Sustainable Home Decor: A Susty Baddie’s Guide to Hygge

Put on your fuzzy socks, pull the blankets out from under your bed, and light your candles, because things are about to get really cozy up in here. As fall descends into winter, the seasonal depression sets in, and life starts to slow down (holiday busy-ness aside), the sustainable baddies on the hunt for happiness. This year, we are embracing the Danish concept of hygge (hoo-guh), which, when translated into English, means: “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” However, hygge is pretty hard to define. It is an energy, a general way of being, an aesthetic, and an atmosphere. But at its baseline, it is a word to describe the moments when comfort is center, joy abounds, and warmth is in the air. In Denmark, hygge is most popular during winter holidays. As the days get especially short, embracing the season's darkness and leaning into the cold weather is the best way to practice it. This winter, in an effort to combat our cold weather blues, sustainable baddies everywhere are taking on hygge. Check out our guide to bringing hygge to your space, the susty way! 

Focus on the Lighting 

Credit: Cavo Candles

When creating your very own hygge space, try and evoke warmth. We love lighting candles wherever we can and swapping overhead lighting and iridescent bulbs for a softer, warmer glow. You can always make your own candles from sustainable soy wax or ethically sourced beeswax and coconut oil. But we know that sometimes DIY is not an option. For those moments, we love Cavo Candles, a Black-owned sustainable candle brand that not only makes amazing candles with soy wax, but also pairs a playlist with each original scent. Another susty option is thrifting your candles! Always check your local spots for taper candles, pillar candles, and tea candles. The more, the better! Just be careful not to light the house on fire – it might be warm but it will not be joyful. 

Credit: Goodee

Of course you can’t always have candles burning, so in the moments when you have to turn the light switch on opt for warmer toned lighting accessories, Goodee, also a POC-owned brand, offers tons of great options for warm and cozy lighting, from the lampshades to the bulbs themselves. Gantri is another great sustainable spot to make your hygge lighting dreams come true. We love this cute mushroom lamp from their collaboration with Yowie. But, don’t forget, lighting is another home accessory that is often abundant at thrift stores! Definitely peruse your local spots to find leftover string lights, lamps, and other fixtures to curate your perfect hygge space. 

Choose Colors Wisely

Credit: 20th Century Fox

Once you have mastered lighting, set the tone with a new color scheme. Leaning into the darker, calmer, and warming tones of the fall and winter is one way to incorporate hygge into your space. We love embracing warm earth tones, but definitely add your own spin! Not into forest green and maroon? Try brighter colors like burnt orange or gold and deep blues. Whatever color relaxes you and invites you in is the right hygge color scheme for you. To practice sustyness when applying your new color scheme, try and incorporate the colors you already have before buying new things. Ask yourself, what color schemes are you already sporting? You can always get DIY with it too! Take part in a great holiday activity and make your own artwork representing your chosen color scheme. We love collaging, water coloring, and embroidering best. And if you’re a renter, remember, color doesn’t always have to come from paint! Look for throw pillows, blankets, rugs, even lampshades that could add a pop of color to your space. 

Grab the Knits 

Credit: FOX

Winters in Denmark, and many other far north countries, require some extra warmth and comfort. The rest of us may not be experiencing quite so frigid temps, but we all need some warming up this time of year. Filling your space with tons of blankets, and comfy pillows will bring warmth no matter how cold you run. Of course, the best way to incorporate these knits the susty way is by pulling out what you already have. Grandma’s quilt collecting dust under the bed? Throw it on the couch for a future visitor. That knit scarf you tried to make in knitting class last year? Use it as a table runner to bring cozy into the kitchen too! 

CreditL Wool and The Gang

Winter is also a great time to learn a new skill. When your schedule opens up and leaving the house sounds less inviting, starting a new hobby like knitting or crocheting is a great way to spend your time and bring hygge into your life. We like to use sustainably sourced yarn that isn't made using fossil fuels (yes we are talking to you, nylon and acrylic). Getting your yarn from stores like Wool and The Gang, who are prioritizing sustainable and ethically sourced yarns, is a great option. We also love upcycling yarn. Searching for yarn at the thrift store or unraveling old sweaters are two susty ways to source your yarn. New to knitting or crocheting? Here are some textile artists and crafters who have tons of great resources for starting your journey: Visuvio's Crafts, Alexa Kari Designs, and Talia Crochet Creations. 

Bring the Outside In

Not all susty baddies love the outdoors, but we can all benefit from a bringing the outdoors into our homes. We love making sure that our plants are especially healthy this time of year. Whether you live in a small space with little outdoor access, a big house with a backyard, or somewhere in between, having plants around the home brings refreshing green energy into your space. The brightness from your plants will make getting through the cold a bit more manageable, and remind you that spring is on the horizon. We love shopping for plants locally, or propagating our plants using overgrowth from our friends' plants. 

Credit: The Rural Garland

There are tons of other ways to bring the outside in if you don’t have much of a green thumb. You can create your own wintery decor using dried and cleaned pine cones, or winter greenery like eucalyptus. You can also dry citrus, like lemons and oranges, to bring a pop of color to your DIY decor. Once you have your materials, consider stringing them along and making a garland, wreath, or other fun hanging decoration! We also love incorporating the outdoors by setting the mood with scents. If you have a fav aromatherapy tool already, definitely start using your winter scents like orange, eucalyptus, cinnamon, and cranberry. If you are looking to try something new, we have been loving these winter simmers. All you need are your favorite winter spices and scents like cranberries, oranges, cinnamon sticks, pine needles, cloves, and anything else you can find! Throw them into a pot, let it simmer on low for however long you would like and wait as the smells fill your home, and you're left with a wintery wonderland. Afterwards, you can compost all of your winter simmer materials and try a different combination the next time. 

Hygge is Not Hygge Without Togetherness

Credit: That Curly Top

Ultimately, what makes hygge, hygge, is the emphasis on finding joy, taking comfort, and spending time with loved ones. There is no hygge without your friends and family! Whether it’s hosting a dinner party, a movie night, or a cookie baking contest, there are tons of ways to spend time with your favorite people. Whatever it is you and your people love to do, make sure you set aside a lot of time to connect with those who make you smile. Bringing hygge into your apartment or home is a great way to implement the cozy, joyful ambience of this Danish concept, but it’s when you share your new sustainable decor with your besties that hygge will truly come alive.