Hygge in Autumn the art of making yourself truly cosy

What hygge really means and why it's more than candles and blankets

Hygge comes from the Danish and Norwegian, and means roughly this: the deliberate creating of warmth, comfort and wellbeing — through your surroundings, through people, through simple pleasures. It isn't an interior style and it isn't a trend. It's an attitude.

The common misunderstanding: you don't buy hygge. Hygge isn't buying the right woollen jumper or the right brand of candle. Hygge is burning the candle. Pulling on the jumper. Taking the time for the moment itself. The loveliest hygge moments cost nothing.

1 · Light in autumn the shift from outside to in

In autumn the natural light grows scarcer, and that is really a gift. It nudges us to shape our artificial light more thoughtfully. All the ceiling spots off after five. Instead: candles, floor lamps with a warm glow, fairy lights along the windowsill. That makes any room warmer than any amount of renovating ever could.

My own autumn ritual: as soon as it gets to four o'clock, I walk once through the flat and light every candle. My closest friend picked this up at some point too, whenever she's round at mine — she comes in, sets down her bag, and starts lighting candles. We've never once spoken about it. It simply happens. It takes three minutes, and it changes the mood of the whole evening.

2 · Textiles for hygge soft, warmer, warmer still

When summer comes, I pack the woollen blankets away and bring out the linens. When autumn comes, the opposite happens. Woollen throws on every sofa, every settee, every armchair. Warm cushion covers in terracotta, rust and mustard yellow. A new rug for when the floor turns cold. These are the small touches that turn a home from summer over to autumn.

3 · Scents and warmth what hygge smells like

Hygge smells of cinnamon, of freshly baked bread, of rain and wet wood, of a candle just blown out. In autumn I burn different candles than in summer: warmer, spicier, deeper. Fig, amber, sandalwood, cinnamon. And I bake more — not because I am an especially good baker, but because the house then smells the way a home should.

4 · People and rituals hygge is rarely a solo affair

Hygge is loveliest with one other person, or in a small circle. A Sunday evening with a good friend, tea and a film — that is hygge. A long supper with the family where no one glances at the clock — hygge. A book and a cat and rain at the window outside — that is hygge too, the solo version.

The autumn rituals I treasure: a Sunday flea market and a coffee somewhere afterwards. The first hot chocolate of the season. An evening spent trying out recipes with no pressure at all. Switching on a string of fairy lights and doing nothing whatsoever.

5 · Hygge decor in autumn what makes a home feel autumnal

Dried hydrangea heads in a large vase. Little pumpkins on the windowsill. Conkers in a wooden bowl. Wicker baskets full of blankets. A bunch of rosehips. Pine cones gathered on an autumn walk. All of it costs next to nothing, comes from nature, and tells the story of the season.

6 · Hygge food in autumn warm, simple, good

Hygge is also what sits on the table. In autumn: soup from the big pot that simmers half the afternoon away. Home-baked bread. A simple cake — apple cake, plum cake, a nut plait. Nothing complicated, nothing fussy. But the house smells of it all day long.

Frequently asked questions answered simply and clearly