Hygge: warm light for cosy hours at home

What does hygge mean?

Hygge is a Danish word for a feeling of cosiness, comfort and contentment – usually at home, in a small circle and with simple things. Hygge is less an interior style than an attitude: a room is hyggelig if you like to stay in it. In Denmark, with its long, dark winters, light plays a central role; candles and warm lamps are part of everyday life. For interiors this means soft textiles, natural materials, places to sit and read – and warm light.

How do you recognise a hyggelig room?

A hyggelig room invites you to sit down: soft, warm, not too tidy and with small things that bring joy.

• Textiles: wool blankets, knitwear, sheepskin, linen and lots of cushions.
• Materials: wood, ceramics, wool, paper and books.
• Colours: cream, oat, sand and wood tones, with muted green, grey or blue.
• Places: a reading nook with a wingback chair, a window seat with cushions, a small table for tea and coffee, a bed with plenty of blankets.
• Small things: tea, fresh pastries, candles, a stack of books, fruit in a bowl.

The right light for hygge

Hygge light is warm, low and soft and comes from many small sources rather than one bright ceiling light. The model is candlelight: localised, golden and mostly below eye level.

As warm as possible

Candlelight is around 1,800 kelvin. Bulbs with 2,200 to 2,700 kelvin come closest to this mood and are still bright enough for reading. Cold white light above 3,000 kelvin is the opposite of hygge. Dimmable bulbs are ideal because you can turn them down step by step in the evening.

Softly diffused, not glaring

Hygge does not tolerate harsh light. Shades of wood veneer, alpine hay or fabric diffuse the light and hide the bulb. In Leuchtnatur's veneer floor lamps, wafer-thin wood veneer is lit from inside so the whole column glows warmly. Alpine hay shades made of real hay and flowers from mountain meadows give a particularly soft, golden light. If you like a visible bulb, choose a tinted, dimmable one such as Pirum and hang it above the table, not at eye level.

Many small islands of light

Plan four to six small light sources per room instead of one large one: a floor lamp by the sofa, a wall lamp by the reading chair, a pendant above the table, table lamps on the windowsill and bedside table. This creates brighter and darker zones, and the room feels sheltered rather than floodlit.

Light through the day

In winter it gets dark in the afternoon. A room becomes hyggelig when the warm lamps go on at dusk, before the room turns grey, not only once it is completely dark outside. Over the evening, the light can then be reduced step by step: first the ceiling light off, then the lamps dimmed, until only the reading lamp and bedside lamp are left on.

Hygge room by room

Living room

The sofa is the heart of a hyggelig living room – with blankets, cushions and a lamp beside it. Arbor is a 156 cm tall column with a diameter of 19 cm; the oak veneer is lit from inside so the grain glows warmly. Instead of casting a beam, the whole column glows – a light that makes the ceiling lamp unnecessary on a winter afternoon with snow outside the window. Oak and birch burl glow light and honey-coloured, while European walnut gives a darker, more subdued light.

Reading nook

A wingback chair needs light that falls on the book without brightening the whole room. The Cortex wall lamp with a half shade of alpine hay hangs above the armchair, casts soft light onto the wall and leaves the side table free for tea and a book. Mounted at about 150 to 170 cm, the light falls onto the pages from above.

Dining table

Above a small round table, a single lamp that glows rather than shines is enough. Pirum is a mouth-blown LED designer bulb made of glass on a textile cable: warm white at 2,200 kelvin and 400 lumens, dimmable via a wall dimmer. In rose gold it glows amber – enough for tea, conversation and a bowl of oranges at dusk, together with a few candles on the table. For larger tables, Pirum is also available as a set of three, in rose gold, gold, silver or mixed.

Bedroom

By the bed you need only a little, but warm, light. The Pura table lamp is 33 cm tall, has a shade 28 cm in diameter and a solid wooden base of oak, Swiss pine or walnut. With an alpine hay shade and a walnut base, it gives subdued light for reading without disturbing your partner. Switched off, the shade of hay and flowers remains a piece of nature on the bedside table.

Common hygge lighting mistakes

• A bright ceiling light as the only light: it makes any room flat and takes away the sense of shelter.
• Cold white light: above 3,000 kelvin, wood, wool and skin look pale.
• Only candles: candles create atmosphere but are not enough for reading. A reading lamp is easier on the eyes.
• Glaring bulbs: bright exposed bulbs at eye level are disturbing. Shades or dimmers solve this.
• Too much decoration: hygge needs no seasonal decorating, just a few things you actually use – blanket, book, cup.

Hygge lamps by Leuchtnatur

Leuchtnatur is a manufactory in Übersee on Lake Chiemsee and works with wood veneer, alpine hay, leaves and loden – materials that diffuse light softly and bring warmth to the room even when switched off. Also suited to hygge are the Ligno tripod floor lamp with an alpine hay shade and the Cubus wall lamp, which is also available battery-powered – practical for walls without a power connection, for example in the hallway or next to the reading chair. The veneer comes from FSC-certified wood, and Leuchtnatur offers a 5-year guarantee. Find more in floor lamps, table lamps, wall lamps, pendant lamps and wood veneer lamps.