My Hygge Home: How to Make Home Your Happy Place

by Meik Wiking

hygge is about how we turn a house into a home—into a place where we find comfort and connection. Designing your hygge home is to imagine which activities can take place here that will have a positive impact on your well-being—and then shaping your living space to make that happen.

Most people prefer natural to artificial light. We prefer having a window by our workspace. We prefer a view of trees over bricks. These preferences aren’t just aesthetic; they are directly linked to our mental health. One large study of European housing and health status by the World Health Organization suggested that inadequate daylight or unattractive window views increased the likelihood of depression in inhabitants by 60 percent and 40 percent, respectively. But design of the built environment rarely focuses on these design elements to improve mental health.