ADD A TOUCH OF HYGGE TO YOUR HOME
by Vivian Holding
For those of you who have never heard of hygge, let alone know how to pronounce it (heurgha), hygge is a danish word, untranslatable, but referring to the Danish concept of warm cosiness during the winter months.
It’s all about creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life, surrounded by good people, taking genuine pleasure in making ordinary, everyday things more meaningful, beautiful or special.
Doing simple things such as making your home as cosy and comfortable as possible, wearing warm, comfortable clothes, thick and snuggly socks and curling up with a good book, a blanket and a hot drink in front of a log fire, inviting friends over for a pot of tea, a delicious homemade cake and a catch up, popping to your local bar or café, going out for a crisp walk in the winter sun, watching a good film at home, having a lovely long hot bath using your favourite bath products, all encompass hygge perfectly.
Whilst hygge has recently become the marketing dream word in the interiors world to encourage you to buy into living the scandi dream (a slight deviation from the true meaning of the word, to enjoy the simple things in life, rather than to shop, shop, shop!). I’ll happily be drawn into the dream, as I have long been a fan of scandi style and my house is filled with many Scandinavian brands. Here is my list of my go-to boutiques for your own scandi hit.
Hygge
(hygge.ch) 3 rue des Rois, 1204 Genève
The Hygge shop opened its doors in December 2016, in an old converted garage in the Plainpalais/Finances area of Geneva. This means that the store, which has existed online for a while, now showcases their beautiful wares in their shop. So much better if you’re touchy-feely like me. Partners Camille Ritz and Manon Barraud have created a beautiful space, with lots of very tempting items from Scandi brands such as Normann Copenhagen, NUD, House Doctor, By Nord Copenhagen, as well as Scandi inspired lamps by French brand Hurlu. A corner of the shop is dedicated to a small epicerie/deli, with jams, spices, pesto, oils, condiments and chutneys by Danish brand Nicolas Vahé – perfect for gourmet lovers.
The rear of the shop is set up as a workshop, where you can choose to do a mini DIY course for example to make your own Scandi style table lamp, shelving, printing stamp, cat teepee, or cactus plant pot holder. Check out their website and register with them to stay up-to-date on upcoming courses. You will most definitely be seeing me there!
Opening hours Monday-Friday 11am-7pm, Saturday 10am-5pm.
Les Enfants Terribles
(les-enfants-terribles.ch) 24 rue Prévost-Martin, 1205 Genève
Textiles, furniture, lighting and accessories from Scandinavian design houses such as Muuto, Heidi+James, String Furniture, Eric Jorgensen and Jielde are displayed in this funky industrial space in Plainpalais. In addition, they offer a personal interior design advice service and have a workshop within the shop where they turn vintage finds into very desirable items of furniture. I find it very hard to leave this shop without buying something lovely for my home.
Opening hours Tuesday-Friday, 10am-7pm, Saturday 10am-6pm.
La Boutique Danoise
(laboutiquedanoise.com), 16 rue Pictet de Rochemont, 1207 Genève
Specialising specifically in Danish, but also incorporating Scandinavian design, this boutique in the Eaux-Vives/Villereuse area of Geneva is able to offer you the very best from furniture designers such as Hans Wegner, Borge Mogensen and Arne Jacobsen, as well as other lesser known young artists making their name in the design world. Lighting by Poul Henningsen and Louis Poulsen, as well as rugs, tableware, glassware, silverware and decorative pieces and gifts (my favourite being Kay Bojesen’s wooden toys) are also available.
Additional services include help with interior design projects (home and businesses/offices) and a wedding list service.
Opening hours Tuesday to Friday 9am-1pm/2pm-6.30pm, Saturday 9am-1pm/2pm-6pm.
DesignMaliN
(designmalin.com) 30 rue Maunoir, 1207 Genève
Malin Miller offers a very personalised service from her boutique in Eaux-Vives. All the interior hygge you could ever wish for is stocked here from furniture to lighting as well as accessories and gifts. Brands include Muuto, String, Menu and Design House.
My recently purchased String shelving unit from DesignMaliN looks amazing in my newly redecorated bathroom.
Opening hours Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 11am-6.30pm, Saturday 10am-1pm, closed all day Wednesday.
Caillou
(caillou-shop.ch) 9 place des Augustins, 1205 Genève
Camille and Yuri, who are long time friends, have worked together on development and design projects since 2010. The opportunity to take on a shop in the Place des Augustins came in 2015, when they teamed up with Nicolas and created Caillou.
Their philosophy is simple – beautiful objects have the power to make people happy. And their selection of tableware, cushions, furniture, lighting, glassware and gifts certainly make me feel warm and fuzzy! Beautifully displayed items from Serax, Hay, Papier Tigre, Wool & the Gang, Munio Candela, Hubsch and Petite Friture, will tempt you to buy something a little different for your home or a gift for one of your very lucky friends!
Opening hours Tuesday to Friday 10.30am-6.30pm, Saturday 11am-5pm, closed all day Sunday and Monday.
