Hygge 

[hue-gah] noun “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).”

Hygge is a very important part of Danish culture and is something I’ve noticed a lot during my time here in Denmark. It can be seen everywhere, from people lounging in the park to shops closing early to living wages to cozy coffee shops and more, there is many representations of Hygge here. The people here in Denmark are truly just content and happy to be here. I think that’s what makes them so good at sharing their space and creating spaces for people, not for profit.

From a design perspective, many buildings  and public spaces are specifically designed to be comfortable and useable spaces for all citizens. These creates a cozy, community based feeling in my opinion. The people here are just simply nicer to each other and seem to really enjoy being here!

From the standpoint of money, health, and welfare, there is a further sense of comfort as people are paid living wages here and given access to healthcare universally. I can imagine this comfort creates an automatic feeling of Hygge and is something I long for in America (especially with the current the state of healthcare access in America, more on this to come).

Here are some ways I have experienced and seen Hygge in Copenhagen:

Yours,

Macy