HYGGE : THE DANISH WAY TO HAPPINESS

HYGGE : THE DANISH WAY TO HAPPINESS

To have Hygge at home it is necessary to give it that sense of warmth, well-being and intimacy that perhaps it lacks. It is well established that living better in the home environment not only makes us feel better but makes us appreciate our daily life more till making us more happy.

intimate Hygge Living room

a warm and welcoming Hygge living room.

WHAT IS HYGGE?

A survey has identified in the Danish people the happiest in the world and in the Hygge its recipe for happiness, which is why it is so fashionable and more and more people try to steal its secrets to obtain a better psychophysical well-being. However, giving a meaning to the Danish term Hygge is not easy, it is linked more to an atmosphere and an experience than something tangible. It is the feeling of being at home, protected from the world and safe, conversing about the big or small things in life with friends or enjoying a cup of hot chocolate alone in total relaxation. Due to their specific social-cultural-economic conditions, the Danes spend 71% of their free time at home, which is why Interior Design is essential to experience the Hiemmehygge, or the Homemade Hygge. But what are the keys to success for having a more Higgelig home?

modern Hygge living room
Vintage Hygge living room

two Higgelig living rooms, one more modern and the second more vintage.

WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF THE HYGGELIG HOME?

LIGHTS

The lights are fundamental in the Hyggelig house, soft and “alive” like those of candles, many and everywhere, together with excellent artificial lighting.
In fact, the Danes have a real obsession with lamps, they choose and strategically place them inside the house.
They prefer design lamps, such as the PH lamp by Henningsten or the Panton VP Globe by Verner Panton capable of diffusing a soft light which is however reflected by the structure of the lamp using in combination with bulbs with low and warm voltages, on 1800 K.

moodboard Hygge style

Moodboard of the Hygge style, from the lights, to the furnishings and colors.

HYGGEKROG

In the Hygge headquarters, that is our home, a Hyggekrog could be the strategic point dedicated to pure relaxation, the area of a room where you like to snuggle under a blanket holding a book and a cup of tea.
It can be near a light source, like a window, or next to a warm place, like a wood-burning fireplace.
This love for confined spaces or real “dens” has been with us since we were children but has an ancestral origin. Sitting in a Hyggekrog makes us feel safe away from any potential threats, allowing us to relax.

dedicated Hyggekrog in wood
Hyggekrog obtained from the side windows.
minimal Hyggekrog

Three different Hyggekrogs: one specially designed to the side of the light source and two instead obtained as window / glazing work, one richer and the other more minimal

FIRE

A fireplace or a wood stove are just as Hyggelig, as well as being a source of warmth and comfort, the sinuous movement of the burning logs relaxes the view and the area around the fireplace becomes convivial, a place to spend time with loved ones and accentuate the intimacy of home life.
In the large living room of this contemporary-style villa, the sofas look out at an angle to a side wood-burning fireplace that warms the room without becoming the protagonist of the scene.

Moder Hygge Living room
Intimate fireplace corner
Details fireplace and cushions

The corner coexists on the side of the fireplace and some finishing details and accessories.

MATERIALS

The main material is wood, in floors, furniture and even in small household items.
Wood makes us feel closer to nature and this is exactly what we want to bring into the house.
In fact, there is also a green corner or just leaves, nuts, twigs, anything that makes us feel in the midst of nature.

Hygge green veranda

The smell of wood and its being a soft and lively material makes it simple and natural, just like the concept of Hygge itself.
Here a mountain apartment entirely covered with a splendid heat-treated and natural brushed larch.

living room in larch wood
corridor with high wooden paneling
cozy bedroom

Tall wooden boiserie are accompanied by a modern fireplace and other wooden elements such as the kitchen table and the backrests and bedside tables in the sleeping area.

BOOKS

If you think about relaxation and intimacy, you also think about the pleasure of reading, if the house is Hygge there will be shelves full of voluminous books. All books are in fact Hyggelige, but the classics written by authors such as Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë or Charles Dickens must occupy a special place among the shelves.

In this modern Milanese kitchen we could define this space dedicated to cookbooks very Higgelig, folders overlap each other but remain available to experience a different form of relaxation, the peace and gratification of well cooking.
If Hygge were a person, its could be a cook, who approaches life by understanding the value of a good meal in pleasant company.

Kitchen and books Higgelig

Books crowd this small corner dedicated to good food.

THINK OF TOUCH

As initially specified, Hygge is an experience that involves all our senses, including touch. In fact, the materials that inspire positive sensations when touched are also very important, a soft wool or even a hot ceramic cup.

Small colorful accessories, such as the famous Kähler vases, cups, blankets and pillows must not be missing.

Home with ceramics and green
pillows and blankets Hygge

Here are houses with blankets, soft pillows and ceramics./p>

THE BEST PERIOD TO PRACTICE THE HYGGE

The best time of the year to enjoy Hygge is about to begin: when the first cold arrives, winter is coming and the days are getting shorter, you feel the need to stay at home more.
This is the right time to prepare your “Home Sweet Home” to be warm and welcoming in the coldest season of the year.

What to do after having furnished it? A nice supply of warm sweaters and socks to put on and a nice playlist of songs to listen to while lying on the sofa.

Furthermore, a nice selection of films ready to be seen or a photo album to bring back old and pleasant memories cannot be missing. And above all… lots of sweets, a nice glass of wine, herbal teas and hot chocolates to be enjoyed in peace near your own home.

Enjoy Hygge everyone!!

Hygge book and tea

Renewed classic furniture with contemporary kitchen

Renewed classic furniture with contemporary kitchen

The classic style furnishings of this villa built about thirty years ago rediscovers its eternal charm even after many years.
To rejuvenate it and make it current, a contemporary style kitchen with essential lines has been added. The harmonious combination of the two styles refreshes the rooms and softens the features of the predominant style.

classic living room

Classical furniture between past and present

The passage of time and the succession of different historical periods has allowed a wide development of furnishing styles. Over the course of history these have known their maximum expression with distinct characters, while in the contemporary era they have been reinterpreted, giving life to continuously updated variants.

This house, built between the late eighties and early nineties, responds to a classic style at the time very popular among villas and elegant apartments. Revived today, it discovers its contemporary meaning with an elegant kitchen with essential lines. The warm tones of the lacquers soften the design lines of these interiors, in perfect harmony with contemporary trends.

entrance passage with classic arch
classic style entrance details arch moldings
detail of the villa entrance light blades

The living area in classic style

The classic furnishings already develop in the entrance area with moldings that emphasize the architectural lines of this villa.
On the left, an arch with shaped profiles marks the entrance to the living area, flanked by a pair of blades of light that allow a glimpse of the large interior living room.
The profile of the internal shelves, slightly recessed, is a shrewdness that makes the aesthetic impact of the element lighter, recalling the characteristics of the classic style.
The painting of the walls in a warm slightly cloudy tone acts as a leitmotif in the different rooms, enhancing the light furnishings.

The living room has a central solid wood main table matched with other antiques that give elegance and prestige.
Among these, the large damask carpet, the adjacent wall piano and the Arco lamp by Castiglioni, a timeless design icon.
Low cabinets, honeycomb radiator covers and niche bookcases with recurring aesthetic characteristics accompany them. Moldings, doors decorated with tone-on-tone knockouts and brass knobs are in perfect classic style.
The chosen color of a light cream makes the interiors elegant, softening their features.

bookcase in niche details classic furnishings in the living area
details equipped windows bookshelves wooden furniture
classic style living room wood table
living room furniture classic niche bookcase
front molded drawers in classic style, tone-on-tone
bookcase niche living room classic furniture shelves

From the equipped corridors to the sleeping area

To anticipate the sleeping area, the corridors and passageways are equipped with full-height service wardrobes. These reproduce the characterizing lines of classic style furnishings, enriched with decorative floral motifs in a slight chromatic contrast.
The warm tone of the walls is echoed by the knock-out of the doors in a delicate tone-on-tone play. Internally, shelves and hangers alternate to make the most of the environments.

In the sleeping area, the bedroom uses a double-sided wardrobe that fits into the dividing wall between the sleeping area and the study corner, now equipped for distance learning. A structure with delicate warm tones which, combined with the light blue walls, is even brighter and fresher. Classic-style doors accommodate internal shelves and hangers, while in the terminal part they incorporate open compartments for small objects.
At the front, the equipped wall alternates shelves with wall units with molded doors, creating a dynamic visual rhythm. In the lower part there is a desk with a chest of drawers incorporated into the structure.

classic style bedroom bed
classic style bedroom desk
classic style wardrobes interior
detail decoration doors classic style furniture
classic style wardrobes decorated cream colored doors

The master bedroom stands out for its contemporary elegance that only delicately hints at the classic tones of the remaining rooms. The caramel-colored padded headboard of the large double bed rests on the rear structure equipped with a front day compartment and bookcases along the side shoulders. To recall the classic style of the furniture is the linear aesthetic of the back wall with panels spaced at a fixed distance.
On both sides of the bed there is the access to the walk-in closet, contemporary in its design lines but with light tones that reflect the colors of the remaining furnishings.

cream colored shaped kitchen lacobel wall units
walk-in closet retro bed classic contemporary style
niche bookcase detail with headboard thickness
detail handles hollow linen drawers walk-in closet rear bed
internal walk-in closet chest of drawers hanging mirror
horizontal classic bathroom

The introduction of the contemporary style through the refurbishment of the kitchen

The timeless beauty of classic furniture, rediscovered even today, is confronted with the desire to renovate the interiors.
In terms of functionality and typology, the kitchen is the environment that best lends itself to a stylistic change with a contemporary flavor. Here then, after simplifying the existing doors with a linear aesthetic, this room also fits harmoniously into the existing complex.
A touch of lightness that balances the stylistic imprint of the villa.

Preserving the top and the back surface of the terracotta kitchen with brick-colored geometric decorations, the refurbishment involved doors and front drawers of both the base units and the upper wall units. Recessed handles with a linear aesthetic and matt lacquer in full contemporary style are spread over the entire kitchen and the volume of the peninsula used as a snack bar placed at the front.
The hood, previously chosen as a “design” type, was inserted in a built-in structure entirely covered in white Lacobel, capable of giving brightness to the environment.
Appliances are also being renovated, including the built-in refrigerator and the pair of Smeg column ovens.

tubular horizontal hangers optimize coats space
contemporary style kitchen top snack bar red stools
modern classic style kitchen renovation on the peninsula side snack bar
modern classic kitchen 4
gas hob kitchen kitchen makeover
column ovens smeg contemporary kitchen drawers hollow handles

Conclusions: customize the classic furniture

The classic style, which today is witnessing a rediscovery, is easily combined with the essentiality of the contemporary style, creating an interesting combination. Restoring the stylistic balance of the interiors can also mean finding the right combinations between different styles, giving a decisive impression to the house.
To learn more, another example of a house with contemporary style and classic kitchen.

Iron furniture for a contemporary style apartment with refined details

Iron furniture for a contemporary style apartment with refined details

Iron details constitute the leitmotif for the contemporary style furniture of this city apartment. From the living area to the bedroom, passing through the passageways that underline the threshold of each room. In the bedroom, a walk-in closet located on the side of the entrance is a compact but capacious structure.

details-iron-cabinet-TV-portal-entrance

The passageways: the iron portals to underline the threshold

From the entrance, the corridor unfolds, joining the living area with that night. To delimit the passage, emphasizing the threshold of each room, an iron portal with integrated lighting.
These accompany the passage between the different environments with a coating that laterally flows from the top.

A portal that visually and conceptually marks the crossing point, characterizing each room.
Recessed in the upper part there is also a LED strip able to horizontally illuminate the portal.

The choice of black waxed iron is echoed in the cabinet serving the entrance, the Metrica Console by Mogg. This is accompanied by a custom-made cabinet empties pockets entirely made of iron.

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entrance-portal-hall-iron-black-waxed-recessed-lighting
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corridor-portal-passage-iron-waxed-lighting

The living area. TV cabinet and wall units with iron details

From the entrance, the iron portal with integrated lighting marks the passage to the living area.
This houses a large corner sofa that stands out against a sage green back wall. A touch of color that rejuvenates the environment making it elegant and gritty.

From the front, the furniture serving the TV is at home with a system of shelves and wall units with iron details.
A composition of solids and voids that alternates the thin thickness of the iron sheet with the more massive dimensions of the matt lacquered MDF.
In particular, the open compartments in sheet metal are laterally inserted to the wall units with drop-down opening. The doors in matt lacquered MDF reflect the stylistic line of the TV cabinet in the color.
The latter is equipped with sheet metal shoulders which, by bending at the end, become a load-bearing structural element.

An equipped niche to the side of the TV cabinet accommodates custom-made shelves for small objects or books.

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furniture-TV-details-iron-shelves-service
iron-furniture-living-area-detail-portals
living room-modern-cabinet-TV-wall-units-iron
detail-front-wall-units-flap-bookcase-iron-TV cabinet
detail-iron-shelves-TV-living-area
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The sleeping area between the workstation and a walk-in closet created in the master bedroom

The corridor characterized by the presence of black waxed iron doors also leads to the sleeping area.
In the master bedroom the architectural conformation creates a space that allows the insertion of a custom-made walk-in closet.

Its compact but roomy layout is set on the side access adjacent to the bedroom door. Two sliding doors fit into the white MDF closing panels, denoting access to the environment.
Here the central compartment is occupied by a series of linen drawers in the lower part and shelves above.
On the sides, on the other hand, hangers are arranged using the double height to organize shirts, jackets and trousers.

The containment structure is divided into panels that create a visual rhythm and allow in one extreme to take advantage of a niche accessible from the outside. Internal shelves adjustable in height make it functional for various uses.

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composition-walk-in-closet-drawers-shelves-hangers
detail-opening-drawers-linen-walk-in-closet-handles-recess
fixed-tubular-detail-hanger-shirts-walk-in closet
double-height-hangers-shirts-jackets-walk-in closet
side-view-hanger-walk-in-closet-drawers-linen
walk-in closet-bedroom-double-access-sliding-doors
external-walk-in-closet-door-accessible-shelves-inside

In the adjacent service room, there is instead a large desk with attached bookcase. A tailor-made solution that is increasingly current in times of smartworking. The upper bookcase has MDF shelves and iron side panels that also become load-bearing elements for the desk top, inserted to form a compact piece of furniture. The care of detail is expressed in this case with the 45 ° shaping of the front of the shelves. The effect obtained is to visually thin the elements, creating stylistic modernity.

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detail-bookcase-shelves-shaped-profile-iron-shoulders

Inserting iron furniture in your apartment means endowing the rooms with character and elegance. Versatile and practical, this material manages to combine high resistance with reduced thickness, declining in different design solutions. Furnishings able to define the stylistic imprint of the interiors, they fit perfectly into interiors in a contemporary style, but also modern, industrial and boho chic ones.

Modern style: rigorous, elegant and prestigious

Modern style: rigorous, elegant and prestigious

The modern style links the vision of interior design to architecture, in a relationship of mutual collaboration. Between rigorous furnishings, bright rooms and a prestigious appearance, the modern-style interiors express timeless elegance.

The modern style in history: the masters of design

To fully understand the modern style, it is useful to take a few steps back in time to its historical origins.
We are between the two World Wars in a context of renewal that involves the formal plan of architecture, but also urban planning and design.

Under the classification of Modern Movement, also known as International Style, belong the currents De Stijl, Bauhaus, Constructivism and Italian Rationalism.
The main exponents are architects of the caliber of Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies Van Der Rohe, Alvar Aalto and Walter Gropius.

Starting from a strong conception of architecture as an organic structure in relation to the external context to which it belongs, the Modern Movement also sees the house for its social use and not just as a family unit. Frank Lloyd Wright with his organic architecture gives excellent examples.
Among these, the Waterfall House, designed in its architectural conformation in strong relationship with the surrounding geological and natural context. Each element is configured both on the architectural level and on the interior design level based on a strong contamination between inside and outside. In doing this, the choice of proportions based on the human figure is fundamental.

Natural materials combined with organic shapes that favor horizontality, but also harmony and brightness become the key principles of the Modern Movement. Instead, the priority need is to achieve the best functionality of the building, which can also determine its aesthetic beauty.
In doing this, the house frees itself from the unitary vision to which it was accustomed to take on a social meaning in relation to the surrounding buildings.
The extreme example is the building that itself becomes a city, as in the case of Le Corbusier’s Unitè d’Habitation.

eileen-gray-villa-E-1027

Eileen Gray’s E-1027 House, a modern style living room with iconic piece of furniture.

TaliesinInterior_Andrew-Pielage-3
Fallingwater-2012_13_15_18_20

Left: modern style living area (Photo: Andrew Pielage, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation)
Right: Fallinwater House by Frank Lloyd Wright (Photo: courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy)

Villa-Savoye-interior-Le-Corbusier

Villa Savoye by le Corbusier. The relationship between inside and outside is expressed in bright rooms and ribbon windows

unitè-habitation-marsilla-le-corbusier
unitè-habitation-marsilla-le-corbusier_esterno

Unitè D’Habitation, Le Corbusier. The building becomes a social community by offering, in addition to the family housing units, all the services necessary for individual life.

Modern style furniture: the strong relationship with architecture

The modern-style interiors both in the course of history and in the contemporary context are based on a strong relationship with the architectural context in which they are inserted.
This is how bright environments are created. Here, the exterior constantly communicates with the interior through functional choices that also justify the aesthetics.
Therefore, windows can take on a more elongated shape and it occupy a higher position than the standard ones. This allows the entry of natural light, which will obviously be studied according to the optimal orientation of the house, but at the same time allow the inhabitants not to be seen from the outside.

The subdivision of the rooms between the sleeping and living areas is based on a logic that considers the orientation of the house and its visibility or protection from external factors.
The hearth is definitely a central point in the design of a modern style home.
A place of aggregation and socializing, it expresses hospitality and intimacy at the same time, creating a strong suggestive interior.
For this reason, in modern homes par excellence it occupies the central position with respect to the living area, becoming the fulcrum for the arrangement of the remaining rooms.

 attic entrance

The living area of ​​this modern style attic with the iconic chaise longue designed by Le Corbusier

vertical living room

Modern style kitchen and living room with reflective materials and simple lines for this Modulor creation

Fine living room view

A modern living area on the bottom of which an elegant wall with a three-dimensional effect is identified

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 cabinets-corridor-finishing-elegant-modern-style

The equipped corridors of this Modulor realization express their modernity in the choice of material.
Soft and textured to the touch and extremely elegant to the eye.

Modulor modern kitchen in dark tones_01

Una cucina moderna firmata Modulor con particolare attenzione alla scelta cromatica e materica

Shapes, colors and materials between past and present

The choice of materials in a modern style also comes from the contamination between inside and outside.
Great importance is given to materials capable of enhancing the brightness of environments through their reflective and brilliant surface, even better if of natural origin.

Wood knows its maximum expression both in the traditional form of the Modern Movement and in its contemporary conception.
Chosen for its malleability and natural aesthetics, it brings the exterior directly into the home interior, also molding itself into irregular shapes. Over the years, it has also known the polishing treatments and the recent painting that make it possible to obtain reflective surfaces capable of giving brightness to the environment.

Neutral tones are favored, starting with the classic white, but colored variants are also welcome especially in the current years. In this sense, it is important to underline how the contemporary trend in the modern style prefers monochromatic colors and tone-on-tone games that opt ​​for desaturated colors.
Prestigious and elegant interiors that do not, however, give up a touch of color capable of giving character to the rooms.

The design forms abandon their rigidity and linearity in favor of simple but sometimes irregular solutions. To enrich a modern style home, the icons of Modern design cannot be missing. Here then are seats with leather padding and chromed aluminum structure with slender lines.

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Materials, finishes and aesthetics of the modern style, including upholstery in warm-colored leather and chromed aluminum

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The attention to detail of this wall is expressed in an elegant and monochromatic three-dimensional surface inserted in a prestigious Milanese apartment.
Inside there is a door identifiable by the handle with soft modern shapes.

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In the modern style of recent years, the great icons of design are often inserted in environments that are more daring, not only with neutral colors but also desaturated colors with a timeless beauty

The rediscovery of modern style

In recent years the modern style has undergone a great revaluation. The soft but rigorous shapes of the design icons of the Thirties are back in vogue in a contemporary reinterpretation proposed by the main brands.

Just think of the Five To Nine dormeuse proposal, born from the Studiopepe project for Tacchini (2020) or the Camaleonda modular sofa designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia (2020). But also, the new Pacific (project by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso) and Soriana (design by Tobie and Afra Bianchin Scarpa for Cassina) both launched on the market during Digital Design Week 2021.

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Tacchini-FivetoNine-Studiopepe

Soriana, Tobia Scarpa and Afra Bianchin Scarpa, Cassina, 2021
Five to Nine, Studiopepe, Tacchini, 2020

With its rigorous and prestigious interiors, the modern style is aimed directly at personalities who love architecture and its relationship with nature. Characterized by a timeless beauty, it is aimed at rigorous characters but at the same time open to new changes.