HEART & SOUL
What a fabulous mixed bag we have for you this month: an issue celebrating new colours and design alongside simple winter pursuits – great home cooking and cosy nights in.
Let’s start with the latter.
I’ve visited many homes that embody the suddenly popular concept of hygge, a word and way of living that is pure Danish and definitely worth embracing.
My favourite hygge homes are those of one Dane and two Australians. The women behind these homes are innately stylish. A little earthy. A bit boho. Arty. Good women, great friends. Then there’s my builder pal with a love of timber and a knack for finding amazing things and turning them into meaningful vignettes in his unpolished gem of a home.
The wonderfully democratic thing about
hygge is that it has little to do with budget and everything to do with sentiment. Heart over head. Yes, a sense of style helps, but this look is very much rooted in the natural world. It’s not expensive. Or manufactured. And when you strip it back, it can seem as simple as a low-lit room, a vaseful of twigs or flowers; a pot of stock simmering on the stove; a sofa you can sink into; a compelling scent to draw you over the threshold. The right music on cue.
A hygge- ful home (did I just coin a new adjective?) speaks of comfort. Rooms are warm, materials are tactile, the lighting is low (think lamps, candles or dimmers). You have an irrepressible urge to stay awhile.
Unless you’re Danish, hygge is a skill, for sure. But I’d like to think there’s a comfort level anyone can achieve by opening heart and mind. It’s about slowing down, making time for things that bring pleasure, nurturing those you love and creating an environment that allows you to enjoy just being. Our Decorating story (page 33) provides some clues.
Perhaps the antithesis of hygge is the week-long festival of high-octane design that is the Milan Furniture Fair. And yet, this year more than ever, a distinct undercurrent was bubbling along beneath the celebration of shiny new and extremely covetable things, with increasing discussion and focus on responsible design and manufacture, recycling and repurposing. Bravo!
My report is organised into palettes because the colour directions were so distinct this year. I hope you, like our featured homeowners, are prompted to bring some hues you love into your home. We’d love to see the results!