Designing with Danish Principles

I had a friend visit last week for a sneaky look at my newly renovated Pointside kitchen - she is French and married to an Australian. Her first response was 'oh I feel like I am home, it is very European'. This was music to my ears, since my design vision was always connected to a Danish apartment that I have loved for many years.

It got me thinking a little deeper about all the little details we included, that ultimately come together and have made the space look and feel like an elegant home, filled with hygge.

‘Pointside’ Beaumaris, Melbourne. Hygge Design

(Side note - I have had a love for Denmark since 1995, when I was an exchange student, followed by university studies, a house swap and many design visits since. Hygge and Danish values have beautifully integrated into my life for almost 30 years now).

When I established Hygge Design in 2020, it made sense to me to name it Hygge Design, since Hygge and Design go in hand. Our design values are very much ingrained with the way Danes live - we take a humanistic approach, where we design for people for living - with simplicity, functionality, sustainability and quality at the forefront of all our designs.
So how does this translate into our designs?

Interiors moodboard for a Scandinavian inspired project in Melbourne, Australia. Hygge Design

Natural Materials
The Scandinavians are big lovers of nature and with the colder months stretching on for more than half the year, they love to bring a little nature inside. This is seen by their strong use of timber, natural stone, metals, leather, bricks and cork materials in their homes. Natural materials give an immediate sense of warmth and welcome that manufactored materials cannot emulate. Quite simply, nature does it best.

‘Pointside’ Kitchen, Beaumaris, Melbourne. Hygge Design

Less is more

If you look at the Pointside kitchen, there are really only 3 materials! Achieving simplicity and a feeling of calm in a design is a lot harder to execute than it looks. It is something Agi and I continue to learn and improve on. One rule we apply to all our projects is the notion that once we think a design is finished, we take away one more thing/element. It could be styling a shelf or designing a kitchen, this rule is really hard, but often it is the best decision we make to elevate a space.

Sustainability and enduring designs

The Danes are at the forefront of sustainable design and living in general - Copenhagen has more bikes than cars; they have removed car lanes and replaced them with bike lanes- bikes rule in Denmark; their public transport system is second to none- it is so easy to get anywhere, on time too! They had the bring your own bag/no plastic bags rule way back in 1995!

The Danes believe that one of the best ways to be sustainable is to 'buy once and buy well'. This is reflected in their homes, where they invest in quality design pieces that they will keep for generations to come. I love how when I visit my host families and friends, they still have the same pieces of furniture now as when I first stayed with them - they place craftsmanship and classic designs on a pedestal. By using quality materials and classic designs, their homes stand the test of time for many, many years. I'd like to think that the Pointside kitchen will also be enduring and timeless for many decades to come.

Function over form
Don't get me wrong, I want our designs to look beautiful, but first and foremost, there is always a focus on function - a kitchen needs to work and flow properly to be a success, otherwise it will lose its beauty due to frustrations and congestion. For us, it is all about our clients and how they live, not how we want them to live. Kitchens need to work harder than ever these days - serving as places to work, do homework, to socialise and of course cook the odd meal or two ;-) Zones are a great way to achieve better flow for families - designing to include breakfast cupboards away from the main bench is a great way to spread the load during peak hours. Kids can be making their lunches on the bench, whilst Dad can be making coffee and breakfast and not getting in the way.
Pictured below is the hidden breakfast bar that works really well during morning routines.

Pointside Kitchen Beaumaris, Melbourne. Hygge Design

Removing the rangehood and overhead storage
This might be somewhat controversial- but I was so keen to remove the overheads and use an induction downdraft rangehood, as I had seen in many Danish homes and apartments. The downdrafts have been used in Denmark for many moons, since they often have no choice as they cannot access an outside wall or a roofline. So their approach has been very functional, but they also come with the added bonus of a simple, clean look that I really love. We teamed up with Fisher and Paykel for all our appliances.

These are just some of the design details that we naturally apply to our projects, as we really believe in Danish design principles and how well they easily integrate into our Australian way of living.
Hygge Design is all about making where we live the best possible environment for our health and wellbeing- allowing us to thrive.

Are you are about to embark on a renovation project and not sure where to start? Wanting a Scandinavian interior design that is also functional? We are here ready to help you, reach out today and hear how we can transform your home, infusing Australian warmth with Scandinavian design principles.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead!

Carlie and Agi

Hygge Design - it’s wellbeing for your home