With the dark nights drawing in and the temperature dropping as quickly as the autumn leaves, it’s important not to let your mood drop too.  That’s why I’m delighted to be working with Soak&Sleep.

As well as offering luxurious bed and bath products, Soak&Sleep offer the essential ingredients to lift your spirits and help you find hygge: the ‘cosiness of the soul’.

Happy & Hygge.

The Danes are a happy bunch. In fact, they even have an institute dedicated to the study of Happiness in Copenhagen, The Happiness Research Institute. It’s often said that Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world. So what’s their secret? It’s summed up in one little word, loaded with meaning and magic: hygge.

So what is ‘hygge’? In ‘The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish way to live well’, Meik Wiking from the Happiness Research Institute explains there are many translations for hygge ranging from ‘cocoa by candlelight’, ‘taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things’, ‘cosy togetherness’ and ‘the art of creating intimacy’. However, my personal favourite is ‘cosiness of the soul.’

Hygge: ‘Cosiness of the soul.’

Hygge is one of those ‘you know it when you feel it kind of things’. For some it will be snuggling up in a cosy chair by the fire when there’s a storm outside, for others it will be cuddling your loved ones, sharing a family meal, or chatting over a drink with your closest friends.

Soak&sleep offer the perfect ingredients for Hygge.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to live in Denmark to be happy. Hygge is for everyone. The Happiness Research Institute have spent years studying the magic of Danish life and, fortunately for us, they don’t mind letting the rest of the world in on the secret.

So, if you want more hygge, here are some of the essential ingredients:

A Hyggekrog.

Every home needs a Hyggekrog (cosy nook) where you can curl up in a comfy chair with a blanket, a hot drink and a book. I love sitting in our armchair in the corner of our extension.

My Hyggekrog, my cosy armchair, shown here with some of Soak&Sleep’s hygge essentials: comfy slippers, a luxurious cable knit throw and the warm glow of a scented candle.

Candles.

85% of Danes mention candles when asked what they associate with hygge. No wonder the Danes call candles levende lys, ‘living lights.’  Light a few candles and you will be well on your way to hygge.

No candles, No hygge.

Soak&Sleep offers a range of luxury scented candles, including ‘Berry Wreath’, ‘Pagoda Garden’ and ‘Buttered Fig’.

All of their candles are hand-poured in the UK, using the finest quality mineral wax and lead-free cotton wicks. The rich, indulgent fragrance of these carefully selected candles will be just the thing to turn your house into a hygge home.

The Buttered Fig candle is packaged in a stylish box. As soon as you open the box, you can smell the delicious aroma of fig and vanilla. I didn’t need much persuading to settle into my cosy nook, light the candle… and relax.

This luscious blend is warmly comforting, without being sweet – it’s a calming background fragrance that gives you the cue to relax. Buttered Fig is full of gorgeous promise – like putting a cake in the oven, without the hard work.

Books.

Reading a good book is like the hug of a friend or a pair of comfy slippers. Whether it’s your favourite Jane Austen novel, or the latest thriller, books are the cornerstone of hygge.

If you want an extra dose of ‘cosiness of the soul’, I can thoroughly recommend Meik Wiking’s book, (click link below):

The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well (Penguin Life)

Blankets & throws.

Blankets and throws are essential in a hygge household, especially during the winter.  As ‘feel’ and ‘touch’ are an important part of hygge, having a soft, luxurious, tactile throw offers added cosiness and comfort.

Soak&Sleep’s gorgeous new cable knit throw in a chunky 100% cotton slub has a wonderfully tactile texture.  I absolutely love how soft and substantial it feels.

Kick off your shoes, snuggle up in your favourite chair with this cosy throw and you’ll soon forget about the cold weather and embrace the winter.

Comfort.

Hygge is all about relaxation, so make yourself comfy. Pull on a warm jumper, wrap yourself in a luxurious textured throw and slip on a pair of cosy slippers.

I’ve given Soak&Sleep’s Women’s sheepskin slippers  a test drive, and the plush sheepskin with merino fleece lining is incredibly soft, making them extremely cosy and comfortable: I feel like I’m walking on fluffy clouds.

I have to agree with Soak&Sleep:

There’s a great big ‘Ahhhhh’ when you slip your feet in!

There’s a masculine men’s slipper with no fur trim (and a sturdy sole), and a girly fluff-trimmed version so everyone can enjoy the cosy comfort of super soft Australian sheepskin.

Finding Hygge.

If you want some ‘cosiness of the soul’ this winter, why not visit Soak&Sleep, where you’ll find the perfect ingredients for living the ‘hygge life’. Better still, with Christmas just around the corner, why not treat your loved ones to Soak&Sleep’s range of ‘hygge-ful’ gifts. (CLICK HERE)

Find out more about hygge.

If you’ve enjoyed this introduction to hygge, find out more about ‘the Danish way to live well’ in Meik Wiking’s ‘The Little Book of Hygge’.

The book is available from Amazon:

Win a cotton cable knit throw from Soak&Sleep.

The lovely people at Soak&Sleep are kindly offering one of my readers the chance to win one of their luxurious natural/grey cotton cable knit throws. For your chance to win, simply enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Competition terms and conditions:

1. There is one prize available for one winner.
2. This prize draw will be drawn at random, and is open to entrants aged 18 or over residing in the UK.
3. Up to 6 entries per person. All are compulsory methods of entry.
4. Maflingo.com retains the right to change the competition if necessary.
5. The prize is not transferable and there is no cash alternative.
6. If the winners do not contact me within one week, I will redraw another winner at random.
7. Entries must be received by 11.59pm on 23rd October 2016.
8. The winners will be chosen at random and notified by email on 24th October 2016.

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This giveaway is posted on the Loquax website.

Over to you.

Have you heard of hygge? What’s your idea of hygge?  As always, I’d love to hear from you.

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This is a collaborative post with Soak&Sleep. As always, the opinions are my own honest assessment.