Fall is officially here, so it’s time to break out the cozy blankets, plaid pillows, and scented candles that fill your living room with the smells of cinnamon, pumpkin, and freshly baked apple pie. In short, it’s time to add a little comfort to your living space. Before long, the nights will be getting shorter (and colder), and we’ll be spending all our time hunkered down in our warm, inviting living rooms.
The onset of colder weather is also the onset of hygge, the Scandinavian philosophy that’s all about coziness, being comfortable, wellness, and contentment. Sounds like goals for your living space, right? Check out this cozy living room in a Copenhagen dwelling, which proves you don’t have to spend a whole lot of money to capture that hygge feeling in your home.
Posted to the r/HomeDecorating subreddit by Version_West, the living room features a neutral palette that lets the sunlight coming in from bright, airy windows shine. “We are lucky to have huge windows because it gets really dark here during winter,” Version_West explained.
And once they got into the specifics of their decor, it became clear that the room wasn’t just beautiful — it’s affordable, too. Take the metal black end table, which is available from H&M Home for less than $100. Or the sofa, a Kivik from IKEA (which is pretty much the perfect retailer if you’re trying to blend Scandinavian design with affordability).
Version_West also sourced vital decor features secondhand. The lighting, they said, came from a neighbor who was moving out and selling off some of their belongings, while the coffee table was a find on Facebook Marketplace. “A little DIY here and there, and there it is,” they said.
Both Version_West and commenters went back and forth on the rug — an Amazon buy that the owner said is very easy to clean — with some thinking it looks great and others not wowed.
Version_West noted they’re looking for a Turkish rug: “I am all over Etsy looking for one. I live in Denmark; we don’t have estate sales, so my only option is Etsy (the prices are not pocket-friendly).”
Redditor Warmtimes assured, “I don’t think the problem is urgent; just keep looking and when the right piece at the right price comes along, pounce. Your room really looks fantastic!”
They also suggested checking out thrift stores, reporting they had gotten their vintage rug at one for $300 and had it cleaned and repaired for $500. “It’s the kind of thing that would go for $3000-$5000 minimum,” they said.
One feature that isn’t in this living room? A television. “We got rid of the TV so we can be able to sit and read or just have a conversation place where we can talk to each other without any distractions,” Version_West said. And if that doesn’t fit the hygge lifestyle, we don’t know what does.
You don’t have to spend a fortune to create a comfortable, Scandinavian-style living room deserving of the hygge mantel. With some thoughtful shopping and a curated aesthetic, your living room will be a warm, cozy space.
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