the bleakest month is over, I’m thinking about New Year’s resolutions. I haven’t typically been very successful with my resolutions – to be honest, I rarely make it past the first week of January before…
The hygge of travel
Yes yes yes, we all know about hygge at home don’t we? But in my neck of the woods, it’s cold, it’s grey and I’m spending every waking second trying to strategically plan my annual leave, lusting over travel blogs and ending up 35 tabs deep in flight websites. I spotted today that a third…
Hygge is other people
Happy holidays! I was going to have a little break from blogging between Christmas and New Year, but I’ve had this post keeping me awake for a couple of nights now, so I thought I should probably get it written in this quiet lull. I love Christmas – not just the day, but the whole…
Hygge gift guide: Merry and bright
Welcome to my final hygge gift guide for this festive season! This time we’re focusing on the fun side of hygge – not just languishing in front of a log fire, but the laughter and merriment that is so integral to Christmas. If the idea of parlour games or the endless game of Monopoly which…
Hygge gift guide: Eat, drink and be merry
Oh, the best part of the festive season is the food and drink isn’t it? If we’re completely honest? Guys? Anyone with me here? Of COURSE you are – I’d bathe in mulled wine if I could, and I would happily eat yule log for breakfast every day. Eggnog before bed? Sure, why not. For…
Hygge gift guide: Comfort and joy
I can’t believe I’m writing my first Christmas gift guide of the year! I really enjoyed putting these together last year, and I’m fully in the Christmas spirit, so crack on your favourite festive tunes, grab a hot drink and we’ll reconvene here in five minutes… Even though hygge absolutely cannot be bought, I always…
Get cosy with Finding Hygge
I have something very exciting to tell you about today! 2018 sees the release of Finding Hygge, a documentary dedicated to finding the real meaning of hygge. In this documentary, we will meet a host of real people embracing hygge in their own lives, and find out what it means to them. From The Little…
Hygge places: Barbados
This blog is all about ‘finding hygge everywhere’, and Barbados is about as far from Scandinavia as it’s possible to get (in terms of weather and lifestyle, if not distance). I recently got back from my first ever trip to the Caribbean and I. LOVED. IT. What a beautiful, beautiful island! In the spirit of…
How to have the cosiest Bonfire Night
Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder treason and plot. We see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot. I’m not really a Halloween person – horror films bore me, I don’t own any costumes (apart from my Trixie Mattel look from Pride) and as a kid, I always resented giving trick or treaters…
3 ways to bring nature into your home for autumn
Could it BE any more grey?! As I write from inside my blanket burrito, I’m looking around me and seeing a lot of fabric. Wool, cotton, velvet, fleece, pretty much everything. For those of us who just can’t get enough of the hygge way of life, I imagine your home looks pretty similar right now….
7 ideas to get more sunshine in autumn
At this time of year, it’s easy to cancel all your plans and stay wrapped up inside. I know I’m guilty of doing it – when the wind is whistling and your skin is turning an alarming shade of grey in the chilly climes, the temptation to draw the curtains and huddle under a blanket…
Hygge places: Bled, Slovenia
I recently took a little trip to Bled (and the surrounding area) in Slovenia. My friend and I considered several places for this trip – Cannes, Sorrento, Krakow… but my friend had taken a day trip to Bled once before, and I’d heard good things, so we went for it. Guys, if you love autumn…
31 ideas for October hygge
Guys, I couldn’t be happier that October is finally here. It’s my favourite month – I love the unpredictable weather, I love the darker evenings, I love the bright crisp mornings. I’m not big on my own birthday (though I love other people’s!), but my birthday is 31st October – finding out I’m a spooky…
Hygge places: Brighton
How have I never written a post about the most hyggeligt places in my hometown? I wrote a while ago about my old favourite pub in Brighton, Northern Lights, which has unfortunately since closed down. I’m still gutted – there’s another bar in its place, but the magic has gone. Just goes to show that hygge…
Bright, golden September
Now we’re sidling our way through September, I’m doing silly things like getting up at 7.15am on a Saturday just so I can experience as much of autumn as possible. ‘Experiencing autumn’ at that time of day generally just means relocating from my bed to the sofa to grin gormlessly out of the window as…
Hygge decorating on a budget
We’re finally in the best part of the year! It’s (basically) here! The next four months – they’re all the best. Having a third of the year as your favourite part is pretty good going, right? As we glide seamlessly into autumn, lots of us will probably be thinking about putting the summer home accessories…
5 tips for autumnal home decoration
This year we’ve seen some amazing interiors trends, from my absolute favourite colour, blush pink (I promise I liked it before it became known as ‘millennial pink’!) to copper, and tropical prints for days (I’m looking at you, pineapples, palm leaves and flamingos!). But now we’re sneaking into autumn, the trends are changing, and I…
Creating a Pinterest-worthy hygge home
Confession time: I LOVE PINTEREST. I can easily waste hours on a Sunday evening scrolling through recipes, inspiring my home decor and fuelling my wanderlust, and there’s something so satisfying about adding to my boards (shameless plug: if you enjoy this blog, you might also like my Hello Hygge board). One of the questions I’m…
The hygge of making
I don’t ‘make’ anywhere near as much as I should these days. When I was at school, I was in art club, and I remember loving every single second of those Wednesdays after school making stained ‘glass’ windows out of sweet wrappers, batik paintings, mosaics and clay animals. I was also in magazine club, where…
English summer rain
Always stays the same, nothing ever changes English summer rain seems to last for ages So in the UK, we’ve gone from horrendously oppressive, sticky weather to thunderstorms and driving rain in the space of a week. I am totally cool with this (and totally cool – any temperature above around 10 degrees is too…
Why you can’t force hygge
On Tuesday night, it was raining hard, I’d had a couple of glasses of wine and I was reading in bed under my fairy lights. I was fresh out of a ridiculously elaborate bubble bath, and I was so cosy and warm under the covers under the twinkly lights with the wind whistling past my…
Hello, hygge – welcome to English!
Exciting news for all fans of hygge! I was delighted to discover this morning that ‘hygge’ has now officially been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. So, this ‘untranslatable’ word which kind of means ‘cosiness, togetherness, a feeling of warmth and belonging’, now exists in the English language! As a Linguistics graduate, I know that…
Summer hygge for the home with Hygge Rituals
Phwoarrrr… I don’t know about you guys, but in my neck of the woods, it has been SCORCHING HOT this week. I’m not very good in the heat, and all I’m capable of is sprawling out in front of the fan with an ice lolly or 15. When many people think of hygge, they think…
The future of hygge blogs
Since September 2016, when hygge hit the British media, there has been an explosion of blogs about hygge. I remember when I first started out with Hello Hygge back in January 2015 (has it really been that long?), there was only really one other blog I could find in this niche – Hygge House, which started…
Book review: Scandinavian Comfort Food by Trine Hahnemann
If you’re a regular on this blog, I’m sure you’ll be familiar with Trine Hahnemann, the author of Scandinavian Christmas, which is the book that first introduced me to the concept of hygge (I talk about it a bit more in this post). But inexplicably, I’ve seen hardly anyone talking about Scandinavian Comfort Food. Is…
Garden hygge
People are often surprised to find out how much I, at the grand old age of 25, love garden centres. For as long as I can remember, visiting a garden centre has been one of my favourite weekend activities – I love picking out a firepit and garden furniture for my dream future home, and…
Easter chocolate cupcake recipe
Happy Easter! I’m not even remotely religious, but who doesn’t like Easter eggs? Yesterday I got busy in the kitchen to celebrate the long weekend (there is little I would love more than a four-day weekend every single week), and made these sweet little Easter cupcakes. Baking comprises an important part of my personal hygge,…
Hello Hygge 