SG583: Hygge in the Garden

Are you ready to get cozy?

I hope so - because today’s show is all about hygge ("pronounced "hoo-gah").  Hygge is a Danish cultural phenomenon and a word that really it too all-encompassing to have an English equivalent. However, to get a feel for it: hygge generally describes the feeling of being cozy, comfortable, and at peace with the world. Experts believe the hygge-oriented culture is the reason why Denmark is consistently rated the happiest country in the world.  In fact, when it comes to happiness, the nordic countries all fare extremely well - usually at the top of all the best of lists. That said, Denmark outshines every country - consistently performing the best - and the Dane’s believe that hygge is the crucial ingredient.

Over the past couple of years, hygge has been popular with interior design. Today, I’m going to help you figure out some ways you can add hygge to your garden. Why? Because, a little hygge in the garden brings a lot of happiness.

Just think for a second. What are some of the cozy, comfy spots in your garden?

Turns out, that’s the perfect place to start.  In fact, getting out into nature is a part of inviting more hygge into your life - so just spending time in the garden is a great first step to enjoying more hygge. But since we’re already doing that - today’s show will endeavor to dig a little deeper into creating the perfect hyggelige setting in your garden. The best part? Anyone can do it.  To get you started, you can add eight elements of hygge into your garden with the practical examples and tips I’m sharing on the show today: creating the right atmosphere, focusing on natural aesthetics, and even changing up the time of day you’ll be spending in your garden, just to name a few.

The hygge trend is so popular (there are almost 3 million posts on instagram with #hygge) because the benefits are so desirable: comfort, security, fellowship, and simpleness - just to name a few.  Sounds pretty wonderful, right?

In fact, if you’re like me - it’s exactly how you want your garden to feel and that’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.

Today’s show is a combination of helpful tips for cozying up in the garden, essential elements of hygge or living the Danish way, and recipes - which actually give a green light to a daily dose of healthy hedonism. Love that.

Hygge in the Garden - that's the topic of today’s show and it’s coming up after:

an update on the Listener Community for the show and this week's Garden News Roundup.