SEASON'S SENSES

The Danish philosophy of Hygge, pronounced ‘hoo-guh’, has been gaining popularity here in the UK for the last couple of years. I see the word everywhere online and in the shops. The term loosely means ‘coziness’ however this is not meant in an external or material way. It is not as simple as a few knitted blankets. Hygge is more of a psychological sense of coziness, a feeling of warmth - a calm, good feeling in the soul. The feeling you get when you read a book in front of a fire with a hot chocolate, or share a night in with a bottle of wine between friends. When I first read about Hygge I connected with it immediately as I have a very similar philosophy when it comes to design. Our homes are sanctuaries, our safe places where we can be our most relaxed and comfortable selves. They are necessary retreats from the outside world and this is never more true than in the winter when our natural instincts encourage us to hibernate. 

The process of designing a space that allows for this ‘cozy’ environment goes beyond aesthetic. It involves all the senses. By considering the experience of a room on multiple levels it is possible to create an atmosphere conducive to deep relaxation and calm.

TEXTURE & NATURE

Texture and natural materials are key. During the winter we tend to spend more time indoors and less time outside. Therefore it is really important to bring nature indoors in any way we can.  The warmth of wooden furniture, both visually and to the touch, is noticeably different to that of glass or metal. Collect some pine cones to decorate with and of course, for those celebrating - put up the Christmas tree! (I love to get a Norway spruce as it not only looks beautiful but also smells stunning). 

Combining thick-knit and fine-knit natural fiber blankets in different neutral tones is an easy way to introduce texture to a room. Fleece rugs are also a great way to incorporate a different natural texture into a space.

Photo via The Fabulous Fleece Company

Photo source unknown

Photo via Nkuku.com

LIGHT

The days are shorter and our hours of daylight are often dimmed by thick layers of grey cloud. It can feel oppressive and gloomy. I combat this by trying to find whatever natural light that I can. When the sun is hard to find, I turn to fire. The warm glow from a candle or an open fire has an innate comforting quality. Hurricane lanterns are a great way to house candles of different shapes and sizes in a safe way if you don’t have a working fireplace or wood burner. Candleholders and lanterns with cutouts are also a very effective way to introduce texture through shadow. I remember seeing some wall lanterns similar to the candleholders below for the first time when I visited Morocco a few years ago. During the day I had no idea what they were, they seemed like a pretty plain wall decoration. But at night, when they were lit, it was like magic. The patterns of light created by something so simple were stunning.

Photo via Zenza

SMELL

Smell is so important when it comes to the experience of a room, especially over the winter period. The smells of an open fire, freshly cut pine and gingerbread baking in the oven evoke feelings of warmth and comfort (and hunger!). If you’re not a fan of hoovering up the needles of a Norway spruce, or if you don’t celebrate Christmas, an easy way to introduce the fresh smell of the outdoors is to add sprigs of pine or cedar to a winter garland or flower arrangement. I also suggest investing in a good quality scented candle or reed diffuser with notes of wood and spice. 

Photo via Shibang Designs

My main piece of advice when designing a home for winter is to avoid anything artificial, anything that doesn’t feel, smell or look real. Focus on atmosphere, nature and warmth and you can’t go too far wrong!

A SAAL CHRISTMAS

The run up to Christmas is always a busy time here at Saal Design. Everyone is working to get their homes looking perfect and beautiful for the festive season and we try to do everything we can to ensure they do - in the early years I spent many Christmas Eve’s up ladders hanging curtains just in time for the big day!

One of my favourite Christmas activities is putting up the decorations and designing our Christmas window. At home, our decoration scheme doesn’t change much year on year. When it comes to our tree I am very much a fan of chucking everything on it, multicoloured lights and all. The only item not allowed is tinsel, that is where I draw the line! I love how the tree becomes a scrapbook full of memories, ornaments made by the kids, given by loved ones or passed down through the family. It’s fun and personal and I wouldn’t have my tree at home any other way. However, for the Saal Design window I get to unleash my designer and curate something a little different.

This year I wanted to create a window that was luxurious and rich. I wanted drama and sophistication. Seeing this stunning fabric (below) from Zoffany gave me my starting point. The vibrant blues and emerald greens are a feast for the eyes and act as a perfect statement piece. 

The jewel-like colours of the fabric made me think of treasure. Alongside a panel painted in a Mylands deep green, this gave me the perfect backdrop to showcase these elegant golden framed nest side tables (below) - a product I am extremely excited to use more of in 2018.

With the key elements in place I then had some fun designing the cushions. Simple yet opulent silk and velvet cushions act as gems and, with the addition of a ribbon, become stacked presents! The only last job was the elf work of decorating the tree using decorations of deep green, zealous blue and warm metallic to unite the whole scheme. 

I hope you had as much fun as we did decorating for the holidays. Pop by the showroom to see the finished result or to ask about any of the products featured - we also have mince pies! 

In the meantime, all of us at Saal would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and magical New Year! 

Please note: The studio will be closed for the holidays from 22nd December until 2nd January. Please send any enquiries during this period to info@saaldesign.co.uk or leave a voicemail on 01926 334 556 and we'll get back to you in the new year.