By Meryl Williams
I do not care for winter.
I do not care for it so much that I moved to a climate where I believed it would not touch me, but it turns out that the gray of the Pacific Northwest does worse for my mental health than snow. So now I’m back in my native Midwest! I have decided to embrace winter, and the hygge decor around my new apartment helps. (So has global warming and a very mild-weathered 2017, but that’s another story.)
If you’re feeling some cabin fever, hygge up your place with these decor ideas.
Fake fireplace cover:
The best-case scenario for a new place is that it comes with a working fireplace. The second-best case is that you get a really pretty non-working one. My apartment has the latter, so I like having a cover up against it to keep me from feeling sad about not actually being able to use it.
Tiny, white lights everywhere:
As we all know, tiny bright lights are for all of winter, not just the holidays. These ones I Scotch-taped to my fake fireplace are twee *and* offer a flattering soft lighting option. (Editor’s note from Suzanne: Bright Lab offers some cute ones!)
Cats on blankets:
So hygge. Go get you some cats.
Assorted coffee mugs, zero glassware:
Who needs gold-leaf-rimmed wine glasses when I have a perfectly good mug whose message leads people to believe I read more than I actually do? Coffee mugs make every beverage a winter beverage: Tea, LaCroix, root beer, you name it. Hygge. It. Up.
Stacks of books:
Speaking of literature, look at all these pretty library books I fully intend to read over winter, even though I know I’m just gonna end up re-reading all seven Harry Potter books instead! They make excellent decorations!
Cross stitches:
I did not make these! My talented sister-in-law did, and my apartment benefits from them. Not only are they adorable and politically in line with my views, but visitors constantly compliment them. (Editor’s note again: Here are two cute options to buy for your own home.)
Lots of dang foxes and birch trees:
Snow is terrible, but foxes attempting to dig through it are adorable. Pepper your home with IKEA birch tree branches and fox art, and you’ll forget how much you loathe January.
Have at it! May hygge get you through until spring!
Meryl Williams is a writer working on a collection of essays about learning to play roller derby. If you want to see more of her writing, sign up for The Sleeper Hit newsletter or find her on Twitter (@merylwilliams).