Move over, hygge
The new Scandi trend to make your home work harder
First, there was hygge, the Danish term for cosiness, wellbeing, and a fuzzy feeling of contentment. Next came lagom, the Swedish word meaning “just enough”, which espoused living with less, shopping mindfully, and decorating sustainably. Now there’s a new Scandinavian trend in town, and it’s umage (pronounced “oo-may”), which loosely translates from the Danish as “make a bit more effort”.
On the face of it, it may not seem such an appealing concept. Where hygge was about pulling on a pair of cashmere leggings and lighting a candle, and lagom evoked visions of wafting elegantly around a clutterfree home, umage calls to mind HIIT classes, ironing bed linen and working late. Yet, perhaps there’s something to be said for making a bit more of an effort with your interiors. We all have that part of our home that isn’t quite working, whether it’s the cupboard door that won’t shut, a chaotic bookshelf, or the paint colour that hasn’t lived up to expectations. By addressing these niggles, and putting a little work in, we could end up with a home that helps us to feel more relaxed when we’re in it.
Danish designer Soren Ravn Christensen is so on board with the concept, he has changed the name of his furniture and lighting company, formerly Vita Copenhagen, to Umage. For him, it’s a key element of the Danish character, particularly when it comes to design. “It’s in our DNA,” he says. “Denmark is a small country with few natural resources, so we’ve always had to go above and beyond to make things. Growing up as a Dane, you learn that you have to be better than the rest.” This, he suggests, is what helped to propel Danish furniture design to the forefront of the Scandinavian modern movement from the Thirties on: think of a design classic, and it’s likely a chair by Hans J Wegner, Arne Jacobsen or Verner Panton will spring to mind.
Christensen’s take on the concept is to make a new collection of flat-pack furniture – and that, you might think, is the very essence of making an effort. Yet the pieces are simple and quick to put together, he insists, and come with extra design details, such as chairs without visible screws. Its USP is that everything is multifunctional and flexible, so the furniture works harder, making the effort on your behalf.
The collection includes a coat hook that doubles as a shelf for keys and wallets; a coffee table with a “hammock”, into which you can quickly shove any detritus; and a comfortable three-seater sofa with seat cushions that can be flipped to reveal trays and side tables. Other clever ideas include side tables with concealed charging hubs; a curvy cabinet with a tambour sliding door that can either reveal or conceal its contents; and chairs with interchangeable upholstery.
Elsewhere, the Danish pavilion at the London Design Fair in Shoreditch this weekend (londondesignfair.co.uk) is based around the concept of a typical Danish living room, and will provide plenty of inspiration for those wanting to emulate the lifestyle, including furniture from Warm Nordic, Fritz Hansen and Bo Concept. Central to the design aesthetic of each, and indeed of
most Danish brands, is the use of materials such as wood, metal and leather, which improve with age and patina, and craft techniques that add an extra layer of quality. As the Danish product designer Henrik Soerig puts it:
“Design is successful when the product continues to surprise and provide pleasure long after purchase.”
All of which suggests that when care and thought is put into furniture, the results are hard-wearing, long-lasting
pieces that add beauty to an interior. A philosophy that, when extended to the a whole home, will surely result in a comfortable environment that feels good to be in. So maybe it’s worth putting in that extra effort after all.