Hygge is the Danish word for the feeling of warm, unhurried contentment in low light with people you like and nothing pressing to do. In Dubai it is an evening habit rather than a winter one: curtains drawn, ceiling lights off, two lamps and one soy candle, a throw kept in a basket by the sofa, the air conditioning a degree cooler and the phone in another room.
Hygge is the Danish word for the feeling of being warm, safe and unhurried, usually with other people, usually in low light. It is pronounced roughly "hoo-guh", it has no exact English translation, and it has become shorthand for a certain kind of cosy interior: candles, blankets, wood, wool. The question for anyone living in Dubai is whether a word invented for Scandinavian winters means anything in a place where it is thirty-five degrees in October. We think it does, and this guide is how to have hygge at home in the UAE without pretending it is snowing outside.
What hygge actually is
Hygge is not a style. It is a feeling, and the interior is just the set of conditions that make the feeling more likely. The Danish version has a short list of ingredients: low warm light, something soft to sit on or under, something warm to drink, a small number of people you like, nothing that needs doing, and no phone. Candles are central. Denmark burns more candles per person than any other country, and the reason is that candlelight is the fastest way to make a room feel like an evening rather than a continuation of the day.
Hygge in a hot country
The thing Dubai has that Copenhagen lacks is air conditioning, and it is the key to the whole idea. Inside, the temperature is whatever you set it to. Set it a degree or two cooler in the evening, and a blanket suddenly makes sense. Draw the curtains against the glare, turn off the overhead light, and the room does the rest. Hygge here is an evening habit rather than a winter one, and from November to March, when the evenings on the balcony are genuinely cool, it is exactly what the season is for.
The five things that make a room hygge
Low, warm light
Ceiling lights off. Two lamps and a candle or two, all warm white. This is the non-negotiable one. A room lit from above at eye level can never feel hygge; a room lit from below, at knee height, almost always does. The Quiet Hours candle, lavender in a blush ceramic pot, is the one we light on the side table; it is soft enough not to compete with dinner.
Something soft to hold
A wool or cotton throw, a heavy cushion, a rug underfoot. In a rental with tiled floors this matters more than anywhere. Keep the throws folded in a woven cotton basket by the sofa so they are there when the evening starts and out of the way in the morning.
Natural materials
Wood, cotton, ceramic, linen, glass. Hygge is allergic to shiny plastic. Every surface you touch in the evening should be something that feels like it came from somewhere. This is why a bamboo lid on a candle or a leather label on a basket does more than it looks like it should.
Something warm in your hands
Tea, coffee, a cup of anything. The ritual of making it is part of the point. Keep the tea and coffee somewhere you can see them, in canisters on the counter rather than a cupboard, so the kettle is a two-step thing.
Nothing left to do
Hygge cannot happen in a room with a pile in it. This is the unglamorous part: the fastest route to a hygge evening is fifteen minutes of putting things away first. Our guide to small living room ideas is really about this.
A hygge evening, step by step
- Put everything on the surfaces away. Fifteen minutes, no more.
- Curtains closed, overhead light off, two lamps on.
- Light one candle. Not three. One, with the lid off and the wick trimmed.
- Set the air conditioning a degree cooler than usual.
- Make something warm. Sit down. Put the phone in another room.
Hygge scent
Danish hygge smells of beeswax and coffee and cinnamon. Ours, in Dubai, leans the same way: the Golden Hour candle, cinnamon and bergamot, in the living room from November; the Nocturne candle, black coffee and vanilla, later at night. One scent per room. Our guide to a scent for every mood matches each candle to an hour of the day.
What hygge is not
It is not a shopping list. A room full of new cushions bought for the purpose is the opposite of the feeling. The best hygge homes are slightly worn, have fewer things than you expect, and were built up over years. If you buy one thing, buy a candle. If you buy two, buy a basket for the throws. Then stop, and use them.
Hygge questions
What does hygge mean?
Hygge is a Danish word for the feeling of cosy contentment and wellbeing that comes from enjoying simple things, usually in low light, with people you like and nothing pressing to do.
How do you pronounce hygge?
Roughly "hoo-guh". The first syllable is like "hue" without the "y" sound and the second is a short, soft "guh".
Can you have hygge in a hot climate?
Yes. Hygge is about light, texture and pace rather than temperature. Indoors, with the curtains drawn and the air conditioning a degree cooler, a Dubai apartment can be as hygge as a Copenhagen flat.
What candles are best for hygge?
Soy candles with a natural wick, in ceramic or frosted glass, in a warm scent such as lavender, cinnamon or coffee. One per room, lit low. Our guide to scented candles in Dubai covers what to look for.
