comfort: winter hygge

Yesterday morning, Cecilia commented that my home looks very Pottery Barn in its décor. I like to think that my home does not look contrived and commercial and instead reflects that Scandinavian aesthetic of hygge. Not an austere but rather a homey style of beauty married to function. Not too much decoration but just enough. In other words, I want my home to evoke simplicity but also a warm invitation to settle in and linger. My winter décor started with adhering gold leaf to my kiln-baked holiday trees: I swabbed the stars with rubbing alcohol and then messily adhered gold leaf on to the stars with adhesive and tweezers and my finger tips. I brought out my wooden “HOME for the holidays” sign that I bought during the pandemic--I had stuck white letter stickers that read "QUARANTINE" above the HOME for the holidays and then removed the stickers just last year. The natural wood looks charming with my two bottle brush trees.     

I moved my pears next to my favorite candlesticks which I had lit at our Feast of Seven Fishes. I also adorned our tv mantle with a white and blush poinsettia.

And I’ve loved my holiday table settings of my Heath stoneware. Again more candlelight with tea lights underneath my holiday trees and the tapers aflame on the contemporary candelabra during dinner.

I've promised loved ones and friends more of these candelabras and holidays trees next year. It was a good evening capped off by a glass of Chardonnay, cuties and a kumquat cookie. Then I removed the tablecloth for the laundry and let the winter décor remain.

I should stay in and enjoy these creature comforts, but I want to return to the ceramics studio this morning and refine the candelabras, which I hand built last night.