Make 2024 Your Best Year Yet!
The start of a new year brings the promise of a new beginning. Occurring in the heart of winter, it is a time that beckons us to slow down (similar to the three days we had in NW Colorado where we were nearly snowed in!). I don’t make resolutions for the new year (why set myself up for failure? 🙂) This year I focused on finding a way people could feel welcome in my store; finding a purpose for the antiques and vintage items I sell. While trying to move the store from holiday to winter, I found myself learning about Hygge.
Hygge (pronounced “hoo ga”) is the Danish word meaning to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. It is a practice that includes slowing down, simpler living, focusing on the people in your life. It is not only a way of life in this culture, but it also plays into the Danish sense of decor. The main premise of hygge decor is to create a peaceful, serene space that is free of clutter. Even though hygge is a concept that is commonly associated with winter, it was actually meant to be enjoyed year-round.
Hygge is a Scandinavian way of life that spreads warmth and calm. It celebrates health and happiness and can be accomplished in decor. I am excited to bring this style into Roots & Roost and, hopefully, into people’s homes.
Ways you can practice hygge
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- Surround yourself with friends and family: share a meal, play a board game, do a puzzle
- Enjoy the simple pleasures like going for a walk, enjoying a warm beverage, staying in bed a little longer
- Be present & thankful
- Cook outside
- Reuse & recycle (perfect for antiquing!)
- Take up a new hobby
- Bring the warmth of fire inside with candles, or enjoy your fireplace
- Start a mediation practice to reduce stress
- Enjoy a good book
- Send a card, write a letter or make a call to a good friend
How to Bring Hygge into your Home
A few tips:
- Bring in colors that are warm, inviting & neutral; keep it simple
- Create comfortable relaxing zones with blankets, pillows, and a table or stool to rest a book and cup of tea
- Warm your home and office with the glow of candles and lamp lights
- Add lights: twinkly, stars, festive or cheerful
- Make a fire and a place to sit near it. Don’t have a fireplace? Even an outside fire pit or fire in a pizza oven counts!
- Bring in texture like natural elements found in wicker and woven baskets or foliage and branches.
- Create a spa sanctuary in your bathroom. Candles, fluffy towels, robes, natural elements like Eucalyptus (also medicinal), lavender for calming, grapefruit or other citrus flavors for invigoration wake up in the morning!
Gathering Space
- Wood sculpture on a shelf
- Basket to collect items in the hallway or coffee table
- Antique jar to hold mementos (.e., sea shells), buttons, or greens
- Collection of books to read
- Lamp or candles on a table or corner of a room
Kitchen Space
- Countertop wood cutting boards to add texture and warmth
- Baskets to collect fruit, napkins, etc.
- Candle with a clean fragrance
- Antique ceramic bowls reminiscent of your childhood kitchen
- Vintage jar or insulator in the window to catch light
- Pitcher with fresh greens or flowers
- Soap and lotion that makes you want to wash your hands 🙂
- Linen napkins, towels in a cute, subtle pattern
Bed and Bath
- Antique wood chair or stool, wood board to hold hand towels or sink products to add a warm tone
- Fresh fluffy towels in a basket for more texture
- Candles, candles, candles!
- Eucalyptus branches, lavender sprigs, smells of citrus
- Antique jar to hold cotton balls, bath salts, greenery (like those eucalyptus branches) 🙂
- Storing necessities like makeup remover pads, buttons or threads in pretty, old jars adds creativity to your everyday needs
- Antique tray to display your products and reflect the shimmering light from the window, adding to the room’s allure
Oatmeal Milk Bath Recipe
yields about 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1/2 C uncooked oats
- 1/2 C baking soda
- 1 C powdered whole milk
- 10-15 drops essential oil (such as lavender or vanilla)
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
Directions:
- Grind the oats in a food processor or w/ a mortar & pestle
- Combine the oats, baking soda & powdered milk in a bowl
- Add the essential oil, then stir/whisk to break up clumps
- Store for up to 3 months in an airtight container
To Use:
- Add ½ to 1 C to warm running water
- Add 1 tsp of honey for more skin benefits if you like
- Store in a pretty, antique jar with a ribbon or tag for a beautiful gift
The Hygge Manifesto
c/o Meik Wiking
Remember these attributes in your life and bring them into your home, into your work, your family den, your friend circle, and your whole community. Though I used items in my store and even my home, I hope this little guide gives you some inspiration.
Start with one room, or focus on the room you relax in or enjoy being in most, or pick one item, such as candles or baskets, and put them in each of the rooms you want to feel more Hygge. I hope this year brings you more peace, a slower pace and an appreciation for the simpler things.
