Hygge décor is not what people think. It is not a thing that you can go out and buy; it is more of a feeling.

Hygge (pronounced hue-gush) is a Danish word. The Hygge definition means a certain quality of coziness, and when incorporated into interior design, it helps to bring a feeling of well-being or contentment into your home. In other words, it is a state of mind that will have you feeling present in your environment and enjoying the present.

When we talk about hygge in interior design, it is about creating intimacy and bringing coziness into your home. Hygge style is not cluttering your home up with expensive furnishings and artwork, although you can certainly create a cozy feeling in that way. It is more about enjoying life’s simpler side.

The cozy meaning of hygge has played a role in Danish culture since early in the 1800s. It made its way across the ocean to the US in 2017, with eight books published on the topic within a few months of each other.

Hygge décor became one of the hottest home design trends in 2017. Does that mean you have already missed the bandwagon? Not at all, remember, it is not as much about style as it is creating a feeling.

Incorporating Hygge Décor Into Your Home

When some people first hear about hygge décor, Scandinavian design comes to mind with its simple, clean lines. Today, there is a movement towards environmental sustainability and green living. While hygge “style” is neither of these things, they can become a part of it because hygge is not a design trend in and of itself, but a state of being. You can incorporate sustainable design anywhere, at any time.

As you look at the photos below, courtesy of Ocean Blue Coastal Retreats, you will see that the rooms are uncluttered. That does not mean you must put away all your favorite possessions. Remember, it is more about creating a “feeling” of coziness and warmth. Those precious photos and knickknacks hold meaning and add your personal touch. The Swedish word lagom fits in well here, as it means just the right amount.

Color schemes in whites and neutrals create a calming sensation. Warm woods, plants, water features, bamboo, and other natural elements are a stark difference when compared to wrought iron, chrome, and metals. One invigorates and excites while the other brings relaxation. Again – it is about creating a specific feeling.

Think for a minute about hygge meaning and the word cozy. When looking around your home and contemplating the cozy definition, what comes to mind?

For many people up north at this time of year, fireplaces bring a sense of warmth and coziness. Cuddling up with a good book, your pet, or someone you love and enjoying the moment.

Lighting can alter the mood in any room, and there is nothing like the natural light flickering from candles. In fact, candles are an important aspect of creating a hyggelig (hygge-like) atmosphere in the Danish home. Not only do you find candles burned in their homes, but in classrooms and boardrooms, as well. Here at home, more than a billion pounds of wax go into the manufacturing of candles sold in the US each year. If you regularly burn candles in your home, you are well on your way to creating hyggelig.

Throw blankets, oversized pillows, floor cushions, plush rugs – these are items that bring a cozy feel to your home. As a matter of fact, cozy blankets are a crucial aspect of hygge, so go ahead and drape one over a sofa or chair.

While you are at it, think about carving out a small area in your home as a cozy reading nook.

Going Beyond Hygge Décor In Your Life

There is a certain mindfulness to hygge. It is being present in the moment and brings a sense of wellness to your life. Taking hygge into your kitchen may find you brewing a cup of hot chocolate, making a hearty stew, or baking a cake or cookies. Think comfort foods that fill the home with a pleasing aroma.

What is hygge going to do for you?

Whether you are incorporating hygge décor into one or all the rooms of your home, stocking up on candles and wool socks, or preparing your favorite soup, you are living in the moment and creating a new “feeling” in your life. If hygge sounds like bliss to you, then you are not alone.

Would you like help incorporating aspects of hygge décor in your home? HK Interiors provides interior design services that can help you transform your home or office into the vision you desire. Call us at 954-401-8542 today.

Today, people tend to either upsize or downsize, depending on what stage they are at in their lives. Each situation brings its own unique set of dilemmas. Downsizing leaves you trying to decide what to keep and what to say goodbye to. Upsizing often leaves you with a void – not having enough furniture to fill your space. An even tougher problem for some is what to do when you have an enormous living space to decorate. In this blog, we will explore some unique great room ideas that can help make a large area feel cozy, intimate, comfortable, and sophisticated.

Many floor plans today feature a “great room” – a large living space that can double as a living room and dining room, separating the two with furniture groupings. However, other homes have designated dining areas, leaving you with a large room that can seem overwhelming. How do you fill the space to make the room welcoming?

Creating unique open floor plan ideas can seem daunting, leaving you second-guessing your decision to buy that house. You do not need to suffer from buyer’s remorse when an interior designer can show you how to create that intimate, warm feeling you desire.

If you have lived in a home for many years and would like to transform your great space into a cozy room, think about intimacy. Rather than trying to fill an open living room with lots of large pieces of furniture positioned around an enormous coffee table and large area rug, imagine the feeling that comes from creating multiple, more intimate seating arrangements.

Before – Spreading Out the Furnishings

When thinking about how to fill a large living room, many people naturally assume that oversized furniture is an excellent way to begin. It is true that you do not want to use small, dainty furniture in a vast space – it will get lost.

Another thing to avoid is hugging the walls. Putting furniture up against a wall in a large space only makes it feel cavernous. Creating a seating area around a focal point is crucial, such as with the fireplace in the photo below.

As you can see in the “before” photos below, not only is this room extremely large, but it also has very high ceilings with windows above the French doors. There are many focal points in this space.

Another problem that can occur when you have a big living room is that the creation of one central sitting area leaves you with a lot of open floor space. The space in the photos below is 40 ft long x 32 ft wide with a 24 ft high ceiling. This “grand” room is perfect for entertaining – the question is how to pull it all together, making it feel intimate and welcoming.

After – Creating a Cozy and Intimate Floor Plan

Intimate, cozy rooms are possible to create, even when dealing with a huge living room. Besides the general concept of filling the room with furniture without overdoing, there is also a sound factor to consider. Large rooms can feel like an echo chamber at times. The proper use of textiles in furnishings can help absorb sound.

One thing to consider when discussing great room ideas is how you plan on using the space – especially if you enjoy entertaining. Creating seating areas that foster conversation is crucial – you do not want to have people yelling across a large space to be heard.

In the drawing below, you get an idea of how to make a living room cozy by creating two separate seating areas. The areas are symmetrical, giving the room a cohesive look.

Because area rugs can anchor a room, understanding how to combine area rugs in an open floor plan is crucial. As you can see in the design concept below, two identical rugs create the anchor for each of the seating areas.

Properly sized furniture and the scale of accessories are essential when filling a large space. The two living room furniture arrangement examples in the drawing below show how to use accessories to separate similar but distinct seating areas. The sofas help to anchor each of the seating areas. The use of asymmetrical coffee tables helps serve as focal points that take your eyes away from the expanse of the room.

When creating great room designs, another critical aspect is the lighting. There are a few things to consider with lighting design for a large space:

• The lighting must be even
• Lighting should be large or use plenty of recessed lighting

Lighting is not a problem during the day when a room has abundant windows like this one that will let the natural light in from the outside. Ensuring the creative use of lighting for nighttime entertaining will help enhance the intimacy of the individual areas.

As we continue with our discussion of large living room ideas, the next focus is wall art. When dealing with a vast space, small pictures will get lost on the walls. You want large scale, bold art to help enhance the design of the room.

Color is the other crucial aspect when discussing great room ideas. In a large space, you want to ensure that you have some colorful accents. As you can see in the drawings, blue accents are used for the loveseat in one seating area, and the chairs in the other, with coordinated pillows on the cream sofas and chairs. Repeating color and furniture patterns through the room help tie it all together.

The room depicted here is a work in progress. A future blog will present the finished project. Do you have a large space that you would like to see transformed into an intimate, sophisticated, and cozy paradise? If so, contact HK Interiors at 954-401-8542.

The Pantone Color System Explained

Interior design can be overwhelming for a homeowner – there are so many colors, styles, textures, patterns – where do you begin. An excellent starting point is the Pantone color system.

Today, many people are familiar with the fact that a new Pantone color of the year is chosen to spotlight each year. What they do not know is that Pantone has helped standardize the manufacturing industry through its Pantone matching system (PMS). Different manufacturers working on the same project can maintain consistent colors throughout their designs.

The widely produced Pantone Solid Colors palette has over 1100 unique colors used primarily in graphics, print, and publishing.

Unlike the CMYK colors which are made up of only four elements (black, cyan, magenta, and yellow), the PMS system consists of a wider range of colors, maximizing color consistency and reducing the degree of variation found in the CMYK system.

The Pantone color system, or Pantone Color Matching System, is the most widely used standardized color system today. There are actually two separate systems for Pantone colors – one for print and packaging, and the other for fashion and product design. The last one is the one we will focus on today. …more

One of the quickest and least expensive ways to change up the look of your room is with new throw pillows. Why would you need an interior designer if all you have to do is go out and buy a few inexpensive throw pillows to toss on your couch?

Truth be told, it is not always that easy. I know some people have wonderful color and style sense and can probably accomplish this on their own. However, there are also those who know they can easily get overwhelmed with patterns and colors. It is the same with furniture and decorative pillows. Make the wrong choice, and you will find yourself doing another return to the store.

Here is a list of do’s and don’ts of selecting decorative throw pillows for your home. Of course, you can always contact me to discuss options. In the end, the services of an interior designer can help beautify your home without it costing a small fortune. The right custom throw pillows or the specified Pantone color number system can take your home to the next level. There are also other decorating touches that an interior designer can add that will transform your room in ways you never imagined.

Throw Pillow Selection Do’s and Don’ts

Here is the first thing you need to know before you head out to the store and buy some new throw pillows – the selection is seemingly endless. It is easy to get lost in a sea of pillows that will have you second-guessing yourself – all the way to the register and beyond. Just when you think you made the right selection, you get home, and nothing seems to match.

Here is what you need to remember about buying throw pillows:

Throw Pillow Do’s:

• Choose the right size pillows for your sofa. Aside from being decorative, sofa pillows are also there to serve a purpose. You want your pillows to add comfort to your seating. Large throw pillows can make it difficult to sit comfortably on your sofa. If you have a firm sofa, you will want softer pillows. If your sofa is very soft, getting firm accent pillows will provide stability when sitting.

• Select your color palette with care. Keep your throw pillows in the same shade or select complementary shades for a cohesive look.

• Do not mix too many patterns, but it is good to mix tone on tone textures. While you do want some variances in your pillows, overdoing it can backfire and create a look that distracts from the beauty of your room.

• Follow this formula: Mix tone on tone textures or solids in different sizes or 1 solid, 1 busy print, 1 small print. A large or busy print works best on large couch pillows (think large = large). A small print, stripes, or plaids work best for small pillows. Use your medium pillow to bridge the two others. Remember to place larger pillows at the end of the couch, and the smallest ones to the center.

Throw Pillow Don’ts:

• Do not put so many throw pillows on your sofa that you have nowhere to sit. Guests sometimes feel uncomfortable moving around pillows in someone else’s home. Instead, they will perch uneasily on the edge of the sofa. The purpose of a couch pillow is to add comfort while being visually attractive.

• Do not give in to temptation and buy cheap throw pillows – the quality of material and inserts matter.

• Do not forget to tie your throw pillows together with one color. Even if there is only a tiny amount of your primary color in the fabric, it will still bring a cohesive look.

• Do not be afraid to go bold and make an exclamation point in your home. If your room and furniture are all white, cream, or beige, it is okay to bring a bright, bold color into the room with accent pillows.

Final Points of Interest about Throw Pillows

Here are some final recommendations when looking at buying throw pillows:

• Stick with solid colors if your room has a lot of patterns.
• Pair a simple stripe with a solid pillow for a classic look.
• If you have throw pillow covers that you like and need to get inserts, choose a slightly bigger insert for a fuller pillow.
• Odd number pillow pairings create a more modern look; even pairings are more traditional.
• It is ok to mix shapes, such as oblongs and squares, or squares and circles. Just remember that although you may be drawn to a particular shape, it may not look good on your style of furniture.

Remember, your throw pillows should complement your sofa (or chair). Choose your sizes, patterns, fabrics, textures, and shapes carefully.

HK Interiors is here to help you transform your home or office into the vision you desire. Contact us at 954-401-8542 for more information.

Each year, the Pantone Color Institute announces a Color of the Year. For 2019, that color is coral. Here in South Florida, we find the color coral used frequently, especially in the oceanfront condos of Boca Raton and Delray Beach that beckon design towards colors that remind us of the sea. Coral is lively, warm, and inviting. It is fresh and feminine without being too “girly.”

Whether you reside in the suburbs of Coral Springs and Parkland, or along the waterfront of Deerfield Beach or Fort Lauderdale, using the coral color in any of its hues can brighten up your home.

One thing we often find when looking at coral on the color wheel is its use with varying shades of blue. Coral and turquoise or aqua are perfect for an ocean or beach-themed interior design. You do have to be careful when choosing the shades to blend into your room. If you are using a vibrant shade of coral, then you want an equally vibrant blue. An example of this is seen when combining it with tiffany blue and white.

Muted shades of coral work best when used with complementing muted colors. Creating a neutral environment with coral pairs it well with shades of cream, beige, gray, and tan, and it also combines well with warmer colors such as yellow, apricot, and peach. Accent pillows, rugs, curtains, ceramics, or lampshades that feature coral help to energize a neutral room.

Living Coral Palettes to Consider for Interior Design

What color is coral considered? Depending on the shade and hue, it may appear as the color salmon, coral pink, or peach color. The Pantone Color of the Year 2019 is Living Coral. It is a vibrant shade that thrives as an accent to other colors in a room. Living coral reminds us of the coral that is alive under the ocean surface, giving shelter and nourishment to all forms of sea life.

Pantone has created five color palettes that feature living coral. In the first, Focal Point, coral becomes the focus of the cool color grouping as it pairs with colors such as Storm Gray, Forest Biome, and Martini Olive. Other shades in this grouping include Golden Lime, Beluga, Twill, and Mauvewood.

For those who love the vibrancy of a dazzling sunset, Pantone brings Shimmering Sunset to life with colors such as Conch Shell, Hot Pink, Aurora Pink, and Magenta Haze to blend with Living Coral. Radiant Yellow, Amberglow, and Papaya add the warmth of sunrise to your room.

The next palette is Sympatico, designed to pay homage to the world’s many skin tones. These beautiful colors create a warm glow in your home. Living Coral compliments Burnt Henna, Rose Dawn, and Coral Sands, combining two shades of coral into one beautiful palette. Sun Kissed Coral, Candlelight Peach, Sand, and Mellow Buff also work beautifully to create an inviting habitat.

If you are looking for a fun and energetic design using Living Coral, look no further than the palette called Trippy. With a nod towards the hallucinogenic 60s, Trippy combines it with exuberant shades such as Sulphur Spring, Chive Blossom, and Vivacious. For those looking for a bit more blue in the room, Barrier Reef, Deep Lake, and Ibiza Blue mesh beautifully with Coral and Pink Lemonade.

In our final palette, we go Under The Sea, to embrace the lure of the ocean and the ecosystem of the coral reefs. Here, Living Coral mingles with shades such as Blue Depths, Turkish Sea, Viridian Green, and Turtle Green. For an even brighter feel in the room, mix it with Sea Pink, Vibrant Yellow, and Limpet Shell.

How to Use Coral In Your Home

There are so many ways to use coral without it seeming overwhelming, and it makes an excellent accent wall, especially in a dining room or kitchen as it can help improve digestion. As a wall color, coral serves as a background for framed nautical or nature pictures, neutral tapestries, and your favorite photos. Bright lights can enhance the vibrancy of coral walls while soft lighting can help tone down the color.

Of course, coral works wonderfully as an accent in your room when used in a rug or on throw pillows. A coral pillow on a neutral couch provides a visual pop of color. For something more downplayed, you can choose pillows with just a hint of coral.

A small accent table in the corner of a room or against a wall is another great way to bring the color coral into the room. You can choose a strategically placed chair, curtains, or even a chandelier to help liven up a neutral palette. As you can see in the rug below, coral pairs beautifully with the color gray.

South Florida residents can learn more about incorporating coral into their homes by contacting HK Interiors. Call us today at 954-401-8542 to discover how our interior design services can help you transform your home or office into the vision you desire.